# Phantasy Star III

6 Hacker News commenters recommended Phantasy Star III and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended for its generations system, cyborg characters, and place in the beloved Phantasy Star series; critics find it flawed and wacky, and some suggest skipping it.

## Why people recommend it

- Generations system praised (2 comments): "The generations system in III was amazing." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48288325)) "the multi-generation cyborgs were awesome" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48285666))
- Part of beloved series (2 comments): "Phantasy Star 1, 2, 3 and 4 played a huge part in the world of games I grew up with" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48284749)) "I recommend PSIV->PSII->PSIII" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48278075))

## What people warn about

- Seen as flawed and weaker (2 comments): "If I was going to suggest skipping one it would definitely be 3." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48283134)) "too flawed and wacky despite some good ideas" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48280280))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Baldur's Gate 3](https://hackerapproved.com/p/baldur-s-gate-3.md): 71 recommend
- [Clair Obscur: Expedition 33](https://hackerapproved.com/p/clair-obscur-expedition-33.md): 58 recommend
- [Ultima VII Revisited](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ultima-vii.md): 24 recommend
- [Disco Elysium](https://hackerapproved.com/p/disco-elysium.md): 23 recommend
- [Chrono Trigger](https://hackerapproved.com/p/chrono-trigger.md): 23 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Phantasy Star III", https://hackerapproved.com/p/phantasy-star-iii/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).