Phantasy Star IV
Shares rank 7 of 33 role-playing games by recommenders
A Sega Genesis RPG people praise for its music, its setting that avoids medieval fantasy, its solid combat, and its place in a well-regarded series.
A Sega Genesis RPG people praise for its music, its setting that avoids medieval fantasy, its solid combat, and its place in a well-regarded series.
16 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 94%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 15 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Music and sound praised
“the savage twang of those Genesis basslines, the aesthetics, it was really something special”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” “It had good combat, good music, it stayed away from medieval fantasy”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” “had a most excellent sound track”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” Series praised as among best
“I consider the series among the best Japanese RPG universes ever made.”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” “also an evolutionary improvement of the series.”
Comment from 2 Dec 2025 in “Making a Small RPG” “Phantasy Star is such an underrated series”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” Widely called one of the best RPGs
“By far one of the best games I have played.”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” “one of the best RPGs on Mega Drive”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” “Awesome game, highly recommended.”
Comment from 22 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” Good combat and smooth gameplay
“It had good combat, good music, it stayed away from medieval fantasy”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews” “In the fourth game, everything just works.”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews”
Other role-playing games people recommend
The four most recommended other role-playing games, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baldur's Gate 3 | 71 | 11 | 87% | 11 | — | Approved |
| Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | 58 | 10 | 85% | 11 | — | Approved |
| Ultima VII Revisited | 24 | 7 | 77% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Disco Elysium | 23 | 1 | 96% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Phantasy Star IVThis page | 15 | 1 | 94% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
15 of the 17 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“This game changed my life”
“I consider the series among the best Japanese RPG universes ever made.”
“the savage twang of those Genesis basslines, the aesthetics, it was really something special”
“Fantastic game, and the only PS game I actually finished!”
“It had good combat, good music, it stayed away from medieval fantasy”
“had a most excellent sound track”
“those annoying trap doors”
“Phantasy Star is such an underrated series”
“one of the best RPGs on Mega Drive”
“In the fourth game, everything just works.”
“By far one of the best games I have played.”
“It works great as your first game.”
“Awesome game, highly recommended.”
“also an evolutionary improvement of the series.”
“I still think they made up for it with 4 though.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.