History YMMV / PhantasyStarI

** While the first ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' is credited with introducing a strong, capable female lead, this game wasn't far behind. While it came out a year later, the packaging, manual, and opening cutscene firmly establish Alis as a heroine who wasn't out for treasure, saving the world, or rescuing princesses, she was on a journey of revenge and the text makes explicit that she intends to kill the man who murdered her brother. And unlike Metroid, it didn't disguise the fact that you were playing a main character that just so happened to be a girl.

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The 3D first-person dungeons are unlike anything seen in other console [=RPGs=] of the time, and helped the game stand out.

* MostAnnoyingSound: The Laser Gun. Even worse, it's arguably Odin's best weapon so you'll hear it a lot.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: To many gamers nowadays, this game just looks like a generic space RPG. What people forget is this is one of the ''earliest'' space [=RPGs=] created, possibly being the UrExample of the sub-genre, as it was unthinkable at the time for [=RPGs=] to be anything ''but'' [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy Medieval European Fantasies]]. Back then, something like this was considered to be an interesting take on the genre, and a nice breath of fresh air.[[note]]''VideoGame/Ultima2'' had done a bit of space travel stuff, but that was very much a case of ThrowItIn, even by the admission of [[WordOfGod Garriott himself]]. ''Phantasy Star'', meanwhile, was consistent with its setting and the games that followed would expand on the ideas it began.[[/note]]
* WhatAnIdiot: While Odin had the foresight to bring a cure to petrification before fighting Medusa, he gave that cure to a creature (Myau) that is unable to open the container it was kept in.
** Since Odin is petrified when the party first meets him, this proves he was literally TooDumbToLive.

** Unusually for an RPG, technological weapons do a set amount of damage, ignoring the attributes of both the user and the target. The ''[[Franchise/SaGaRPG SaGa]]'' games are the most well-known ones that use this mechanic, but ''Phantasy Star'' did it two years earlier. Later games would have them work more like conventional weapons.

** Unusually for an RPG, technological weapons do a set amount of damage, ignoring the attributes of both the user and the target. The VideoGame/SaGa games are the most well-known ones that use this mechanic, but ''Phantasy Star'' did it two years earlier. Later games would have them work more like conventional weapons.

* NintendoHard: Even the starting enemies will kick your butt until you grind enough.
* OlderThanTheyThink: Unusually for an RPG, technological weapons do a set amount of damage, ignoring the attributes of both the user and the target. The VideoGame/SaGa games are the most well-known ones that use this mechanic, but ''Phantasy Star'' did it two years earlier. Later games would have them work more like conventional weapons.

* AccidentalInnuendo: The dream fight with [[spoiler:Dark Force]] (appropriately called "Nightmare" in Japanese) got mistranslated as "Saccubus" in English. So apparently, Dark Force was trying to ''[[HornyDevils seduce]]'' Alis....

* AccidentalInnuendo: The dream fight with Dark Force (appropriately called "Nightmare" in Japanese) got mistranslated as "Saccubus" in English. So apparently, Dark Force was trying to ''[[HornyDevils seduce]]'' Alis....

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: To many gamers nowadays, this game just looks like a generic space RPG. What people forget is this is one of the ''earliest'' space [=RPGs=] created, possibly being the UrExample of the sub-genre, as it was unthinkable at the time for [=RPGs=] to be anything ''but'' [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy Medieval European Fantasies]]. Back then, something like this was considered to be an interesting take on the genre, and a nice breath of fresh air.

* AccidentalInnuendo: The dream fight with Dark Force (appropriately called "Nightmare" in Japanese) got mistranslated as "Saccubus" in English. So apparently, Dark Force was trying to ''[[HornyDevils seduce]]'' Alis...

* NightmareFuel: Undead type enemies pull a horrific GameFace when they attack or use an ability. It involves the flesh on their faces liquifying and hanging around their knees.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Unusually for an RPG, technological weapons do a set amount of damage, ignoring the attributes of both the user and the target. The {{Videogame/Saga}} games are the most well-known ones that use this mechanic, but Phantasy Star did it two years earlier. Later games would have them work more like conventional weapons.
* PortingDisaster: While the GameboyAdvance port fixed most of the [[BlindIdiotTranslation engrish]] of the original version, it had a couple problems. For one, the game had a [[GameBreakingBug tendency to freeze when the player saved]]. The other is the RNG seemed to be broken, so attacks would either always hit or always miss and they would always do a set amount of damage.
* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: To many gamers now a days, this game just looks like a generic space RPG. What people forget is this is one of the ''earliest'' space [=RPGs=] created, possibly being the UrExample of the sub-genre, as it was unthinkable at the time for [=RPGs=] to be anything ''but'' [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy Medieval European Fantasies]]. Back then, something like this was considered to be an interesting take on the genre, and a nice breath of fresh air.

* UnfortunateImplications: In Twin Town the church is located on the side with the liars.
** In the American translation lying Dezorians tend to speak with a French accent for some reason.

* CompleteMonster: Lassic hasn't been treating the Algol star system well.