Phantasy Star Online 2
Phantasy Star Online 2 is a free-to-play online action role-playing game in the Phantasy Star series developed and published by Sega. Created as a successor to Phantasy Star Online and Phantasy Star Universe, Phantasy Star Online 2 features gameplay elements and aesthetics reminiscent of previous Phantasy Star games while incorporating unique twists on the formula. The first version was released for Windows in Japan in July 2012.
A PlayStation Vita version was released in February 2013 and shut down in September 2020 (originally August 2020), while a PlayStation 4 version was released in April 2016. A spin-off/companion game, Phantasy Star Online 2 es was released for Android and iOS in 2014. A Nintendo Switch cloud version, entitled Phantasy Star Online 2 Cloud was released in April 2018 and then on PC, released in December 2018. At E3 2019, it was announced that the game would be releasing outside of Asia for the first time on the Xbox One and Windows in early 2020.
A massive updated and separate “shared universe” game, Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis, is scheduled for June 2021. It will be available on Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S worldwide, and Windows, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in Japan.
Upon starting the game, the player can select one of several servers, known as “Ships,” to play. Players create and customize their characters to be used in the game. The name, gender, race, character class, body and facial features are available for customization during the character creation process, and later, the player can acquire a number of accessories and aesthetic goods to further customize their characters. There are various races available to the players in the game, which include Human, Newman (bio-engineered humanoid elves), CAST (manmade androids), and Deuman (species that contains recessive Falspawn genes in them).
At the start of the game, players may select from one of nine starting classes, each with unique stat spreads and weapon specialties. Four more “Scion Classes” can also be unlocked when the player meets certain requirements. Classes can be changed at will in the game’s lobby; levels and statistics earned with a specific Class are independent of progress made with other Classes on the same character. Classes can also be customized with Skill Points earned from leveling up, which can be spent on a Skill Tree to learn Skills unique to the Class; Skill abilities can range from passive effects such as boosting stats to toggle abilities that power up your character temporarily. After a certain level, players can also assign a Subclass, a secondary Class that augments the player’s Main Class by granting access to most of its Skills, Photon Arts, and Techniques.