Phantasy Star II - Kaerazaru Toki no Owari ni (Japan)
Sega Genesis / Mega Drive
🇯🇵
Reviewed in 1990
86
✪ Reviewed on May 11, 2025
80
The long Japanese title of Phantasy Star II, identical to the Western RPG. For collection or localisation.
Your verdict
Category
RPG1 player12+
Description
Hero Rolf explores Algo and battles Dark Force in this original Sega Phantasy Star II released on mini consoles. Published by Sega, released in Japan in 1990. Founding turn-based RPG with Algo system, two-planet exploration and multiple playable characters.
Phantasy Star II - Kaerazaru Toki no Owari ni review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
The Japanese edition foregrounds its character portraits, drawn in a late nineteen-eighties animation style, voluminous hair and emphatic gazes. The menu screens and frames adopt golden geometric patterns that contrast with the coldness of the station scenery. A presentation polished down to its margins.
On the FM chip, Tokuhiko Uwabo distils a science-fiction melancholy of astonishing depth, between dramatic tension and poignant flights. The music embraces Rolf's wandering through the Algo system with a gravity rare for the era. This pioneering score remains a moving landmark of the console JRPG.
Gameplay
"Solid"
Fun
"Pleasant"
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Fleshing out your party, equipping fresh techniques and advancing through a story of striking bleakness weaves an adventure you leave with regret. Sprawling dungeons, levels gained and plot twists chain objectives with rewards. The frequent random battles and the grinding weigh, yet the narrative ambition and the bond with the characters keep a stubborn grip.
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Massive"
The original version of Rolf's odyssey across Algo, this Phantasy Star II unfolds vast dungeons and a turn-based progression as long as it is demanding. Facing Dark Force takes hours of exploration and levelling up. That scope, a founder of the genre on the machine, offers a lifespan that fans of period JRPGs cherish.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
Phantasy Star II Kaerazaru Toki no Owari ni is the original Japanese edition of Phantasy Star II, distributed by Sega in Japan with the Japanese subtitle Kaerazaru Toki no Owari ni (At the End of the Time That Will Not Return). Its collector value comes from this unique Japanese naming and from the fact that the JP version remains the original before the Western localization adjustments.
Is Phantasy Star II - Kaerazaru Toki no Owari ni still worth playing in 2026?
A direct enriched sequel to the Sega saga, Phantasy Star II offers a more mature and ambitious RPG adventure on planet Mota with deepened tactical mechanics and a striking dark scenario. The polished science fiction art direction, gameplay depth and dramatic tone make this title an absolute peak of 16 bit JRPG on Mega Drive. For anyone fond of classic Japanese RPGs or wishing to discover an overlooked Sega masterpiece, an absolutely essential recommendation today still without the slightest hesitation truly here indeed.
