Phantasie - Day 6

I came, I saw, I conqu...

Well, no, I didn’t actually beat it - but it’s been an engrossing slog over the past few months. I hope you've been following my ventures here and on Twitter (oops, X) over the past few months? Well, hundreds, if not thousands, of monsters met a bloody end, and I can’t thank the lads over at Into The Vertical Blank enough for their teaser that got me hooked in the first place. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every second of this olde classic.

Phantasie helped lay down the groundwork for party-based RPGs where you get to build your own custom team from scratch, then head out into the wilds of Gelnor to battle many different types of creatures. It might look a bit plain now, but the GEM interface works superbly (yeah, I’m shocked too) with an uncluttered layout and nicely drawn fantasy world featuring more monsters than you can shake a stick at... or a sword!!

I feel like Phantasie is pretty much timeless. It's a classic with all the main aspects of any RPG, but it’s fantastic fun without much difficulty to begin playing. What I immediately got from playing this was...

• Storyline - You're up against the evil sorcerer Nikademus, who's causing all sorts of grief. However, the plot is hidden somewhere amidst the fighting and isn't really integrated into the adventure.
• Create your own party system – Roll up six custom characters, cleverly mixing their classes from races like humans, dwarves, elves, gnomes, and even mighty trolls. What a mix!
• Open world adventuring – Travel across the vast continent of Gelnor, exploring towns, dungeons, and wilderness areas. It's a bit sparse, but riddled with dangerous monsters and treasure.
• Turn-based combat - Strategic party battles; think before stabbing something too strong.
• Dungeon crawling with traps and puzzles – No mapping is necessary, though you’ll quickly realise you still need to remember to make reliable notes. Get that pen & paper out!
• Progression and loot galore - Level up your party, learn new spells, and gather better gear.

Explore everywhere; this builds experience points and offers many treasures.

Life-Sucking-Fun

Phantasie 1 is everything that I expected from a turn-based adventure and more. It keeps everything simple without the complexity of a modern RPG. From the start, it plays as an action-adventure and remains so. The above points are relevant, but for me, Phantasie mainly focuses on three gameplay aspects...

• Levelling up your party, of course. Grind like mad, collect loot, and beef up your stats until you're an unstoppable force. And that's what you will become, because out in the wild, the difficulty doesn't exactly ramp up. It just throws in stronger-looking enemies that often turn out to be more bark than bite. A strong team that spent time grinding will have no problems.
• See how far your party can walk before being jumped by random monsters. You walk, you fight, you walk, you fight, it's all about conflict, and I love it! Well, who doesn't enjoy a fisticuff?
• Collecting the elusive runes from within each dungeon. Love these parts the most, but some of the puzzles are about as clear as a glass of Porter - aggravated by conflicts purposely positioned on certain tiles with no way to avoid them. Also, I found myself locked out of some rooms without a clue. Only if you properly looted the previous dungeon will you possess the right items/knowledge.

Yeah, Phantasie's strength lies in the ability to immediately begin without the need to study the backstory, seek out people, gather information, etc. You're here to grind, earn cash, level up your team, and hack, slash, and fling magic at anything that looks at you funny. Everything revolves around fighting, looting rewards to gain strength, and fighting some more. Erm, you will battle all kinds of weird creatures, a lot!

However, while the exploration and action are genuinely engrossing, the storyline fails to unfold without the lore, character interaction, and secrets. Magical spells are just what you’ve seen before many times, and there's limited room for a progressive experience. A few extra grumbles stood out: remembering it’s the first game, the interface lacks refinement, scroll usage is clunky, and there’s no journal – meaning you’ll need pen and paper like it’s 1986 (which I suppose it is!). Item management? Forget it. You simply can’t equip what you find until you’re back in town, so don’t get too excited about that shiny new sword you just picked up.

My ideal party always seems to lean towards melee! With that in mind, consider running with these guys...

1. Fighter (Troll or Dwarf) – Hit like a truck and soak up damage like a sponge.
2. Fighter (Minotaur) – Brutal strength, smashes through anything.
3. Ranger (Half-Elf) – Solid melee, doubles as a backup healer too.
4. Monk (Human or Gnome) – Punches hard, helpful with spells.
5. Priest (Human) – Your main healer; one is enough when there are few spellcasters.
6. Thief (Halfling) – Absolutely essential for traps/locks, and quick with the blade!

Oh yeah, dragons appear, and we're ready with cunning, magic, and a bloody sword!

CryptO'pinion

This game has kept me hooked since February, and that’s saying something as I often get distracted and move to something else far too easily. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone seeking a straightforward fantasy RPG centred on action and exploration. It’s easy to get into, and refreshingly simple. Sure, parts of it have aged like warm milk, but the core gameplay holds up surprisingly well today. It's a whole lotta fun!

Phantasie earns itself a bloodthirsty 80%, so dust off your +2 axe and hit those dungeons like it’s 1986.

For reference, here are the previous Phantasie articles I posted, and a little bit more...

• Day One - Almost 4 decades too late, I discovered Phantasie I.
• Day Two - The basics are covered in and around the town of Pelnor.
• Day Three - It's why people boot up this game - let's fight!!
• Day Four - Expanding on Day Three with a dollop of magical information.
• Day Five - My progress report before this gripping conclusion.
• Twitter/X - I posted many silly screenshots as I played Phantasie I.
• Into The Vertical Blank's channel - always worth checking out!!
• Lastly, but most certainly not least, my sincere gratitude and greetings to John Heritage for being a true ST knight and twice supporter of my Phantasie quest! :-)

We found the body of an Elvin Fighter, but the ceiling caved in!

This left us trapped, looking for a secret passageway...

Oh no, what shall we do? Well, they wanted equality, so help the man for a cryptic clue.

The dungeons are amazing and full of wonders. Can you find this warrior?

Sometimes the fights feel a little unfair. Make sure you command your party well.

Arghh, a Hill Giant and Kobolds decide to try their luck!!

A few more steps, and I'm attacked by Skeletons and Wraiths. Great!

Right, that's me done! Three Black Knights are two too many for my weary party...

Phantasie - Day 5

Into the Dungeons!

It's been a long time since I last wrote about Phantasie. No, I haven’t given up and run away scared! Things have just been a bit hectic lately at Crypt Towers, what with us now having DOOM (grin). But I’m back, sword in hand, and ready for possibly the most important part of any adventure game - the dungeon.

Since the last post, my progress has exploded, and I’ve explored huge chunks of the western island. The game feels like it properly opens up after all that early grinding in and around Pelnor. We're now rocking decent gear and are highly trained. That said, it's more of the same with a battle around every corner, and the difficulty keeps creeping up. But thanks to all that early farming (as the kids say), I find my party handles it.

Let’s rewind a bit and talk about that first dungeon close to Pelnor. Unlike many crawlers, these aren't procedurally generated; the physical layout stays the same, but your experience is different. For me, the dungeons are where Phantasie excels. Outside is fun, but it’s "just" the road between towns, loot, and trouble. The dungeons are enticing, as you must examine everything and question each move. There are several dungeons packed with puzzles, traps, weapons, and of course, runes. Their appearance reminds me a little of Rogue, a view of overhead corridors and rooms that slowly reveal themselves as you explore.

Encounters work in two ways: some are random, and others appear tied to specific tiles. Step on the wrong one and it's battle time - even when returning to that tile, which makes it tricky to avoid (yet another) conflict in a doorway or corridor!! That said, Phantasie gives you a range of options, so try greeting your would-be attackers. It doesn’t always work, but it’s worth a shot - especially since it doesn’t cost you a turn.

One of the best features is the mapping system. Because the dungeons don’t change, you can rely on each map for reference as you poke around. Yes, the game offers to record your exploration! It’s surprisingly helpful and saves a lot of faffing about, especially when you need to return. Each dungeon contains a special rune reward, but you’ll need to survive traps, puzzles, and the usual monster mayhem to get it.

This is the fifth post, wrapping up my run through the basics of Phantasie. I shall hack & slash a bit more before my final conclusion. Until then, grab a sword, light a torch, and get inside that dungeon!!

This post is dedicated to my mate Tom for his support since day one. Talking of days, if you missed the earlier posts then I have the links here: Day One, Day Two, Day Three, and Day Four.

The green marker at the top is always the dungeon's entrance (and exit)
As you walk, the dungeon is revealed; watch out for traps and encounters.
The yellow markers are doors, and the green blobs can be interacted with.

The red/yellow marker is me, and I'm in the Storage Room.
The southwestern part of this dungeon is a minefield that took many attempts!!
Scroll down for the correct route...

I had to look twice when I entered this room!
I see a locked door and something curious in the east of the room.
This is actually a deceptively difficult dungeon with many battles.

Yes, there are people in the dungeons, and they're not all angry beasts.

The quests are interesting, but the user interface begins to show its age.
Phantasie needed a better way to check on quests, items, and more.

When you're out adventuring, you may return to town to catch your breath.

The game saves mapping progress for when you get back. Fantastic!!

2 left

2 down

1 right

2 down

3 left

2 down

5 right

1 up

3 right

Phantasie - Day 4

Izzy, wizzy, let's get busy!

Hello and welcome to day four of my grand adventure through Phantasie I. If you’ve missed the previous entries, don’t worry - they are all available and neatly grouped together for easy catching up. Yeah, I know you want to click that link, and I'll wait here until you return. Okay, are you back yet? Then let's carry on...

To recap, it was Into The Vertical Blank that initially sparked my interest in this RPG. We began by exploring the bustling town of Pelnor to see what services it offered. Afterwards, we delved into the most crucial aspect of the game - combat! Today, I’m expanding on that by diving into the magical side of fighting.

This plays a pivotal role in Phantasie. In fact, you won’t get far without making use of spellcasters within a well-balanced team of different magical (and melee) players. I think it's fair to say that magic isn’t an optional extra in Phantasie - it’s an absolute necessity. Without it, your journey would be cut short rather quickly!

You have many options for race/class, but my approach involves a simple magical duo: a Priest and a Wizard. I decided to rely on two spellcasters to keep the whole team alive and kicking (although my range/melee characters have limited tricks up their sleeves as well, but it's nothing compared to a real spellcaster). Each brings something vital to the table, ensuring my party stays in top form whilst being aggressive.

There are two basic types of magic used in battle, passive and active. Each has its own benefits, and you soon begin to realise that the manual is a very good thing to have! There are a few exceptions, such as using a vision spell in the wilderness. So with all this in mind, let's take a peep at my two spellcasters...

The Priest

My Holy Man is the team's lifeline because his skills help keep us alive and prolong the fight. He is a genuine team player with healing and tactical spells instrumental in my survival. Hey, he's saved my bacon loads of times, and I doubt I’d have made it this far without his help. Here’s a breakdown of the spells he wields...

• Charm – Pacifies an enemy, making them easier to defeat.
• Awaken – Invaluable when ambushed, rousing any stunned or sleeping party members.
• Healing – Restores hit points to a selected character, an absolute must-have. Remember to upgrade this skill; otherwise, it becomes less effective later on.
• Protection – Strengthens defences to withstand incoming attacks (for each character). It's a passive skill that remains throughout the battle.
• Binding – Immobilises foes, effectively nailing their feet to the ground! Or their wings...
• Confusion – I prefer the priest to use this (and it's stackable) to muddle an enemy’s mind, making it difficult for them to fight/cast spells competently.
• Dispel Undead – Useful against skeletons and other undead horrors. Fantastic skill to have!

The Wizard

While the Priest helps to keep everyone standing, my Wizard takes a more direct approach to an encounter. He has an arsenal of spells and is never afraid to use them (when I'm in charge!). He can obliterate enemies with a range of devastating spells, but not all are offensive. Here are some of my favourites...

• Fireflash – A searing burst of light to scorch the enemy!! (Again, upgrade when possible.)
• Quickness – Enhances agility, improving attack speed and evasion. Quite weak until upgraded.
• Mindblast – Damage an enemy just by thinking about it. Not bad, but needs upgrading.
• Strength – Temporarily boosts a character’s muscles, making them hit like Schwarzenegger! Something to use early in a battle, I find.
• Flamebolt – Like the fireflash but not quite as powerful.
• Ninja – Enhances stealth, allowing for surprise attacks. Don't use it until you've upgraded.
• Fear – One to stack. Instils dread, making them run away. Probably.

With the risk of repeating myself, magic isn’t just useful - it’s essential. Of course, it’s not just what your spellcasters can do offensively; they can also counter enemy magic aimed at you. Trust me, when your melee fighters are affected by a Confusion spell and having trouble landing a hit, you’ll be glad to have a wizard on your side to tip the scales in your favour. And these things are what I love about Phantasie!

Well, that’s my quick look into the magical side of Phantasie - at least the spells I’ve tried so far. Don’t forget to spend your earned XP at the town’s guild to level up, aka train. This improves certain abilities and unlocks new spells to try out. The progression system is great, always pushing you to master more powerful magic and discover fresh spells. Training increases your MP (Magic Points), so you can cast more spells before needing a break. And speaking of breaks, be sure to stop by a town often to restock your resources.

This post is dedicated to my mate Paul Neiland, whom I've known for many moons (over three decades!). Thank you, my friend, for all your support of my little AtariCrypt venture :-)

Next time, we will look at scary, monster-infested, trap-ridden dungeons!! Until then, happy slaying!

Wizz is my, ahem, wizard. As you can see, I've made progress over the weeks.

Some of the spells my Wizard can use (with upgrades).

Some more spells my wizard loves to cast.

Charlie is my priest and is a helpful chap, albeit with a poor name.

Some of the spells my Priest is a master of.

Good'ol Charlie helps the team with a Binding spell.

Phantasie - Day 3

Grinding

Of course, I didn't have the right team as previously mentioned. Yep, I had to make changes after losing my terribly weak wizards. Ah, well live and learn. So, venturing forth like the fool I am, I remembered what Jeff mentioned in his video. Grinding is the best way to begin the adventure because level-one characters are weak and easily fall victim to their enemies. Sure, it takes time but it's better to be stronger.

As with the Temple Of Apshai, the world of Phantasie isn't randomly generated and designed specifically for the quest. However, the encounters are and will happen anytime, usually when you least expect it. When you're called into battle, there are options to consider: Beg For Mercy, Threaten, Greet, Fight, and Flee.

It's usually a good idea to greet your prospective foe as you won't lose a turn and being nice costs nothing. If it works, they shall greet you before scarpering. Sadly, that means no rewards or XP. So it depends on the needs and requirements at that stage in your adventure. Of course, all this depends on the enemies as I've never been able to greet Bantir or Slime. Don't bother with the Black Knights, they aren't listening!

Begging for mercy is a bad idea in most circumstances because they will take your gold and self-respect. Threatening is exactly what you would imagine and often fails against something that couldn't communicate in the first place. So, that just leaves Fleeing, which is an option during a losing battle?

That means we are left with the noble action of fighting, which is one of the reasons we're playing this game! Phantasie has an enormous range of different monsters who are presented in ranks before our mighty warriors. This is physical and something to consider when choosing each character's relevant actions.

For example, a warrior who attacks or slashes has his actions directed at the closest rank. Whereas a lunge can hit the enemy deeper down. Thieves are sneaky with a stealthy option to hit any rank you like. Spellcasters appear to prefer attacking those further away, which balances nicely with our melee counterparts. Parry is best used when you wish to keep someone safe and when it's not necessary to take action.

The Coyote is a common enemy and I thought about threatening them (ha!).
Instead, I went for the fight. My spell casters and the thief hit the ones further back.
My clubbers hammered the one at the front and put in a few lunges.
All died!! I won!! Oh, yeah ;)

Kill 'Em All!

All battles are turn-based, which gives plenty of time to manage your side of the conflict. It pays to calculate your actions against the particular enemies in their respective positions. Winning earns xp for the team - to be used to manually level up any character. You could even find the odd item like a weapon for example.

As you grind, watch each character's health and magic points. It's no good staying out in the field and risking dying. Nor is it a good idea to remain if all your wizard's MP is expired. This is the grind; fight, fight some more, but know when to head home. Don't stretch your resources too thinly - replenish yourselves in town.

It's this part of the game where Phantasie confused me a bit. You can't use your XP to level up while out in the field, nor can you manage your gold or the items you've collected. There were moments when I knew we had found a great weapon, yet I couldn’t use it or give it to anyone. Everything like that has to wait until you're back in town. It’s not a huge issue and soon became second nature, but newcomers will get caught out.

So, whenever you enter a town you can distribute all your earned wealth accordingly as you see fit. Check your bank balance, as each party member has their own account - plus you can pool funds for gear and training (levelling up). And that is always a manual process that can only be done at the Guild. Oddly, your inventory can only be shared out (or sold) at the Inn. That was strange as I expected to use the store.

Phantasie I is quirky in many ways but certainly nothing bad. It's old, so I can forgive its lack of an obvious design. Just remember, manage your band of merry men in town. Outside in the field is for fighting monsters and exploring. I must get used to this restrictive leash as I plod on killing the endless hoard.

I hope you have enjoyed "part three" of my Quest into the world of Phantasie. I'm really enjoying this. Yes, it's old but it's new to me and I'm loving it. If you would like to read the first two parts then click here. This post is dedicated to John Heritage who kindly bought me a few beers specifically for this great game:)

To sum up, this is a brawler's dream and I'll leave you with some screenshots...

As you saw, the coyotes are in ranks so it's worthwhile also throwing a few lunges.

The dreaded Black Knights. Don't bother greeting this lot. Flee!!

After hours of gameplay, new enemies!! I had to screenshot this whacky lot.

Annnnd it pays to identify your enemies before engaging in combat.

Back in town and we're coppering up before heading to the store.

The guild offers a good opportunity to view stats and much more

This is the "Skills" option from the above screenshot (for my thief)

The Inn is where we distribute all weapons/items to your party.

Phantasie - Day 2

Commence The Adventure!

I have begun my adventure in the northwestern part of Gelnor; a lovely woodland area surrounded by natural wildlife and LOTS OF MONSTERS. The first thing to do is have a butchers at the incredibly detailed manual. However, I'm not a big reader and ended up skimming through far too quickly. Yep, I made some mistakes picking party members so I went back to read a little more! When will I ever learn?

There are few buildings within the town of Pelnor. First, we have a bank to safeguard our fortune, which is pooled among the party but can be shared as needed. Next is a mystic who appears to be of little help! An armoury is the town's one and only shop stocking the basic requirements. Pelnor's Inn is fantastic, providing free lodging for all weary travellers seeking rest and also a secure place to organise their party's belongings.

Lastly, there’s the Guild, where we can create and later manage our adventurers, choosing from Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and more. Interestingly, we can select random characters, though they may be harder to level up as they're disliked by Humans! Be warned, the system can generate poor rolls, so you may need to repeat the process to achieve the right balance of resilience, health, and ability. But you knew that!

There are many stats to consider but remember that fighters demand strength and dexterity whereas spellcasters require intelligence and MP. Of course, a good balance of most stats is favourable and you should always note the HP offered. Another interesting detail to consider is age as humans typically don't age well whereas Gnomes and Elves are rather lucky in that department.

Feel like you messed up? Party members not living up to expectations? Were some lost in battle? Well, you can return to the Guild anytime to create new players or rearrange the party. However, think carefully if you've been playing for a while - starting a new character (and playing catchup) can be time-consuming.

I'm more of a melee guy but your party needs to be diverse to survive. So I've plumbed for human/dwarf fighters who handle the grunt of warfare. Also, I have a couple of wizards for my magical needs (absolutely essential). Finally, I have a thief and a priest who are good fighters and provide stealth and healing support.

Alright then, I reckon I’ve got the right team, so I plan to leave town and explore. Maybe start a few fights and hopefully not be beaten too much. I've started a dedicated Quest section listed down the right ~~>

Okay, let's see if this adventure really is worth the grind...

We begin our journey in the northwestern region of Gelnor.
There is a hidden Temple in the woodlands, but I've no idea how to access it.

Ahh, Pelnor is a lovely and safe town of refuge.

Where is everyone and why one guard? And he's not locked the gatehouse!

My attempt to create "Shorty", a dwarven fighter. Terrible stats so I rerolled...
Interestingly, look at the age. That matters in Phantasie, depending on their race.

Shorty goes shopping in the town's, erm, one and only shop.

However, he's a bit skint atm and needs to kill monsters/visit the bank.

The building near the entrance has a wise old mystic.
I guess I need to return here later for more helpful information?

So, I finally dared to step outside the town and was pounced on!
Hey, shall I try the greeting option?

Phantasie - Day 1

I've arrived on the Isle of Gelnor

Some of you might remember the fun I had sharing my progress in Cosmos Chronicles, Sword of Kadash, Galdregon's Domain, Uninvited, and others. No? Oh... Well, I enjoy RPG and Adventure games and was in the mood for something new to experience. Lately, I’ve spent plenty of time crawling through LARN, Rogue, Nano Cave, etc. All brilliant, but none offer that sense of a larger "journey" or long-term quest.

I was craving something fresh to really sink my teeth into. Then I remembered a video by Into The Vertical Blank about Phantasie, which I’ve never played. You’ve got to love Jeff’s enthusiasm! He made it seem like a grind worth taking on, and that was all the encouragement I needed to start on my own adventure!

Let's embark on this new adventure, a journey I've missed out on for the past four decades...

I find myself on an island called Gelnor, which is riddled with danger at every turn. I can see an entrance to a distant dungeon amongst the lush woodlands as I enter the town of Pelnor. Seeking answers, I step into the local inn, where a hushed conversation unveils a grim truth. I learn that a sorcerer called Nikademus who uses Black Knights to wreak havoc across the island.

Should I rise to the challenge and seek to defeat Nikademus, freeing this island from his reign of terror? Of course, I will. Yet it’s only a matter of time before I come face to face with the Black Knights. So I need allies - strong and fearless - because no one has ever triumphed against them. To the Guild, then. Let’s see who has the courage to stand with me on this journey!

The basic objective is to explore and kill lots and lots (and lots) of monsters and collect nine runes. These will help to defeat the Black Knights. I see a dungeon... Odds are I need to plunder that to find the first!

Hmm, I feel I should warn you that this won’t be over quickly, and I’m bound to make plenty of rookie mistakes. But rest assured, I'm enthusiastic and always welcome to receive any feedback along the way. So, over the coming months, I'll post regular updates on how I'm getting on. Unless, of course, I give up! O_o

Yes, folks, here I am, starting something new and daring enough to share it with the world.

Let’s hope I don’t end up looking like a complete knob.

• Into The Vertical Blank website https://intotheverticalblank.com
• Worth The Grind video https://youtu.be/xFsqb6I4v54...
• 8BitChip has an excellent hard drive installable version https://atari.8bitchip.info/phantasie.html
• Old Games Finder has access to all the different Phantasie floppies http://www.oldgamesfinder.com/phantasie
• Atari Legend has the manual on a lovely Sewer Doc Disc https://www.atarilegend.com/phantasie
• Look to your right for all the previously mentioned ST games ~~~>