Billed by Sega as a true successor to the groundbreaking Phantasy Star Online, Phantasy Star Ø transports gamers to an alternate Earth approximately 200 years after a massive war decimated the planet. The survivors managed to pick up the tattered pieces of once great civilizations and build thriving, albeit isolated, cities. And while the apocalyptic nature of the "Great Blank" led to a more peaceful society, a select group of adventurous citizens choose to explore the expansive wilderness areas in order to hunt monsters that threaten the safety of city life. Gamers take on the role of one of these explorers, choosing from the blade-wielding Hunter race, the gun-toting Ranger race, or the spell-casting Forces, and then selecting from 14 different class variations.
Players can also create unique robot "Mags" to provide stat boosts, heal injuries, or serve as an extra attacker, and feeding each Mag surplus items helps them level up in four key areas. There are more than 350 unique weapons available, and combat is handled in a three-beat system, whereby gamers can unleash as many as three normal or heavy attacks consecutively. Phantasy Star Ø includes three online modes: "Free" mode, in which players join a randomly assigned party; "Friend" mode, where two friends can set up a private adventure; and "Single" mode, in which solo gamers partake in online combat to increase their stats. A new "Visual Chat" option lets gamers use the stylus to create and store 20 different visual or written shortcuts in order to more quickly communicate with fellow players during online action.
