<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
April	O
1990	O
and	O
worldwide	O
the	O
following	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
third	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
series	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
a	O
distant	O
sequel	O
to	O
the	O
previous	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
re-released	O
on	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
and	O
on	O
retro	O
collections	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
,	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
Collection	O
,	O
and	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	I-Application
Ultimate	I-Application
Genesis	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
III	I-Application
mostly	O
follows	O
the	O
traditional	O
roleplaying	O
game	O
formula	O
seen	O
throughout	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
exploration	O
of	O
several	O
2-D	O
worlds	O
,	O
character	O
recruitment	O
,	O
and	O
random	O
enemy	O
encounters	O
using	O
a	O
turn-based	O
battle	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
feature	O
that	O
mostly	O
separates	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
however	O
,	O
is	O
that	O
the	O
story	O
spans	O
three	O
generations	O
of	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
choice	O
also	O
affects	O
the	O
gameplay	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
main	O
character	O
may	O
be	O
Orakian	B-Application
or	O
a	O
mix	O
of	O
Layan	O
and	O
Orakian	B-Application
,	O
which	O
differ	O
in	O
their	O
ability	O
to	O
use	O
techniques	O
and	O
their	O
level	O
of	O
proficiency	O
with	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
thousand	O
years	O
before	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
two	O
factions	O
one	O
led	O
by	O
the	O
swordsman	O
Orakio	B-Application
,	O
the	O
other	O
by	O
the	O
sorceress	O
Laya	O
were	O
engaged	O
in	O
a	O
bitter	O
conflict	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
communication	O
between	O
the	O
Orakians	B-Application
and	O
Layans	O
was	O
suspended	O
,	O
travel	O
between	O
their	O
respective	O
worlds	O
was	O
prohibited	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
two	O
groups	O
teetered	O
on	O
the	O
brink	O
of	O
war	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
take	O
control	O
of	O
Rhys	O
,	O
Crown	O
Prince	O
of	O
the	O
Orakian	B-Application
kingdom	O
of	O
Landen	O
,	O
on	O
the	O
day	O
of	O
his	O
wedding	O
to	O
Maia	O
,	O
a	O
mysterious	O
amnesiac	O
who	O
washed	O
up	O
on	O
Landen	O
's	O
shore	O
two	O
months	O
earlier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
ceremony	O
,	O
a	O
dragon	O
(	O
identified	O
as	O
a	O
Layan	O
)	O
suddenly	O
appears	O
and	O
snatches	O
Maia	O
,	O
in	O
what	O
seems	O
to	O
be	O
an	O
overt	O
escalation	O
of	O
the	O
Layan-Orakian	O
conflict	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimately	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
revealed	O
that	O
Maia	O
herself	O
is	O
Layan	O
,	O
Princess	O
of	O
the	O
kingdom	O
of	O
Cille	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
her	O
kidnapping	O
was	O
actually	O
a	O
rescue	O
attempt	O
by	O
her	O
people	O
,	O
who	O
believed	O
she	O
had	O
been	O
stolen	O
from	O
them	O
by	O
the	O
"	O
hostile	O
"	O
Orakians	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
later	O
revealed	O
in-game	O
that	O
both	O
factions	O
are	O
the	O
descendants	O
of	O
survivors	O
from	O
planet	O
Palm	O
of	O
the	O
Algo	O
System	O
which	O
was	O
destroyed	O
during	B-Application
the	I-Application
events	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
previous	I-Application
game	I-Application
and	O
that	O
their	O
different	O
kingdoms	O
are	O
sections	O
of	O
a	O
massive	O
colonization-spaceship	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
three	O
generations	O
,	O
both	O
factions	O
mix	O
,	O
and	O
their	O
descendants	O
discover	O
that	O
all	O
the	O
conflicts	O
among	O
the	O
different	O
kingdoms	O
were	O
caused	O
by	O
the	O
Dark	O
Force	O
,	O
the	O
main	O
antagonist	O
of	O
the	O
previous	O
games	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
defeated	O
in	O
a	O
final	O
decisive	O
battle	O
that	O
actually	O
takes	O
place	O
1,000	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
from	O
the	B-Device
next	I-Device
game	I-Device
in	I-Device
the	I-Device
series	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
,	O
where	O
it	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
April	O
1990	O
and	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
in	O
July	O
1991	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Producer	O
Kazunari	O
Tsukamoto	O
described	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
III	I-Application
as	O
being	O
similar	O
to	O
a	O
collection	O
of	O
side	O
stories	O
when	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
connected	O
narrative	O
of	O
its	O
predecessor	O
and	O
the	O
sequel	O
Phantasy	B-Device
Star	I-Device
IV	I-Device
:	I-Device
The	I-Device
End	I-Device
of	I-Device
the	I-Device
Millennium	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
and	O
its	O
altered	O
graphic	O
style	O
was	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
team	O
being	O
different	O
from	O
earlier	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
entries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
music	O
for	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
III	I-Application
was	O
composed	O
by	O
Izuho	O
Numata	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
only	O
been	O
at	O
Sega	O
for	O
two	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
III	I-Application
received	O
positive	O
reviews	O
upon	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Praise	O
was	O
given	O
to	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
III	I-Application
for	O
its	O
unique	O
"	O
generational	O
"	O
gameplay	O
and	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
noted	O
that	O
they	O
"	O
did	O
n't	O
like	O
it	O
as	O
much	O
as	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
II	I-Application
"	O
but	O
still	O
praised	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
III	I-Application
for	O
being	O
"	O
creative	O
in	O
many	O
ways	O
,	O
"	O
including	O
the	O
choices	O
of	O
whom	O
to	O
marry	O
,	O
the	O
different	O
possible	O
endings	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
longer	O
play	O
life	O
"	O
that	O
this	O
allows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
gave	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
III	I-Application
one	O
7	O
,	O
two	O
8s	O
,	O
and	O
one	O
9	O
,	O
with	O
reviewer	O
Martin	O
Alessi	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
blows	O
away	O
the	O
previous	O
games	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
cite	O
the	O
only	O
subtle	O
differences	O
between	O
the	O
endings	O
,	O
lower	O
quality	O
battle	O
animations	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
it	O
did	O
not	O
resolve	O
the	O
perceived	O
cliffhanger	O
ending	O
of	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mega	O
placed	O
the	O
game	O
at	O
#12	O
in	O
their	O
Top	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
Games	O
of	O
All	O
Time	O
list	O
in	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
named	O
it	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
"	O
lackluster	O
third	O
installment	O
"	O
in	O
2009	O
and	O
noted	O
that	O
series	O
co-creator	O
Rieko	O
Kodama	O
did	O
not	O
work	O
on	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
icon-based	O
menu	O
system	O
inspired	O
a	O
similar	O
menu	O
system	O
in	O
1991	O
's	O
Shining	B-Application
in	I-Application
the	I-Application
Darkness	I-Application
.	O
</s>
