<s>
is	O
a	O
free-to-play	O
online	B-Application
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
in	O
the	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
series	O
,	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
created	O
as	O
a	O
successor	O
to	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
Online	I-Application
and	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
Universe	I-Application
,	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
features	O
gameplay	O
elements	O
and	O
aesthetics	O
reminiscent	O
of	O
previous	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
games	O
while	O
incorporating	O
a	O
few	O
unique	O
twists	O
on	O
the	O
formula	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
version	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
July	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
version	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
February	O
2013	O
,	O
but	O
shut	O
down	O
in	O
September	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
April	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
spin-off/companion	O
game	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
in	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
cloud	B-Application
version	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
entitled	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
April	O
2018	O
and	O
then	O
on	O
PC	O
,	O
released	O
in	O
December	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
E3	O
2019	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
be	O
releasing	O
outside	O
of	O
Asia	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
on	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Application
in	O
early	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
massive	O
updated	O
and	O
separate	O
"	O
shared	O
universe	O
"	O
game	O
,	O
(	O
in	O
the	O
cloud	B-Application
version	O
)	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
June	O
9	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X/S	I-Device
worldwide	O
,	O
with	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
version	O
releasing	O
on	O
August	O
31	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
(	O
download	O
and	O
cloud	B-Application
)	O
,	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
(	O
cloud	B-Application
)	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
nearly	O
a	O
decade	O
after	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
launch	O
and	O
is	O
substantially	O
different	O
in	O
gameplay	O
,	O
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
content	O
,	O
the	O
creators	O
decided	O
to	O
not	O
name	O
it	O
"	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
Online	I-Application
3	O
"	O
or	O
focus	O
on	O
creating	O
a	O
game	O
with	O
no	O
backwards	O
compatibility	O
with	O
PSO2	B-Protocol
content	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
continue	O
support	O
for	O
current	O
players	O
and	O
to	O
not	O
split	O
up	O
the	O
player-base	O
between	O
two	O
different	O
simultaneously	O
available	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
starting	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
select	O
one	O
of	O
several	O
servers	B-Application
,	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
Ships	O
"	O
,	O
to	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
create	O
and	O
customize	O
their	O
characters	B-Application
to	O
be	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
name	O
,	O
gender	O
,	O
race	O
,	O
character	O
class	O
,	O
body	O
and	O
facial	O
features	O
are	O
available	O
for	O
customization	O
during	O
the	O
character	O
creation	O
process	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
acquire	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
accessories	O
and	O
aesthetic	O
goods	O
to	O
further	O
customize	O
their	O
characters	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
various	O
races	O
available	O
to	O
the	O
players	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
which	O
include	O
Human	O
,	O
Newman	O
(	O
bio-engineered	O
humanoid	O
elves	B-Application
)	O
,	O
CAST	O
(	O
cyborgs	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Deuman	O
(	O
a	O
species	O
that	O
did	O
n't	O
originally	O
exist	O
but	O
due	O
to	O
time-travel	O
was	O
retroactively	O
created	O
in	O
the	O
past	O
that	O
contains	O
recessive	O
genetically	O
engineered	O
Draconian	O
genes	O
in	O
them	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
user	O
interface	O
and	O
controls	O
are	O
similar	O
between	O
the	O
PC	O
,	O
PS	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
,	O
PS4	B-Operating_System
,	O
Switch	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
default	O
,	O
players	O
can	O
play	O
the	O
PC	O
version	O
using	O
a	O
mouse	O
and	O
a	O
keyboard	O
,	O
but	O
may	O
also	O
play	O
the	O
game	O
using	O
an	O
Xbox	B-Device
360	I-Device
Controller	I-Device
,	O
which	O
the	O
game	O
supports	O
natively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gameplay	O
in	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
is	O
mostly	O
action-oriented	O
,	O
and	O
features	O
a	O
large	O
and	O
diverse	O
selection	O
of	O
weapon	O
types	O
and	O
playstyles	O
for	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
choose	O
from	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mags	O
also	O
enable	O
the	O
Photon	O
Blast	O
ability	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
and	O
mag	O
summon	O
a	O
Photon-based	O
avatar	B-Application
for	O
a	O
brief	O
time	O
to	O
attack	O
enemies	O
or	O
support	O
party	O
members	O
,	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
type	O
of	O
mag	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
:	I-Protocol
New	I-Protocol
Genesis	I-Protocol
focuses	O
on	O
an	O
open	O
world	O
field	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
actual	O
dungeons	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
:	I-Protocol
New	I-Protocol
Genesis	I-Protocol
takes	O
place	O
1,000	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
EPISODE	O
3	O
and	O
one	O
year	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
The	O
Animation	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
is	O
revived	O
from	O
stasis	O
by	O
the	O
operator	O
Xiera	O
to	O
accompany	O
a	O
new	O
recruit	O
named	O
Hitsugi	O
,	O
a	O
young	O
boy	O
,	O
who	O
is	O
suspected	O
to	O
have	O
ties	O
to	O
an	O
internal	O
invasion	O
of	O
fake	O
ARKS	O
members	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Hitsugi	O
"	O
is	O
revealed	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
high	O
school	O
girl	O
from	O
Earth	O
playing	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
,	O
who	O
finds	O
a	O
strange	O
boy	O
with	O
her	O
avatar	B-Application
's	O
appearance	O
in	O
her	O
room	O
after	O
the	O
fiasco	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
is	O
sent	O
to	O
investigate	O
Earth	O
,	O
where	O
they	O
discover	O
that	O
Earth	O
uses	O
a	O
parallel	O
mutation	O
of	O
Photons	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
Aether	O
"	O
that	O
has	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
resonate	O
with	O
the	O
emotions	O
of	O
humans	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
"	O
is	O
an	O
espionage	O
tool	O
disguised	O
as	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
to	O
allow	O
members	O
of	O
a	O
mysterious	O
group	O
known	O
as	O
Mother	O
Corps	O
to	O
interface	O
with	O
and	O
infiltrate	O
ARKS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
party	O
,	O
aided	O
by	O
the	O
remaining	O
Mother	O
Corps	O
members	O
,	O
confront	O
Adam	O
in	O
the	O
Earth	O
Guide	O
sanctuary	O
,	O
and	O
witness	O
him	O
creating	O
Yggdrasil	B-Application
in	O
the	O
Pacific	O
Ocean	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Sega	O
COO	O
Naoya	O
Tsurumi	O
,	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
took	O
over	O
five	O
years	O
to	O
develop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
cross-platform	O
strategy	O
involving	O
PC	O
,	O
handhelds	O
,	O
and	O
smartphones	O
was	O
made	O
possible	O
by	O
the	O
sharing	O
of	O
cloud	B-Application
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Sega	O
began	O
thinking	O
on	O
how	O
to	O
expand	O
the	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
franchise	O
particularly	O
in	O
Japan	O
where	O
Final	O
Fantasy	B-Application
and	O
Dragon	O
Quest	O
were	O
dominant	O
,	O
they	O
decided	O
on	O
making	O
it	O
multiplatform	O
and	O
free-to-play	O
without	O
a	O
charge	O
upfront	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
5	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
Portable	I-Application
2	I-Application
Infinity	I-Application
Nationwide	O
Fan	O
Thanks	O
Festival	O
2011	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
Sega	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
alpha	O
test	O
for	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
would	O
begin	O
in	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
2011	O
,	O
with	O
participants	O
drawn	O
from	O
a	O
lottery	O
entered	O
through	O
codes	O
included	O
with	O
physical	O
copies	O
of	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
Portable	I-Application
2	I-Application
Infinity	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
7	O
,	O
Sega	O
listed	O
alternate	O
ways	O
for	O
users	O
to	O
enter	O
into	O
the	O
lottery	O
on	O
the	O
PSO2	B-Protocol
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
9	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
Sony	O
announced	O
that	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
would	O
also	O
be	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
PS	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
26	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
also	O
appear	O
on	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
as	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
es	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Characters	B-Application
created	O
by	O
players	O
during	O
open	O
beta	O
were	O
carried	O
over	O
to	O
the	O
live	O
servers	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Episode	O
2	O
of	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
launched	O
on	O
July	O
17	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
which	O
introduced	O
the	O
new	O
Deuman	O
race	O
and	O
the	O
Braver	O
class	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Asiasoft	O
released	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
in	O
Southeast	O
Asia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
on	O
April	O
5	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
Asiasoft	O
announced	O
they	O
would	O
end	O
servicing	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
to	O
Southeast	O
Asia	O
countries	O
,	O
including	O
Thailand	O
,	O
on	O
May	O
26	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
features	O
cross-play	O
between	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
PC	O
with	O
Xbox	B-Device
Play	O
Anywhere	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
7	O
to	O
9	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
a	O
three-day	O
closed	O
beta	O
test	O
phase	O
was	O
only	O
playable	O
on	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PC	O
version	O
launched	O
on	O
the	B-Application
Microsoft	I-Application
Store	I-Application
on	O
May	O
27	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Steam	B-Application
version	O
launches	O
alongside	O
EPISODE	O
4	O
on	O
August	O
5	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
same	O
day	O
,	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Store	I-Application
versions	O
were	O
released	O
in	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
30	O
,	O
alongside	O
EPISODE	O
5	O
,	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
added	O
more	O
playable	O
regions	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
with	O
all	O
regions	O
(	O
excluding	O
Antilles	O
,	O
Belgium	O
,	O
Netherlands	O
,	O
China	O
,	O
Japan	O
,	O
and	O
Republic	O
of	O
Korea	O
)	O
able	O
to	O
download	O
and	O
play	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
marking	O
the	O
global	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
released	O
alongside	O
PSO2	B-Protocol
New	O
Genesis	O
on	O
August	O
31	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
is	O
set	O
one	O
year	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
EPISODE	O
4	O
and	O
five	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
On	O
Stage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
new	O
anime	O
television	O
series	O
titled	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
:	O
Episode	O
Oracle	O
premiered	O
on	O
October	O
7	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
on	O
Tokyo	O
MX	O
and	O
BS11	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
25-episode	O
television	O
series	O
was	O
directed	O
by	O
Masaki	O
Tachibana	O
at	O
Gonzo	O
,	O
with	O
scripts	O
written	O
by	O
Hiroshi	O
Ōnogi	O
,	O
Shigeru	O
Morita	O
,	O
and	O
Bunsei	O
Asanuma	O
,	O
and	O
characters	B-Application
designed	O
by	O
Shinpei	O
Koikawa	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
confirmed	O
in	O
2018	O
that	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
version	O
had	O
1.5	O
million	O
downloads	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
released	O
Phantasy	B-Device
Star	I-Device
Nova	I-Device
in	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
shares	O
similar	O
elements	O
to	O
and	O
is	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
world	O
as	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
,	O
and	O
is	O
also	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Online	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
novelisation	O
,	O
Phantasy	B-Protocol
Star	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
Side	O
Story	O
,	O
began	O
on	O
June	O
15	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
a	O
7/10	O
,	O
praising	O
the	O
visuals	O
,	O
story	O
,	O
online	B-Application
capabilities	O
,	O
and	O
gameplay	O
,	O
while	O
criticizing	O
the	O
implementation	O
of	O
micro	O
transactions	O
.	O
</s>
