[[2026 Games#^dd70df|2026 Games]]  ## 2026-09-15 **Phantasy Star Online** is similar to **Grandia** to me in that it's a game where I go "how has no one tried to do this again?" **Atlyss** gets close, but it's proceeding at a glacial pace as far a development, and doesn't hold a key aspect of what makes **PSO** so memorable, which is that Y2K aesthetic that made you think the world was going to be cool in the 2000s and not whatever the fuck is going on right now. The only thing that gets close is another **Phantasy Star** game, specifically [[Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity]]. I've been chasing its high ever since. This is especially true because going back to **PSO** is rough. In **Infinity** you have a party you can build yourself, even including other characters you've created. No such thing in the OG. Sure you could go online, but good luck taking your time unless you can find a dedicated party of 3 other people you already know, you're going to get rushed to end-game and unable to enjoy the game at your own pace. So your only option is grinding through the game solo, which is an absolutely miserable experience that makes it difficult to go back to, and impossible if you're new to the game. Or at least that used to be your only option. **Return to Ragol** is a **GameCube** romhack that serves to make a single-player **PSO** experience significantly more enjoyable. It does this via a variety of QoL patches that improve the game without detracting from what makes it so effective - that namely being its pacing as far as combat. You can make it widescreen and increase the FOV, equip up to 4 palettes for skills, meaning you have 32 skills available to you at any time, get an alert when your MAG is hungry, and more. These are all great little additions that smooth out the experience, but it's not really where **RtR**'s greatness lies, which is the way it buffs up the curve for loot. You get better drop rates, completely overhauled drop tables in every difficulty, melee weapons that hit more targets (meaning you don't get swarmed as easily alone), PDs drop more often, and you have no real need for a section ID as all drops are available to everyone in some way. Without these things, **PSO** is a miserable grind of the same areas over and over again on your own, hoping you get a Saber that's a little stronger than your last. I've used the patch for a couple of months now, and it makes an already great game so much better. I'm not always online and not always - or often - in the mood to play **PSO** with other people. Coupling this hack with my [[Thoughts on the Ayn Thor|Ayn Thor]] means that I can get my fix wherever and whenever I want. This version of the game might even make it surpass **PSP2I** as my favorite in the series. I dunno if we'll ever get a **Phantasy Star Online 3**[^1], but this is next best thing until that comes around. [^1]: No, that's not **New Genesis**, shut the fuck up