Dark Force (Phantasy Star)

Dark Force
Dark Force's likeness in Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom.
Series	Phantasy Star
First game	Phantasy Star (1987)

Dark Force (ダーク・ファルス, dāku farusu in the Japanese version) is the major recurring villain and plot element in the Phantasy Star series of video games. It is featured as a major boss in each game of the series, typically being discovered as the hidden source of recent calamities. Different games in the series give the entity different names, with Phantasy Star and Phantasy Star Online referring to it as "Dark Falz" and Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III and Phantasy Star IV referring to it as "Dark Force." In this article, Dark Force, the common name used by English speakers, will be used.

Origins

Original Series

The Profound Darkness, the main antagonist of the original series, is a malevolent spiritual entity that was sealed away at the dawn of creation by a similar omnipotent being known as the Great Light. The Algol Solar System itself was created to act as a seal on the Profound Darkness' dimensional prison. Every 1000 years, when the seal on the Profound Darkness' dimensional prison is fluctuated, the most intense part of its hateful spirit escapes from imprisonment and terrorises Algo in physical form. This being became known as Dark Force.

Phantasy Star Online Series

In PSO Episode III, Dark Falz is revealed to be created by an entity called "The Great Shadow". When "The Great Shadow" absorbs photon and produces enough germ, Dark Falz is reborn after its previous defeat.

Phantasy Star Universe

In PSU, Dark Falz is an ancient god of destruction that happened to encounter Gurhal.

Appearances

Phantasy Star

Story

Early in the game, Alis Landale and her companions have a first glimpse at Dark Force in a nightmare, in the form of an enemy aptly named Nightmare (ナイトメア, "naitomea", renamed "Saccubus" in the American version). It is almost impossible to beat, and upon defeat of either side, the characters will believe it to be just a bad dream.

Dark Force is ultimately defeated by Alisa in AW 342. In AW 349, after conducting more research into the origins of Dark Force, Lutz (Noah) finds that the gate La Shiec opened cannot be completely sealed, and that the fluctuations in the seal will cause it to temporarily weaken 1000 years after it was sealed. Because of this, Lutz assembles the other Espers to what will come to be called the Esper Mansion on Dezolis. He enters into an artificial sleep, leaving instructions that allow the other Espers to create the Nei weapons (and Elsydeon) so that future generations will be able to effectively combat Dark Force when the seal is broken.

Phantasy Star II

Story

The game begins with Eusis (Rolf) describing his nightmare, in which Alis is seen battling Dark Force. In AW 1284, after a series of events that bring the characters to the Earthmen's space fortress, Noah, Eusis opens the Pandora's Box, where Dark Force has been residing so that it might influence the Earthmen (and with them, Mother Brain). Dark Force is defeated once again, but not before it succeeds in manipulating the Earthmen to destroy the planet Palma, greatly weakening the seal on the Profound Darkness.

Phantasy Star III

Story

After the events which resulted in the destruction of the planet Palma in AW 1284, it is discovered that the Palmans had evacuated their planet before it was destroyed. The population escaped in a fleet of 400 worldships, but Dark Force secretly pursued the fleet and destroyed all but three of the ships that didn't land on Motavia or Dezolis (the Alisa III, the Neo Palm, and an unnamed ship that malfunctioned while attempting to land on Motavia). When he boarded the Alisa III, he provoked a conflict between the Orakio and Laya clans. When Orakio and Laya realised that they had been manipulated by Dark Force, they joined forces and managed to trap Dark Force. However, the conflict continued for 1000 years.

In AW 2286, the Orakio and Laya clans finally put their differences aside, and learn that their true enemy is and always has been Dark Force. Dark Force is eventually found to be possessing Orakio's thousand-year-old twin brother, Rulakir, who is king of the hidden city of Lashute. After subduing Rulakir, the possession ends and, with his dying words, Rulakir tells the party to defeat Dark Force.

Phantasy Star IV

Story

Taking advantage of the weakened seal that resulted from the destruction of Palma in AW 1284, the Profound Darkness manifests as Dark Force for the final time in AW 2284. This time, it attempts to break the seal and emerge from its prison, but its plans are thwarted when the fourth planet, Rykros, is rediscovered, along with the secrets to destroying the Profound Darkness.

The profound darkness incarnate

With the barrier between dimensions opened, a massive hole appears in the world, from which Dark Force's true form will emerge: the Profound Darkness. The party travels to this rip and encounters Dark Force's true form. Initially a shapeless mass of darkness, it first forms a hideous mass of eyes, teeth and limbs. It then becomes a nightmarish insect before assuming its final form, a vast and all-encompassing dark goddess. The party defeats this entity, resulting in the absolute destruction of the millennial cycle in which Dark Force makes its appearance.

Phantasy Star Online

Story

In Phantasy Star Online, Dark Force appears by its original name, Dark Falz. It is originally encountered by Heathcliff Flowen and accidentally awakened by Rico Tyrell, who discovers it to be the god of death and destruction who is reborn at the end of every millennium. However, in order for it to be reborn, it must use a human as its host. Because of this it is sealed into an obelisk located at the end of the Ruins area on Ragol by inhabitants of distant planet, so that it would have not have access to humans to possess. However, Rico Tyrell accidentally comes in contact with it and ultimately becomes the host for its physical manifestation. It is eventually defeated by the players at the end of Episode 1, but greatly impacts the stories of Episodes 2 and 3.

Phantasy Star Universe

Story

Dark Force reappears near the end of the storyline for Ambition of the Illuminus as the leader of the SEED race, again under the name Dark Falz. When the GUARDIANS are setting up all the confinement systems around the Gurhal System to finally eradicate the SEED, one more appears on the newly appeared Rykros. Through the combined efforts of Ethan Waber, Karen Erra, and the player character, Dark Falz and the SEED race are defeated once and for all.

Phantasy Star Portable 2

Story

Dark Force (as Dark Falz) plays a more minor role, appearing as a manifested memory due to the actions of the main antagonist, Shizuru Shu. Much like in Phantasy Star Universe, he is once again defeated by the game's main characters and the player character.

Critical reception

IGN ranked Dark Force as the 71st greatest video game villain, calling it "straight-up evil."^[1]

References

1. ^ "71: Dark Falz". IGN. http://www.ign.com/videogame-villains/71.html. Retrieved July 9, 2010.