First release date: January 27, 2016
Franchises: Phantasy Star
Platforms: PlayStation 4 - PC (Microsoft Windows) - PlayStation Vita - Xbox One
Genres/Themes: Role-playing (RPG) - Hack and slash/Beat 'em up - Adventure - Action - Fantasy - Science fiction
Developers: Online Entertainment R&D
Publishers: Sega Games
The fourth major update to Phantasy Star Online 2 as well as the first major update for the Global version, Episode 4 introduces new enemies and environments, new classes and a wide array of several new features. The main new area of Episode 4 is the Planet Earth of the year 2028 AD. Set in a different universe from the Oracle Universe of the last three games, ARKS battle against the new enemy types known as the "Phantasm". Dealing with these threats, ARKS will battle across Japan and the USA as they confront the wide array of unique forms the Phantasm can take on. The Japanese version of Episode 4's brought with it several new features which were available during the launch of the Global version. The new class "Summoner" was introduced and several extra character customization options such as Layering Wear were introduced. Besides that, EPISODE 4 came with new expanded graphics settings which bring the PC version on-par with its newly released PlayStation 4 version. Over on the Global version, the Episode 4 launch was the game's Steam release and the game transitioning from a North American exclusive game to a Global game available to 33 countries including Europe and Oceania. Several new features that were originally gated and general quality-of-life improvements were released in the Global version as part of the Episode 4 update including several new features introduced in the latest Japanese update. In addition to the new content, both versions benefited from new features such as the addition of Bonus Quests and Battle Arenas.
