phantasy star ii
The second game in the four Phantasy Star games for the Sega Genesis, and is set 1000 years after Phantasy Star I. While considered to be very difficult, it is also hailed as revolutionary for its time (released in 1989, one of the very first 16-bit console RPGs), as it introduced the dramatic concept of the on-screen (and permanent) death of a major female character, as well as an "open" ending where the heroes' survival is left uncertain.
Characters
This tag implicates phantasy_star (learn more).