Welcome back to our latest five-day feature, the Top 25 PS1 Games You Need to Own. We’ve only got ten more games to go, and today we’re covering the classics—the untouchable wonders we’ll always keep close to our hearts—the RPGs.
Miss out on the first fifteen games on our list? Click on the articles below:
The Shoot ’Em and Runs (#15-11)
The Fighters and Racers (#20-16)
The Platformers (#25-21)
10) Vagrant Story
From Square came Vagrant Story, now a Greatest Hits game and an RPG relic on the PSN. The dungeon crawler boasts some of the most impressive graphics on the system, with comic book speech balloons and detailed facial expressions that put Vagrant Story a cut above its RPG brethren. Regarding its battle system, comparisons have been made to Square’s other game, Parasite Eve, which predated it by only two years.
You can download Vagrant Story off the PSN.
9) Legend of Legaia
The PlayStation had dozens of amazing RPGs, but chances are that if you haven’t played them, you’ve certainly heard of them. Legend of Legaia didn’t enjoy the huge fame that some of the other PS1 RPGs did, and it didn’t score quite as well, but it’s a long-held favorite to many. The JRPG was created by Contrail, a developer that made only a few games before closing down, but its captivating storyline and grueling boss battles, all functioning on a combo-based combat system (yes, like a fighting game), make it memorable.
The producer of the game’s spiritual predecessor, Wild Arms, headed the development team, but if you haven’t heard of that one either, it’s a no-brainer as to why: the world was too eager for Final Fantasy VII to notice.
8) Threads of Fate
In the action-RPG Threads of Fate (developed by Square), players choose between the spunky, spoiled princess Mint, who wields magic and hates pumpkins, and Rue, the quiet and considerate shape-shifter, out to save a loved one from the dead. Either way you play it, Threads of Fate is one of the shorter (compared to the many 40-plus-hour RPGs on the market) and more lighthearted of its genre, with gorgeously colored environments, charming characters, and hilarious moments all throughout the game—especially when Mint’s involved.
It was recently added to the PSOne Classics section, so download away.
7) Grandia
Created by Game Arts, the first in the Grandia series was produced by many of the same staff responsible for the Lunar series, one of the company’s best-known works. Grandia was sometimes praised to be as worthwhile as the then-immaculate Final Fantasy VII. The story follows an aspiring adventurer named Justin, who departs for new shores alongside his best friend Sue. Together with Feena and Sue’s sidekick Puffy, they explore such eye-opening locales as ruins, forests, and ghost ships.
Sadly, Takeshi Miyaji, the creator of Grandia, recently passed away at the age of 45.
Close Second: Unlike the fantasy setting of Grandia, Xenogears is largely a sci-fi RPG. The Greatest Hits title is another product of Square, which ruled the RPG landscape in the PS1 era.
6) Chrono Cross
Chrono Cross (again, by Square) was the unexpected sequel to Chrono Trigger and later received a Greatest Hits re-release. Its production began after Xenogears arrived on shelves in 1998, and the end result puzzled fans who had been hoping for a game more in line with the beloved Chrono Trigger. A drastic departure was Square’s intention, and however much a shock at the time, the game is considered a near masterpiece for its complex plot, inventive battle system, and success in breaking away from its predecessor. It’s no surprise considering the all-star team: Yuji Hori (Dragon Quest), producer Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy), and character designer Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball Z).
All right, we know what you’re thinking. How can we forget ___?!?! Hang around tomorrow for our final five—the achievements in top categories and the oddballs worth remembering. Our Special Mentions are next.
