The best RPGs available only on PS1, ranked

Summary

• The PS1 RPG library was crucial to its success.

• Titles like Beyond the Beyond, Brave Prove and Thousand Arms remain trapped on PS1.

• Alundra 2 and Koudelka are examples of great sequels but were not re-released, lacking modern platforms.

Without a strong RPG support library, the PS1 it may not have been a great success. One of the smartest decisions Sony ever made was to re-release PS1 games digitally on PSN so you could enjoy them on both PS3 and PSP. That moment when gamers realized they could play games like Final Fantasy7 in motion he must have opened his eyes.

Final Fantasy7 and many other Square Enix and non-Square Enix RPGs have managed to surpass the PS1 via the aforementioned digital ports and through other releases as well. These other games are still trapped in the PS1, albeit without any way to play them other than emulation or a hard copy and a good old PS1.

6

Beyond the Afterlife

Sony's First Sun

• Developer: Camelot Software Planning

• Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

• Platform: PS1

• Released: September 11, 1996 (NA)

Beyond the Afterlife was one of the first RPGs released for the PS1. It was developed by Camelot, which was a small name then but has grown in size thanks to Nintendo. They are the team responsible for Golden Sun and the rest Mario sports titles that are borderline RPGs.

Beyond the Afterlife battle, the UI looks a lot like Golden Sun's with large sprites and colorful animations. Sony recently re-released PS1 games on PS4 and PS5 with minor updates, so maybe one day Beyond the Afterlife can come back as The legend of the dragon. For now, though, it's stuck on PS1 and Sony would have to contact Nintendo to make a deal on this.

5

Courageous demonstration

Go west, young man

• Developer: West data
• Publisher: West data
• Released: April 16, 1998 (Japan)
• Platform:PS1

Courageous demonstration it was only released in Japan in 1998, when the PS1 cooked on gas. It's an action RPG developed by Data West, a company that fans shouldn't confuse with Data East, makers of great games like BurgerTime AND Joe and Mac. Brave Prove has large, bulky sprites but they are well detailed compared to the game's more polygonal backgrounds.

For 1998, it might seem too dated to release outside of Japan. However, retro fans can now appreciate it especially since there are English translations and the hack-and-slash gameplay is satisfying even if it can get old.

4

Alundra 2: a new legend begins

The first one is safe but not the sequel

Alundra was the PS1's response to The Legend of Zelda with a strong emphasis on dreams. It was a top-down action-adventure game that was re-released on digital storefronts like the PS3. Alundra 2: a new legend begins it was a more ambitious sequel that featured full 3D backgrounds and characters.

Played similarly to Legends of Mega Mananother hidden gem from the PS1, but with sword gameplay instead of gun gameplay. Unlike its predecessor, Alundra 2: a new legend begins never left the PS1 and hopefully the pirate adventure can once again see the light of day on a console.

3

Thousand Arms

Befriend a woman, become a master blacksmith

Thousand Arms would fit perfectly at home in a Person fan collection and not just because it was published by Atlus. It is also a turn-based RPG that features romance mechanics. The players are a young blacksmith named Meis who can only become stronger with his hammer if he falls in love.

Players will encounter various female party members during their quest, and dialogue options can increase or decrease these relationships. It's a very silly harem anime-like story Tenchi Muyo OR I love Hina except with a lot more turn-based battles.

2

Koudelka

A precursor to shadow hearts

Koudelka is a turn-based horror RPG set in 1898. Players can move their party across grid tiles placed on the battlefield, a sort of mini tactical RPG. Players take on the role of the titular Koudelka, a psychic who is sent to investigate a mansion similar to Resident Evil.

It is the precursor of Shadow heartsanother dark RPG, set in the same universe. There were plans to bring Koudelka to Neo Geo Pocket Color and Steam at different times, but those plans fizzled out and now the game is officially trapped on PS1 forever.

1

Dragon Quest 7: Fragments of the Forgotten Past

A truly forgotten past

• Developer: Heartbeat
• Publisher: Enix
• Released: November 1, 2001 (NA)
• Platform:PS1

Dragon Quest 7: Fragments of the Forgotten Past it was a late game for the PS1 and a late entry overall Dragon Quest series. The sixth entry was a SNES game and was in 1995 in Japan. Due to the late release and seemingly dated graphics, many abandoned this PS1 classic and then it became rare.

Eventually, it was remade for 3DS, which is really the best way to play it, and then there was also a mobile version based on the remake. Then it is possible to play Dragon Quest 7: Shards of the Forgotten elsewhere technically but not in this original form which is a different experience on PS1. Dragon Quest purists would certainly appreciate the chance to play this time-traveling game once again.