When Sony released the PlayStation in Japan, it launched a system that would eventually become known for being home to some of the best RPGs at the time. After considering some PS4 and PS5 RPGs, we figured it’d be a good time to look back even further. Especially with Sony’s recent initiatives meaning games like Legend of Dragoon are becoming playable on modern consoles again, we decided now would be a good time to talk about some PS1 RPGs we loved and would consider among the best again.
When I was a young lass playing the PS1, I was only playing platformers or fighting games that didn’t require a lot of reading. That’s because I literally could not really read English thanks to the fact that I was ESL. I also couldn’t read Chinese or Japanese, which really limited me to games that required no reading. So RPGs were literally unplayable for me. It took years later (when I learned English) for me to have access to PS1 games again, and hooo-ly, but it was a treasure trove back then. Parasite Eve, Final Fantasy IX, Persona 2… How did people in the late 1990s and early 2000s get anything done? Aside from those three, I also really enjoyed Tales of Eternia. I found the story good, the characters great (it was my first time experiencing this wonderful thing called “character development”), and the battle system was fun enough that I had a blast even if I couldn’t understand a lick of what I was doing. — Stephanie
I definitely grew up a Nintendo kid, so I missed most of the PS1 library at the time, and Sony’s emphasis on 3D over 2D in the West means a lot of fare is constructed with early wobbly polygons and doesn’t age quite so well. Thankfully? RPGs are among the most insulated from this problem. Still though, as I’m still a Nintendo kid at heart, I’m picking a game that’s just a Nintendo title with the serial numbers filed off. Tear Ring Saga wasn’t a huge departure for Shouzou Kaga, creator of Fire Emblem. Or any departure at all! It’s the direct successor to Thracia 776, in both narrative scope and gameplay ideas. And the handy work of the fan translation community has made it more accessible than ever. (And if you like it? The much more ambitious Berwick Saga on PS2 is worth a look.) — Graham
I basically bought a PlayStation for Star Ocean: The Second Story. Back in the day, I stowed away video game magazine issues that essentially offered a full walkthrough for the game for years until I could finally afford to get the system and the title. When I did buy a used one, my first two titles were Star Ocean: The Second Story and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure. In retrospect, I probably wouldn’t call either the “best” the PS1 RPG the system had to offer, but Square Enix and Tri-Ace’s PlayStation game will always be number one in my heart. — Jenni
