3 PS1 RPGs Everyone Loved In The '90s

The RPG genre is, to this day, one of the most popular ones in gaming, and while it’s still living large, it was forever revolutionized during the 1990s with consoles like the SNES and the PlayStation 1. That was a huge era for the genre. After all, it was during that period that the best Square Enix RPG of all time, Chrono Trigger, was released, forever changing the landscape and ultimately impacting most RPGs that came after it. The Final Fantasy franchise was also at an all-time high during the decade, with releases like the superb Final Fantasy 6.

The 1990s were also a stage for the release of the Pokémon series, which exploded in popularity with Red, Blue, and Yellow, and became even better a few years later with the arrival of Gold and Silver. Overall, there were several era-defining RPG releases in the 1990s, and a few of them were released for the PlayStation 1 console, after the genre had already taken a more modern shape. In fact, the genre gained even more popularity thanks to some outstanding PS1 RPGs that were released in the 1990s, reaching new audiences because of the new platform.

Parasite Eve

One of the most impactful games of that period was Parasite Eve. Released in 1998 by Square for the PlayStation 1, Parasite Eve was a survival horror RPG set in New York City. The game was directed by Takashi Tokita, the director of the legendary Chrono Trigger, and produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the father of the Final Fantasy franchise. The M-rated game follows the NYPD officer Aya Brea in a story that lasts six days, as she tries to stop the titular Eve.

Eve is planning to destroy humanity through spontaneous human combustion, and Aya Brea’s job is to impede her. During the journey, you’ll be involved in real-time combat with pause, with the well-known ATB system that was first seen in Final Fantasy 4. There are classic role-playing elements in Parasite Eve, even if a lot of its elements felt experimental at the time. This video game adaptation of a book went on to become one of the most well-known RPGs of the period.

Parasite Eve deviated from some of the staples of the genre, like the high fantasy or futuristic settings of other titles, and instead dived into a horror-infused story that didn’t reach the level of tension of games like Resident Evil, but established new possibilities. At the time, this was one of the most popular and revolutionary RPGs, and to this day, fans still make pleas for a return, be it in the form of a remake or sequel.

Suikoden 2

Released in 1998 in Japan, in late 1999 in North America, and in mid-2000 in Europe, Suikoden 2 was also one of the most notable RPG releases for the PlayStation 1. Developed and published by Konami, this RPG stands out by doing something its main competitors weren’t: offering dozens of playable characters. In truth, you can actually recruit over 100 different characters in Suikoden 2, though not all of them can be controlled in combat.

Suikoden 2 also excels as an RPG for a series of reasons. Like many of the best Final Fantasy games, the Konami RPG tells a story in which you feel deeply connected to the cast of characters, who fight to survive in a world plagued by war. The game often discusses the price of life and, with it, themes of existentialism, even if not always in a straightforward manner.

Its combat systems are great, too, a lot of which stems from the variety of characters you can control in parties of six units, and there are even tactical, war-like simulations in which armies battle. Suikoden 2 is undoubtedly one of the best RPGs from the PlayStation 1 era, and the best thing is that you can play it nowadays with a remaster for modern platforms that includes the first two entries in the series.

Final Fantasy 7

Of course, the most emblematic RPG for the PlayStation 1 is Final Fantasy 7. Released by Square in 1997, this game was a revolution for both the IP and the genre. Shifting away from the 2D pixel graphics of its predecessors, FF7 was the first entry in the series to feature 3D graphics, even if superimposed over 2D pre-rendered backgrounds. A lot of the game’s success was due to the fact that it was released as a PS1 game.

Another thing that helped its popularity, aside from marketing showcasing all the new possibilities with this 3D interpretation of the series, was its themes. Leaving behind some of its high-fantasy tropes (which had already started to fall a bit out of use in FF6, for example), Final Fantasy 7 embraced several high-tech sci-fi elements that made it feel more grounded in reality. This appealed to the North American and European audiences.

To many, the story of Cloud Strife and his troupe of allies represents the best Final Fantasy game – even if I disagree. It’s such a popular game that Square Enix has committed itself to creating a three-part remake of the game at the highest technical standard offered by today’s hardware, and it’s also a huge success. While retaining several of the existing features from previous games, Final Fantasy 7 represented a huge revolution for RPGs, ultimately becoming the poster child for the genre.