Summary
Whilemany consider the PS2 era to be the golden age forJRPGs,thePS1had more than its fair share of genre classics. Many of the JRPG series that started or gained popularity on PS1 went on to make up that PS2 golden age with their later entries.
It’s coming up on the 30th anniversary of PlayStation, and many of theclassic JRPGs from the PS1 still hold up today. Some would say that many of them offer things that modern RPGs do not. Whether players agree with that or not, the games here are all worth revisiting in the modern era, and hold up on their own merits even now.
While 3D character art was already becoming popular by 1999,Star Ocean: The Second Storyretained a 2.5D aesthetic with 2D sprites, to maintain theanime style of the series. It was a decision that paid off, as the lavish sprite work here is one of the main reasons the game holds up today.
Compared to some of the harsh, polygonal 3D models of the time,Star Oceanstands out with its cleaner and more visually appealing 2D art. This is borne out by the recent remake of the game, which mostly retained the character sprite work of the original, focusing instead on using full 3D rather than pre-rendered backgrounds.
The action RPG battle system which later became a hallmark of theStar Oceanseries, holds up surprisingly well here too. It gives players full control of their character in combat, with AI controlling their party members, which can be adjusted by the player with some behavioral settings. It’s more fleshed out than players might expect for only the second entry in the series.
Suikoden 2was an excellent sequel, developing on the original’s premise of hybrid JRPG and tactics-RPG combat styles. It also increased the character roster, with over 100 recruitable characters, and fleshed out both the turn-based party battles and large-scale tactical battles in equal measure.
At the time of its release in 1999 (in North America), some critics called the 2D visuals old hat. Yet, that’s arguably one of the factors that makes the game still palatable to play today. The 2D sprites and background work are highly polished, and the game is a joy to look at through a retro lens.
While the graphics ofBrave Fencer Musashiare decidedly “early-3D,” the action-RPG gameplay is a varied and unique mix that doesn’t really have a modern analog. The combat includes sword combos, elemental magic, and various techniques, giving the player a number of options to experiment with.
Progress in the game involves the player solving the problems of local villagers to obtain new techniques and abilities while searching for five scrolls that grant legendary sword techniques. It gives the game an interesting, almost Metroidvania-like structure.
This is augmented by several unique mini-games found throughout the game, a day/night cycle with unique enemy spawns, and a fatigue system that means players need to rest and recover or risk falling asleep in the field. It’s a fun mix ofgameplay that’s well worth revisiting.
The PlayStation port ofGrandiawas much the same as its original 1997 Sega Dreamcast release. Despite being about as traditional as JRPGs get, the systems and story are so well-designed that the game still holds up for modern players.Grandiastarts with a relatable lust for adventure, which turns into an exploration of a lost civilization, before leading on to grander events.
The turn-based gameplay is deep, if not too dissimilar fromother JRPGs of the time. It’s aided by the game’s leveling and progression systems, which has characters level up specific weapons and abilities by using them, which in turn upgrades character stats at the same time. It’s an intuitive system and one of the main reasons the game is still fun to play today.
Despite being remembered fondly,Legend of Manawas less well received at its time of release. Ironically, some of the main criticisms are actually the same reasons why the game is worth revisiting. The Land Make system, which lets players place land tiles to create new areas in a non-linear progression dynamic, was criticized at the time, but it makes the game highly replayable.
Similarly, the game’s core concept of having a player house as a hub, with crafting, gardening, and pets, was something that was seen as superfluous at the time. Yet, these same core mechanics have resonated with players andstood the test of time. The fast-flowing action-RPG gameplay, which can be played solo or co-op, is also still fun to play.
Valkyrie Profiledeserves to be revisited by a modern audience, if for no other reason than because the series has been so neglected in modern generations that its unique setting and gameplay have beenmostly forgotten. The Norse mythology underpinning the whole story makes it a JRPG that still feels different and fresh.
The gameplay combined turn-based JRPG battles with exploration segments featuring side-scrolling platforming, where the player could freeze enemies and use them as platforms to traverse new areas. The turn-based battles themselves have a unique hook, too. The player and their party all attack simultaneously on their turn, building up a hit gauge that allows for special moves when filled.
There are a number of other interesting wrinkles to the system, with the player being able to target certain enemies for specific rewards and deal damage beyond the enemies' total HP to get additional drops. Gameplay wise, it more than holds up for modern audiences.
Even among theexperimental Square RPGsof the 90s,Parasite Evestands out. While the game has hybrid turn-based combat, experience levels, and character stats, it also takes place in a contemporary New York setting, utilizes horror elements in the story, and mostly features gunplay over melee combat or magic.
There are pseudo-magical abilities that augment the turn-based combat system, explained in-game as powers related to the titular parasites. The unusual focus on setting and story, though, places the game halfway between a survival horror game and a JRPG, at least in terms of its tone. It’s a unique combination that has no real modern counterpart to compare it to, making it worth going back to.
Vagrant Storyis another Square game that tried to push conventional JRPG design in new and interesting ways. Despite the limitations of the original PlayStation,Vagrant Storyhas one of the few early 3D art styles that truly holds up today. Characters are polygonal, but they have clear and distinctive designs. The environments are varied and have some of the best baked-in lighting effects ever seen on the console.
The game’s combat and UI can be a little dense and difficult to parse when going back to the game with a modern mindset, but for players who enjoy tactical turn-based JRPGs, there’s a very deep system to dig into. It’s a challenging but rewarding game that uses damage types and enemy weaknesses, along with a parts-based targeting system, to create an interesting combat style.
Of the three mainlineFinal Fantasygames released on the original PlayStation,Final Fantasy 9holds up the best in terms of visuals. The stylized character designs worked a lot better with the limitations of the time thanFF7’s jagged polygons orFF8’s soft and blurry “realism.” The backgrounds, as well, benefited from the lessons of previous games, with more interactive details.
Players will have their own favorites in terms of gameplay, butFF9doesn’t disappoint in that area, either. The game has a wealth of side content and secrets to find, alongside an interesting take on the ATB combat system that is similar to the other PlayStationFinal Fantasygames, but with its own unique quirks. It requires a significant time investment and a bit of grinding to fully explore its systems, but for many modern JRPG fans, that’s just a bonus.
