ThePS1took the lead during the 32-bit era and helped bring gaming into the mainstream with its 3D visuals and games across multiple genres with good storytelling and movie-like action. There are games with fantastic stories from the SNES and Genesis/Megadrive eras, but the systems were better known for arcade fighters, platformers, and shooters.
The extra power of thePlayStationgave developers more room to realize their vision with 3D visuals, layered storytelling, and exceptional games that only worked on PCs. Great stories transcend their hardware because they are timeless, here is a list of games that feature some of the best stories that are just as good today as they were during PS1’s era.
TheMetal Gearseries is renowned for its difficult-to-follow story, which includes philosophical themes, long cutscenes, and excessive exposition. However,Metal Gear Solidon the PS1 is arguably the best in terms of pacing, action, and cinematic storytelling. It isn’t a realistic and groundedespionage gamelike theTom Clancy Splinter Cellseries, but it features many sci-fi elements, like giant mechs, genetic clones, and more.
Its creator Hideo Kojima is clearly a big film fan asMetal Gear Solidborrows liberally from movie pop culture. There are elements of action movies and heroes like Colonel Campbell taking inspiration from Richard Crenna’s Colonel Trautman fromRambo: First Blood, Snake shares more than a few similarities withEscape from New York’sSnake Plisskin,and the antagonist, Liquid Snake draws parallels with Roy Batty fromBlade Runner.It is executed well and even leads to a climactic action film-style hand-to-hand showdown on top of a giant mech.
TheResident Evilseries doesn’t feature great storytelling in the classical sense. They are horror games that play out like B-movies with hammy voice acting and occasionally corny dialogue. This goes for themodern remakesand the latest entries. However, it’s hammy in the best kind of way and no-less scary for it.
The firstResident Evilalready established its excellent world-building with environmental storytelling, twists, and immersion that draws players into its story.Resident Evil 2took this further with more detailed environments, great new characters, and better cinematography. Furthermore, the dual protagonists, Leon and Claire, enhance the game’s replayability by providing players with the opportunity to experience a story that cleverly unfolds in parallel.
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templarsis a point-and-click adventure game that puts players in the shoes of George Stobbart. Stobbart is an American tourist caught up in a murder mystery in Paris that sends him across the world uncovering an underground cult connected to the ancient Templar Order with Nicole Collard an up-and-coming journalist.
The story has great pacing, excellent characters, and just the right amount of humor adding balance to a thematically dark murder conspiracy. Along the way, George and Nico meet other memorable characters who offer a helping hand, making appearances in theBroken Swordsequels. The original game has been remastered with stunning 4K visuals, featuring updated characters and environments. Players have the option to switch between the original and the remastered versions. The original story is excellent and remains unchanged, with only a few minor adjustments made to the dialogue.
Final Fantasy Tactics, along with its enhanced port,Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions, features a story that is loosely inspired by the real-life events of the War of the Roses. It remains one of the most ambitious narratives intheFinal Fantasyseries. It features complex and mature storytelling based on friendship, loss, war, religious manipulation, and politics.
Players take on the role of Ramza, a noble who gets pulled into the conflict known as the War of the Lions after witnessing the murder of his sister.Final Fantasy Tacticsexplores the shades of grey between right and wrong, the balance of power, and corruption, and its execution is superb. The game marks the introduction to the medieval fantasy world of Ivalice, the setting forVagrant StoryandFinal Fantasy 12.
4Terry Pratchett’s Discworld
A Magical Recreation Of Terry Pratchett’s Fantasy World
The 32-bit generation opened the door for cartoon-like point-and-click adventures to be ported to consoles.Terry Pratchett’s Discworld—based on the novels of the same name— was one of those games brought to life in video game form. Those familiar with theDiscworldbooks will love exploring its peculiar world in Ankh-Morpork as the protagonist Rincewind.
Rincwind is a young wizard at the Unseen University, tasked with tracking down a dragon that is causing chaos throughout the city. Puzzles can be challenging, often requiring unconventional thinking for solutions. The script is excellent and does an amazing job with its voice cast featuring British comedy legends likeEric Idle (Monty Python), Rob Brydon (Barbie, Gavin and Stacey), Tony Robinson (Blackadder), and more.
Many games explore themes of war and resistance against invading kingdoms, but few do so as effectively asSuikoden 2. The themes of war, greed, and politics go hand in hand and that drives the story. The impact of war and the loss of family and friends play a major role, as the majority of the recruitable characters, known as the 108 Stars of Destiny, have personal stakes and motivations that drive them.
Suikoden 2also features one of the most despicably evil villains in gaming, Luca Blight. Blight is only driven by hatred and power and makes for a memorable adversary.The first twoSuikodengames are getting remasteredfor modern consoles, so fans of great stories can experience two PS1 classics without forking over hundreds of dollars on auction sites for the oiginals.
Xenogearsis often cited as one of the best PlayStation JRPGs for its depth and mature themes. Players assume the role of Fei Long, who suffers from amnesia and is haunted by dreams of battles and giant mechs. However,Xenogears' narrative was ahead of its time as it delved into religious, philosophical, and psychological themes. It also deals with mental health, loss, self-discovery, and human nature.
There are so many layers toXenogears’plot and characters that it would have made the top spot had the game been finished and not rushed to its conclusion due totime constraints in development. It was also meant to be a larger part of a much bigger saga across multiple timelines. Unfortunately, low sales meant thatXenogearsonly achieved cult status among JRPG enthusiasts and fans of great stories. The team behindXenogearsformed Monolith Soft and continues similar themes with the Xenosaga Trilogy on the PS2 andtheXenobladeserieson Nintendo systems.
It’s impossible not to talk aboutFinal Fantasy 7when it comes to great stories on the PS1. There’s no denying that the iconic original’s influence helped usher in a wave of JRPGs for Western audiences thanks to its popularity. For many, it was the first time they experienced a game as big that felt like it was taking them on a journey where they fell in love with and lost cherished characters.
Beyondthe iconic antagonist Sephirothand the overarching “save the world” narrative, the story possesses a depth and complexity that few games matched at the time.Final Fantasy 7effectively explores themes of trauma, dissociation, and identity crises. Although the execution reflects the era in which it was created, the game effectively portrays an epic scene emphasizing the importance of leaning on those who care for support during adversity rather than isolating oneself and risking a breakdown under pressure.
