Summary
Few consoles are remembered as fondly as the original PlayStation by players worldwide. Although compared to today’s standards, its graphics were underwhelming and sometimes even laughable,they were the pinnacle of gamingat the time. What’s more, the platform had a huge range of different games for players to enjoy.
The PS1 saw the birth of many successful franchises that would eventually become some of Sony’s household names. It also gave way to the continuation of several already existing franchises, allowing them to spread their wings even further. Overall,the PS1 was an amazing console, and one of the genres that took the most advantage of it were JRPGs. To remember a few of them, here are thebest turn-based JRPGs for the original PlayStation.
Lunar: Silver Star Storyfollows the main character, Alex, a young boy from a small town who dreams of adventure and bigger things. His dreams come true when he is chosen as the heir-apparent to become what is known as a “Dragonmaster.” The Dragonmaster’s job is to protect the planet, and since such a feat isn’t simple, Alex will have to overcome several obstacles along the way to prove he’s worthy of the title.
Lunar: Silver Star Storydoesn’t break the mold in terms of combat, nor does it mess with the pre-established JRPG formula too much. However, it still delivers a very enjoyable gaming experience, helping set the precedent forfuture games in the same genre.
Following the story of the anonymous main character, simply known as “The Hero,“he and his allieswill have to explore the enchanting islands around their home, Estard. Through some magic and a good bit of time traveling, they are transported to the past versions of each island they visit. There, their task will be to defeat the evil within each one.
As opposed to its sequel,Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Pastdoes not have a 3D camera with free movement, and instead opts for the more traditional fixed 2D top view. While it would have been nice to have more camera angles and controls in this title, it doesn’t take anything away from the Hero’s adventure. As for the combat experience, it’s certainly entertaining, but not as memorable as the story itself.
Taking place in the kingdom of Ivalice, a small island inhabited by humans and intelligent monsters,Final Fantasy Tacticsis centered around main character Ramza Beoulve. After the end of a long conflict known as the “Fifty Years War” between Ivalice, Ordalia, and Romanda, peace seems to finally be within reach. However, the untimely death of Ivalice’s king leaves the island without a prospective ruler, causing tensions to rise and a struggle for power to begin.
As with similar games in its genre,Final Fantasy Tacticsrelies heavily on turn-based combat, item usage, and strategic character positioning to ensure victory. The game is quite long for a title of its era. It’s estimated that a 100% completion rate will take players around 97 hours, which is more than can be expected from many modern games.
Released in 1998,Xenogearsfollows the story of the main character, Fei Fong Wong, in his exile after his village is destroyed. Set on the large continent of Ignas in the middle of a long conflict between the nations of Aveh and Kislev, the discovery of giant robot suits, known as “gears,” has reshaped the life of those inhabiting the continent, and might be the key to turning the tides of war.
As opposed to other titles from its era,Xenogearsplays with a movable camera, allowing players to look around the environment instead of keeping it fixed in a lateral/top view. This not only helped make the game more immersive, but also gave players more freedom when it came to exploration and character control. All in all,Xenogearsis one of the best PS1 turn-based JRPGs, especiallythanks to its rich story.
Similar to its predecessor,Final Fantasy VIIis set in a world known as “The Planet.” However, there seems to be much more advanced technology than in earlier installments of the franchise. When the massive corporation known as the Shinra Electric Power Company starts draining The Planet from its essential Lifestream for energy, the existence of life as its inhabitants know it is jeopardized.Cloud Strife and his companionswill have to overcome numerous obstacles to emerge victorious and save the planet from all the threats endangering it.
Similar to previous installments of the franchise, rather than using free 3D camera movement,Final Fantasy VIIopts for a more traditional fixed view. With a large variety of weapons and dozens of different bosses to defeat, the game is undoubtedly one of the best PS1 turn-based JRPGs.
Focusing on a boy named Serge,Chrono Crosshas a strong multiverse theme that is exploited wonderfully well without abusing the multiple possibilities that this concept entails. When Serge discovers that he died as a child in one of the alternate worlds, he sets out on a journey to discover the truth and learn more about the parallel worlds at his disposal. However, his investigation will be full of obstacles left by the main antagonist, Lynx, who will stop at nothing to imprison Serge and thwart his efforts.
The game has a wide variety of allies for a total of 43. The combat mechanics, while not too innovative, offer players nearly endless possibilities, as they can use melee attacks and combine them with spells, including fireballs.
