20 Underrated PS1 Games – Hidden Gems of the 5th Console Generation

Loaded

• Release Date — December 15, 1995
• Developer — Gremlin Interactive
• Publisher — Interplay
• Genre — Shooter
• Review Aggregate Score — 74% (Mixed or Average)
• Total Sales — 0.25 million units

An early hidden gem in the PlayStation library that surprisingly still holds its own against several other later shooters on the console, Loaded is over the top in all the best ways. As one of a cast of creative anti-heroes (co-created by comic industry legends Garth Ennis and Greg Staples), players have to shoot their way out of an outer space prison complex to stop the game’s mysterious antagonist, F.U.B., who has plans of universal domination. Accompanying the frantic and hyper-violent top-down shooting action is a thumping soundtrack provided by the foundational industrial rock act Pop Will Eat Itself. Altogether, Loaded is a nice little slice of mid-90s nostalgia that stands the test of time as an action-packed time capsule.

Soul of the Samurai

• Release Date — April 28, 1999
• Developer — Konami Computer Entertainment Sapporo
• Publisher — Konami
• Genre — Action-adventure
• Review Aggregate Score — 63% (Mixed or Average)
• Total Sales — Unknown

Acquire and Activision’s Tenchu is widely recognized as one of the best stealth/ninja action games on the PS1. But just a year after its launch, Konami would release the nearly-as-good Soul of the Samurai to almost no fanfare despite Tenchu‘s acclaim. In Soul of the Samurai, players can choose between the ronin Kotaro or his shinobi counterpart Lin, which somewhat transforms the experience. Unlike Tenchu, which discouraged open confrontation with enemies in favor of stealth, Soul of the Samurai is a violent and brutal game where combat takes center stage, and it has a fittingly dark and heavy story to accompany the on-screen carnage.

Vandal Hearts

• Release Date — October 25, 1996
• Developer — Konami
• Publisher — Konami
• Genre — TRPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 75% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 0.45 million units

As someone who fell in love with the TRPG/SRPG genre thanks to Final Fantasy Tactics, I spent many years tracking down all the best turn-based tactics games I could get my hands on. One that never seems to get enough love despite TRPG fans shouting its praises from the rooftops is Konami’s Vandal Hearts. Vandal Hearts treads similar territory as PS1-era genre standard-bearers like Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics, but it whittles away many of the elements and mechanics players have come to expect from the “RPG” side of TRPGs by focusing squarely on one thing: combat. And when the combat is as satisfying and kinetic as it is in Vandal Hearts, it is easy to understand why. Throw in a soundtrack by legendary Suikoden composer Miki Higashino and you have a certified PS1 cult-classic.

Gekido

• Release Date — June 2, 2000
• Developer — NAPS Team
• Publisher — Infogrames (PAL), Interplay (NA)
• Genre — Beat ’em Up
• Review Aggregate Score — 66% (Mixed or Average)
• Total Sales — 0.1 million units

A lot of genres that had previously been ultra-successful in arcades and on 3rd and 4th generation consoles suddenly fell out of vogue during the 5th generation thanks to changing tastes and technological advancements making more immersive, cinematic experiences possible. One of the primary victims of this trend was the beat ’em up, but that didn’t stop developers from trying their hand at replicating the genre’s past success in 3D. While a lot of players are familiar with Fighting Force (which is, admittedly, a great game), less known is NAPS Team’s Gekido. Before Shinji Mikami would come along with the tongue-in-cheek and over-the-top God Hand, Gekido was already there with its super fast, super slick 3D take on the classic side-scrolling beat ’em up.

Philosoma

• Release Date — July 28, 1995
• Developer — G-Artists
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Genre — Shoot ’em Up/Shmup
• Review Aggregate Score — 60% (Mixed or Average)
• Total Sales — 0.05 million units (~50,000)

Speaking of genres that suddenly fell out of vogue in the 5th generation, the shoot ’em up/scrolling shooter/shooting game/shmup (whatever your preferred nomenclature) was another victim of changing tastes in the mid-90s. One of the first shmups on the PS1 is Philosoma, which is typically outshined by other noteworthy genre entries on the console like Gradius Gaiden or R-Type Delta, but it’s probably the genre’s greatest hidden gem on the platform. While most shmups are either horizontally or vertically scrolling, Philosoma is both, and its top-notch presentation (including some impressive visuals for how early it was released in the PS1’s lifespan) solidifies it even further as a must-play.

Incredible Crisis

• Release Date — June 24, 1999
• Developer — Polygon Magic
• Publisher — Tokuma Shoten (JP), Titus Interactive (NA, PAL)
• Genre — Action, Simulation
• Review Aggregate Score — 80% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 0.08 million units (~80,000)

Long before Nintendo wowed players with its quirky collection of addictive mini-games in 2003’s WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!, Polygon Magic released one of the most quintessentially off-beat and hilarious video games ever made with the irreverent mini-game collection Incredible Crisis. In Incredible Crisis, players get to live a day in the life of an average, totally normal Japanese family. Except, as the title implies, things start to go wrong in spectacular fashion, and it’s up to you to prevent the titular “crisis” by guiding each member of the family through zany mini-games that span an impressive range of gameplay genres. For those who have played Incredible Crisis, they know it to be one of the most unique and enjoyable games on the PS1, and it’s perhaps the console’s most underrated classic.

Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman

• Release Date — March 25, 1999
• Developer — UEP Systems
• Publisher — UEP Systems (JP), Agetec (NA, PAL)
• Genre — Action-adventure
• Review Aggregate Score — 69% (Mixed or Average)
• Total Sales — 0.02 million units (~20,000)

Despite its shockingly low sales figures, there seems to be a fairly sizable contingent of PS1 players who have fond memories of UEP Systems’ inventive hack-and-slash/shooter hybrid, Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman. Funnily enough, UEP Systems would make a name for itself on the PS1 thanks to the Cool Boarders snowboarding franchise, and Rising Zan marks the one game the studio released that was outside the extreme sports genre. You might guess that it’s the studio’s only action game thanks to its somewhat stiff controls, but its writing, soundtrack, and absurd blend of Tarantino-style theatrics and Japanese romanticism of the American Wild West speak to a title destined to be a cult classic that punches well above its weight.

Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain

• Release Date — November 1, 1996
• Developer — Silicon Knights
• Publisher — Crystal Dynamics
• Genre — Action RPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 83% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 0.44 million units

As the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20. While today a lot of critics and fans look back fondly on Silicon Knights’ Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen as a ground-breaking narrative-driven action RPG that helped give us Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, it’s a miracle that Soul Reaver was ever made with how under the radar Blood Omen was. Still, it’s a fond recollection that’s well-deserved, because Blood Omen is a game well ahead of its time that is undoubtedly one of the PS1’s more underrated hidden gems. While its combat and RPG mechanics aren’t too different from what players saw in action RPGs on the SNES like Legend of Gaia or Secret of Mana, Blood Omen‘s gothic atmosphere, mature story, and cinematic presentation cement it as one of the best vampire games ever made.

Warhawk

• Release Date — November 10, 1995
• Developer — Sony Interactive Studios America, Single Trac
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Genre — Flight Combat, Shooter
• Review Aggregate Score — 82% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 0.46 million units

Single Trac (which would eventually turn into Sony Santa Monica and give us the God of War franchise) got off to a strong start on the PS1 with Twisted Metal, but the studio is also responsible for one of the console’s early great flight sim games with Warhawk. While flight combat games are mostly nonexistent these days (outside of maybe Ace Combat), they were all the rage at the time of Warhawk‘s launch, and the title was a commendable early PS1 title to accompany the console’s launch in the West, showcasing what Sony’s new console could do. Most importantly, Warhawk embodies the more “arcade-y” style of flight combat games, eschewing realism in favor of pure fun and frantic action like Single Trac’s legendary Twisted Metal games.

Silhouette Mirage

• Release Date — July 23, 1998
• Developer — Treasure
• Publisher — Entertainment Software Publishing (JP), Working Designs (NA)
• Genre — Action, Run n’ Gun
• Review Aggregate Score — 69% (Mixed or Average)
• Total Sales — 0.05 million units (~50,000)

After first debuting on the Sega Saturn, Treasure’s Silhouette Mirage would make its way to the PS1 courtesy of Western publisher Working Designs, but the title largely went unnoticed in North America thanks to side-scrolling run n’ guns mostly being out of style by the time of its localization. But, as many run ‘n gun and shmup fans are known to do, Silhouette Mirage‘s fanbase would help to raise the game to cult status thanks to its excellent arcade-style action and similarities to two of the greatest Treasure games — Gunstar Heroes and Radiant Silvergun (which, coincidentally, are two of the greatest games in the run n’ gun and shmup genres, respectively). Silhouette Mirage blends elements from across Treasure’s experience as a talented arcade developer, and its critical reviews and commercial success do not do its gameplay an ounce of justice.

Alundra

• Release Date — April 11, 1997
• Developer — Matrix Software
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment (JP), Working Designs (NA), Psygnosis (PAL)
• Genre — Action-adventure
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 0.23 million units

Another Working Designs gem to make its way to the PS1 in North America is Matrix Software’s Alundra. Equal parts Secret of Mana and The Legend of Zelda, Alundra filled a very specific niche that the PS1 hadn’t really captured up until its release — the classic action-adventure game. Given Matrix Software’s pedigree as the developers of the excellent Zelda-like Landstalker on the Genesis, Alundra‘s brilliance should come as no surprise, and its phenomenal story, presentation, and puzzles still help it shine as one of the best 2D action-adventure games nearly a quarter-century from its release. It would eventually get a sequel with Alundra 2, but the original Alundra is, for my money, the superior game and one of the greatest hidden gems in the PS1 library.

Disruptor

• Release Date — November 20, 1996
• Developer — Insomniac Games
• Publisher — Universal Interactive Studios (NA), Interplay (PAL)
• Genre — First-Person Shooter
• Review Aggregate Score — 73% (Mixed or Average)
• Total Sales — 0.2 million units

Today we know Insomniac Games as one of the most important Sony first-party studios thanks to massive hits like Ratchet and Clank and Marvel’s Spider-Man, but the studio’s very first game for the original PlayStation is far lesser known. Releasing toward the end of 1996, Disruptor was one of the first original first-person shooter titles on the PS1 and it’s a commendable effort for the console. Most console players of the era opted for the Nintendo 64 for their first-person shooter fix thanks to its four controller ports and iconic classics like GoldenEye 007 and Turok, but Disruptor proved that Sony’s 5th-gen console could hold its own as a home for quality, story-driven FPS titles, and it’s obvious to see early hints at Insomniac’s future greatness in its gameplay.

Wild 9

• Release Date — September 30, 1998
• Developer — Shiny Entertainment
• Publisher — Interplay
• Genre — Action Platformer
• Review Aggregate Score — 76% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 0.24 million units

Shiny Entertainment spent the mid-90s riding high on the runaway success of the Earthworm Jim games, both of which are two of the more iconic and fun action platformers of the 16-bit era. For the studio’s next game, they chose not to reinvent the wheel but to refine it with Wild 9, coming back with yet another action platformer with some wacky physics and an irreverent, goofy sense of humor underpinning every moment of its gameplay. Wild 9‘s titular mechanic is the main character’s “Rig”, a sort of gravity tether that players use to grip enemies and slam them into the environment as if swatting at flies. And as you might expect from the same developer behind Earthworm Jim, Wild 9 backs up its one-of-a-kind style and humor with some suitably solid platforming and combat.

Spider: The Video Game

• Release Date — February 25, 1997
• Developer — Boss Game Studios
• Publisher — BMG Interactive
• Genre — Action Platformer
• Review Aggregate Score — 78% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 0.2 million units

Not to be confused with the infinitely more popular Spider-Man PS1 games from Neversoft, Spider: The Video Game is an incredibly underrated action platformer that sees players play as a literal spider. One of the game’s strongest suits is its level design, which turns everyday locations like kitchens and bathrooms into grueling gauntlets for survival as players fend off insect enemies and brave perilous platforming challenges to reach each stage’s goal. Combat is also way better than it needs to be in Spider, with players able to equip and swap out up to 10 different weapons on their cybernetic arachnid’s eight limbs. Is it all a bit silly? Yes. Does that only add to its greatness as one of the PS1’s cult classics? Absolutely.

Parasite Eve II

• Release Date — December 16, 1999
• Developer — Square
• Publisher — Square
• Genre — Action RPG, Survival Horror
• Review Aggregate Score — 79% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 1.2 million units

Despite its predecessor commonly being cited as one of the greatest RPGs on the PS1, Parasite Eve II tends to be mostly forgotten by comparison. Part of the game’s mixed reception boils down to its embracing of more traditional survival horror gameplay at the expense of losing many of the original’s RPG mechanics, but it’s still a competent survival horror experience nonetheless. Doing away with the RPG-style ATB bar and turn-based combat transforms Parasite Eve II into a title that shares more in common with Resident Evil, and with Square’s budget backing its visuals, story, and presentation, Parasite Eve II stands out as one of the better survival horror games on the PS1 to not bear the Resident Evil or Silent Hill name.

Legend of Legaia

• Release Date — October 29, 1998
• Developer — Prokion
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Genre — RPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 77% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 0.3 million units

It seems like Legend of Legaia is the “RPG fan’s RPG”, a game destined to be a cult classic thanks to its release in proximity to many other better-known, higher profile releases. But, like most cult classics do, Legend of Legaia continues to resonate with new players thanks to longtime fans continuing to sing its praises, and it’s surprising to see how underrated of a title it is considering how forward-thinking many of its mechanics are. The star of Legend of Legaia is definitely its atypical combat system, which separates attacks into four quadrants (high, low, left, and right) and incorporates more strategy into each encounter than most turn-based RPGs of the era ever attempted.

Fear Effect

• Release Date — February 24, 2000
• Developer — Kronos Digital Entertainment
• Publisher — Eidos Interactive
• Genre — Survival Horror, Adventure
• Review Aggregate Score — 85% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 0.72 million units

The survival horror genre didn’t start on the PS1, but it earned its name thanks to one of the PS1’s best and most iconic titles — Resident Evil. Accordingly, there were many survival horror games following in Resident Evil‘s wake to try and capture the same success, and perhaps the most underrated of them all is Fear Effect.

Part Resident Evil clone and part old-school point-and-click adventure game, Fear Effect rubbed a lot of players the wrong way thanks to its instant-death trial-and-error puzzles. But for those of us who grew up playing the classic Sierra adventure titles on MS-DOS, Fear Effect combined the best parts of those games with newer survival horror gameplay in a thrilling horror story inspired by Chinese mythology. The best part? If you missed out on this excellent game back in the day, Fear Effect is about to come to PC and modern consoles thanks to Limited Run Games.

Tomba!

• Release Date — December 25, 1997
• Developer — Whoopee Camp
• Publisher — Whoopee Camp (JP), Sony Computer Entertainment (NA, PAL)
• Genre — Action Platformer, Metroidvania
• Review Aggregate Score — 84% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 0.26 million units

Whoopee Camp’s Tomba! is an excellent action platformer with some surprising Metroidvania elements thanks to its non-linear structure and ability to improve the titular character with some light RPG progression. Along with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Tomba! is one of the few Metroidvania titles on the PS1 ahead of the genre’s renaissance as part of the 6th generation, and it also happens to be an incredibly fun platformer whose development pedigree (which includes Capcom’s Tokuro Fujiwara, the mind behind classics like Ghosts n’ Goblins, Bionic Commando, and many, many others) shines through in its excellent visuals, earworm of a soundtrack, and air-tight gameplay.

Einhänder

• Release Date — November 20, 1997
• Developer — Square
• Publisher — Square (JP), Sony Computer Entertainment (NA)
• Genre — Shoot ’em Up/Shmup
• Review Aggregate Score — 89% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 0.31 million units

One of the best shmups on the PS1 also happens to be Square’s only attempt at the genre, 1997’s Einhänder. Released during a time when Final Fantasy VII‘s success gave Square enough capital to take risks and get experimental with its game design, Einhänder is a first attempt at a genre that comes off feeling like it was made by one of its most legendary and prolific developers, an instant classic and masterpiece on par with the greatest gems from both the arcades and the iconic library of shooting games on the Sega Saturn. It’s no wonder that Square never attempted making another shmup given how poorly Einhänder sold, but its excellent understanding of genre fundamentals positions the title as both one of the PS1’s most underrated games and one of the shmup genre’s hidden gems.

Future Cop: L.A.P.D.

• Release Date — September 16, 1998
• Developer — EA Redwood Shores
• Publisher — Electronic Arts
• Genre — Shooter
• Review Aggregate Score — 79% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 0.3 million units

A full decade before the studio would blow the lid off the stagnating survival horror genre with Dead Space, EA Redwood Shores produced one of the PS1’s all-time greats with Future Cop: LAPD. But despite Future Cop being one of the most fun and satisfying shooters on the PlayStation, players mostly ignored the game thanks to its arcade look and more simplistic gameplay in comparison to the more cinematic games that were starting to take shape on the console. However, thanks to the clarity provided by retrospective reflection, it’s now obvious to just about anyone who plays Future Cop: LAPD that it’s one of the best PS1 games and a criminally overlooked game that blends EA’s own Desert or Jungle Strike with a power fantasy straight out of Robocop.