JRPGs emerged on the NES, gained prominence on the SNES, and conquered the world on the PS1. This paved the way for countless developers to launch their own iterations of Japanese-made RPGs, some strictly following Dragon Quest’s blueprint, while others innovated as far as the hardware allowed.
It was in this wave of new JRPGs that numerous ambitious games appeared on the PS1, whether due to their sheer size requiring more than one CD to fit everything, or to features so unusual they made us ask “how is this possible?” back then.
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Regardless, it is undeniable that the PS1 was one of the golden eras of JRPGs and, at least for me, where my love for the genre was consolidated. Walk with me as we look at some of the most ambitious JRPGs released on the console and what made them so grand, either from a technical standpoint or through their gameplay excellence.
10 Final Fantasy VII
Duh
I’m going to get this one out of the way because by now you must be tired of hearing how Final Fantasy VII paved the way for JRPGs worldwide with a million-dollar investment, explosive set pieces, gorgeous cutscenes, and an impeccable narrative spanning across 3 CDs. Technically, while Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy IX were more ambitious, the seventh title ran so that the sequels could run even faster.
Due to Square’s ambition to produce a title that would dominate the world, they broke their partnership with Nintendo and entered into a collaboration with Sony, as the PlayStation’s CD format would meet the developer’s demands. Luckily, for both Square and us fans, Final Fantasy VII was a hit, paving the way for many other JRPGs to follow suit.
9 Grandia
Compared with the Best
I understand that Grandia was initially released on the Sega Saturn, but that was only in Japan, and the JRPG only achieved success and fan love when it arrived internationally on the PS1 at the hands of Sony. Immediately, people began calling it “grand,” comparing its excellence even to that of Final Fantasy VII.
At the time, the two-year development of Grandia was seen as a major feat, showing GameArts’ dedication to the game. Its graphics also drew attention from the public and the media alike. The Computer and Video Games magazine in 1996 noted that the game had 20,000 frames of animation, which, in context, was double or even triple the amount of typical PS1 games at the time.
For me, however, the true ambition (and innovation) came in the battle system. While many bet on traditional turn-based play, Grandia blended real-time and command-based mechanics, offering a more dynamic, strategic battle system that favored timing and sound decision-making.
8 Dragon Quest VII
Way Too Long
Dragon Quest has always religiously followed the same blueprint for the JRPGs genre: a fantasy world, good vs. evil tropes, turn-based combat, and a more colorful presentation than its peers. When it arrived on the PS1 with Dragon Quest VII, there weren’t many significant changes, whether in its gameplay or graphics.
The biggest change, however, was in the script, the pacing, and the storytelling format. Dragon Quest VII can easily span more than 80 hours in the main story alone, and even 100+ hours for completionists. It’s one of the longest JRPGs on the market, with a main campaign. I never finished the PS1 version because I felt overwhelmed by its runtime, something I fixed by playing Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past.
7 Star Ocean: The Second Story
Two Protagonists and Over 80 Endings
The story of how Star Ocean emerged is quite emblematic. A development team founded Wolf Team with the intent to license the unpublished Tales Phantasia novel into Tales of Phantasia, the first Tales of game. During development, there were some creative discussions, and some devs left, founded tri-Ace, and created the first Star Ocean.
One of those creative discussions was because the devs, now founders of tri-Ace, wanted more customizable and social features in Tales of, which they instead put into Star Ocean. These mechanics extended through several games but were best applied in Star Ocean: The Second Story. For example, the game offers two protagonists whose stories end at the same conclusion but present distinct plot points and even unique recruitable characters in each playthrough.
In addition, Star Ocean: The Second Story offers Item Creation, one of the most robust crafting systems in JRPGs. Not content with that, tri-Ace also created more than 80 endings, which varied according to the emotional level of party members. It’s bonkers, and if that doesn’t show ambition, I don’t know what does.
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6 Persona 2
Buy Two, Get One Story
One of the things I never understood when I first played Persona 2: Eternal Punishment back in the day was: what the hell is Persona 2: Innocent Sin? Listen, we didn’t have internet back then, and no one in the store knew the answer either. Plus, the international version of Innocent Sin was only released on the PSP.
To summarize, Persona 2 was released in two versions. You can simply play Persona 2: Innocent Sin and call it a day. However, writer Tadashi Satomi felt a new perspective was necessary to fully tell the game’s plot, which is why Eternal Punishment tells the story through the eyes of Maya Amano rather than Tatsuya Suou.
The two storylines complement each other and enrich the whole Persona 2 plot, even though the graphics engine and most of the gameplay largely play the same. It just goes to show that sometimes, a developer’s ambitions can be realized, even if it costs fans confusion for many years. Or at least, my confusion.
5 Front Mission 3
The Duality of a Player
Front Mission 3 is a tactical mecha RPG produced by Square Enix. The first two mainline titles were not originally released outside Japan, but the third title kicked off overseas releases. It was also the first one I played, and although I’m not that big a fan of sci-fi or tactical games, I fell in love with Front Mission 3 immediately.
The coolest part is that, in the middle of the narrative, we have a choice. Initially, I thought it was just a flavor choice that wouldn’t change anything. However, after I saw my brother pick the other option, we realized that this single decision shapes the entire story of the game. Called the Double Feature Scenario, these are two entirely new plots that practically function as two whole games.
That was completely insane to see at the time. Not only did this promote great replayability in a JRPG, but it also gave us hope that many other games would offer the same possibility. That wasn’t the case, but still, we appreciate what Front Mission 3 brought to the table.
4 Suikoden II
An Insane Cast
Konami released two Suikoden titles on the PS1. While the first had already defined some of the series’ foundations, it was in Suikoden II that it went all-in, really innovating the mechanics, doubling down on the plot, and bringing one of the best JRPGs of all time to the console’s library.
Suikoden II was ambitious because it bet on a sprawling political plot that mingled intimately with the gameplay. We were part of a resistance, and do you know what a resistance needs to succeed? Members. And if there is something Suikoden II is not short of, it is party members, offering an insane 108 recruitable characters for your enjoyment.
I confess that many of these are recruited in somewhat unorthodox ways, which warrants a guide in case you want to get the true ending, and not all of them participate in battle. However, ultimately, it’s all so flawless and engaging that I’m willing to overlook it. Luckily, there’s a remaster of the first two titles these days in case you never got to play the original.
3 The Legend of Dragoon
Sony’s Investment in the Genre
When I mentioned that Final Fantasy VII made waves in the industry, I was serious. The Legend of Dragoon, for example, was only born because Sony wanted a major JRPG to call its own. Helmed by Shuhei Yoshida, whom I once asked about a remake of Legend of Dragoon, the game took 3 years to produce, cost over 15 million, and featured some of the most impressive graphics on the system.
CGI? Check. Pre-rendered environments and full 3D characters? Check. Plotline spanning over 4 CDs? Check. Turn-based battles with timed inputs? Check as well. The Legend of Dragoon had a heavyweight team behind it, all to create this wonderful new IP. Unfortunately, it never became a series, as although a sequel entered pre-production, it was canceled for unknown reasons.
Nowadays, it’s possible to play The Legend of Dragoon on PSN, but if you, like me, hope for a remake or even a remaster of the JRPG one day, don’t hold your breath, because if it depends solely on Sony, we know that’s borderline impossible. Maybe a third-party developer could handle a remake, right? Who knows.
2 Xenogears
Thematically Gluttonous
Xenogears, AKA what-once-could-have-been-Final Fantasy VII, is to this day used as a reference when we talk about JRPGs of excellence. The game was so ambitious that Square had to cut short Tetsuya Takahashi’s wishes, leading to that botched second CD, an unfinished planned hexalogy, and unfulfilled fan dreams. Luckily, the man eventually found a better home at Monolith Soft, but it’s impossible not to think about what could have been if Xenogears had managed to become a full-fledged series.
As mentioned, the series was planned to be a hexalogy, and Xenogears on the PS1 was Episode 5. The game tackled extremely complex themes such as psychology, philosophy, and religion, and still managed to be fun, given its turn-based gameplay with a combo system and some more lighthearted moments in the plot.
And you know how the story went. We got Xenosaga, then Xenoblade, and who knows what else awaits us in the end. Xenogears was definitely one of the most ambitious projects the PS1 received, and it’s a pity its entire six-part planning never came to fruition.
1 Chrono Cross
One of the GOATs
When Chrono Cross hit the shelves, expectations were sky-high. After all, everyone expected a Chrono Trigger 2.0. What we received, however, was a bit different. Instead of time travel, we had dimension-hopping, which also brought a different setting influenced by what some call chaos theory. Furthermore, it didn’t have direct continuity with the events of Chrono Trigger, but rather presented a “what if” scenario in which the Reptites had not been eliminated and Dalton had dominated the kingdom of Porre.
To be honest, I didn’t understand many of these nuances when I played Chrono Cross for the first time. Still, it became one of my favorite JRPGs, and I prefer it even more than Chrono Trigger for various reasons. Needless to say, given the daunting task of meeting expectations for what is often considered the best JRPG of all time, the investment was not small.
CGIs, an impeccable soundtrack, more than 40 recruitable characters, and more all came together to deliver a spectacular game. If you only played Chrono Cross once and didn’t like it because you expected Frog or Crono to appear in the plot, I suggest replaying it again with an open heart to be mesmerized.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
