The PS1 is a fascinating console that launched one of the best home console lines of all time, despite almost being a failed project initially. While it is remembered as the first of these legendary consoles today though, many of the great games it produced have been entirely forgotten about.
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While some games are remembered for their incredibleon-the-surface storytelling, there are other games that have an intense volume of lore and world-building behind the scenes if they are examined more closely. Sweeping, grand adventures may be the best-recognized games, but there are others that also deserve their dues.
6Resident Evil
The originalResident Evilhas been mostly forgotten about today in favor of the sequels and remakes, but it was a simple yet hauntingly scary game that remains an intriguing one to play today. A team of police checking out a huge mansionwhere they become trappedand find the dead walking seems simple by the standards of today’s zombie games.
Adding the intrigue of Albert Wesker’s betrayal and the Umbrella plot and the story becomes much more interesting though. The deep lore created around theResident Evilgames both before, during, and after this initial entry makes playing the game back today so much more compelling knowing what is happening all around it.
5Final Fantasy IX
WhileFinal Fantasy VIIis considered the best of the series by some,Final Fantasy IXis highly praised as well, and this is due to a much simpler story being told than was shown in the seventh installment of the series. While the story is still grand, there is a simple fairytale approach taken in this game which was much beloved.
This does not stop the world around this game from being massive, and the continent of Gaia is still considered a fantasticpiece of gaming history. While any RPG with this much time to the story has to have some complications, there is so much more lore to be explored in this world by talking to other characters.
4Silent Hill
Originally considered by many to be an attempt at capitalizing on the success ofResident Evil, theSilent Hillfranchise quickly turned into a different beast and managed to be hugely successful in its own right. The first game had the seemingly simple premise of a man looking for the adopted daughter he loses during a car crash in the town ofSilent Hill.
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However, after conversing more with the various characters met in thepractically deserted town, and after discovering there are five possible endings to the game, players began to realize that there was much more to this. Between subsequent entries in the franchise and the initial lore to be found inside this game, there is a huge volume of content and story to the seemingly simple horror premise.
3Mega Man Legends
While theMega Manseries had already created a great deal of lore and many known characters, it wasn’t enough creativity for the team behindMega Man Legends. This series of games began with the premise that the Earth had been flooded and people now used shards of quantum refractors for currency.
The game essentially set up a worldwith enough lore and storyin this new sub-franchise to power a full RPG but instead told a much shorter story, with a lot of incredibly fun and memorable characters such as the Bonne Family Pirates. With all the extra lore to be explored, much of it is told in the subsequent games and spin-offs that came out ofMega Man Legendsbecause of the huge success and love for these characters.
2Parasite Eve
There are only a few games that try to blend horror and RPG elements in the way thatParasite Evedid. The game tells the story of a detective chasing after a woman that wants to destroy the human race through spontaneous combustion is abaffling yet compelling one. However, it may surprise fans of the game to know that the origin of the mitochondria the game and sequels focus on is much deeper.
TheParasite Evevideo game was actually a sequel to a book written by Hideaki Sena. The way that mitochondria interact with humans is explained much more fully in the book and the world of this game is subsequently much more fleshed out by this added lore. It also tells a story about the villainous Eve and helps players much better understand where the story picked up by the game began.
1Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver
A simple story of revenge with so much more lore behind it,Soul Reaveris the sequel toBlood Omen: Legacy Of Kainand features an intriguing premise.The first game featuredprotagonist Kain turning evil and refusing to kill himself to save his world from decay, instead raising an army of vampires to become the dominant species.
After striking down Raziel at the beginning ofSoul Reaver, Raziel becomes the protagonist as a wraith brought back by the Elder God and is sent after Kain, who becomes the antagonist in the sequel.Soul Reaverhas an incredible world and lore around it, and it chose to tell a much simpler revenge plot than it could have with all the lore built inside the world.
