Summary
- PS1 dark fantasy games created eerie atmospheres with stylized visuals despite hardware limitations.
- MediEvil used a Tim Burton-inspired design for Sir Daniel Fortesque's adventures in Gallowmere.
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night set a high standard with its gothic atmosphere and electric gameplay.
The original PlayStation may not have become known for its ability to render sprawling, epic fantasy landscapes, but its hardware limitations inspired developers to get creative: Silent Hill used fog to mask draw distance or Metal Gear Solid leaned into moody character and atmosphere renderings.
8 Most Controversial PS1 Games, Ranked
These are the most controversial PS1 games, ranked by how severe the storm they caused was.
Much in the same way, dark fantasy games on the PlayStation embraced their constraints to deliver eerie atmospheres and stylized visuals. Long before the grimdark trend of the late 2000s, these shadowy titles crafted twisted, magical worlds that remain timeless in their appeal and still inspire the seeds of new virtual realms today.
MediEvil (1998)
A Darkly Comedic Twist On Swords Versus Sorcerers
MediEvil
- Released
- October 21, 1998
- ESRB
- T// Blood and Gore, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Hack and Slash
Taking heavy inspiration from The Nightmare Before Christmas (with more of an emphasis to its Halloween side), MediEvil stars the recently reanimated Sir Daniel Fortesque and follows his bumbling adventures through the kingdom of Gallowmere as he attempts to put a stop to the evil sorcerer who put him in his grave (and subsequently took him out of it).
Mad townsfolk, gory zombies, rotting demons, and sassy gargoyles are all put in the toothy knight's way, but there is a healthy feast of hearty, macabre humor to be enjoyed along the way. MediEvil has enjoyed a number of remakes across the years, but the original holds up just as well today.
King's Field 2 (1995)
An Immersive And Brutal Dungeon Crawler
King's Field 2
- Released
- July 21, 1995
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Violence
- Developer(s)
- FromSoftware
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Before there were Soulsborne games, there was King's Field, and King's Field 2, also known as King's Fiel d outside of Japan, is widely considered the series' best. Like many early Japanese RPG studios (and many still today), FromSoftware took great inspiration from the Wizardry dungeon crawler series. Like its inspiration, it is a brutal, first-person slog through dungeons dark and deadly.
Early PS1 RPGs Almost No One Remembers
Some great RPGs made their debut on the PlayStation 1. Others, however, were not as memorable.
Like the genre that FromSoftware would become famous for, there are opportunities to upgrade equipment and battles to be won through patience, trail and error, and skill. A surprising amount of emphasis is put on immersion (surprising for the era), with the player being put behind the eyes of their avatar, able to explore a seamless, loading-screen free map as they fight their way to reclaim a legendary sword.
Diablo (1997)
The Groundbreaking Action RPG From Hell
Diablo
- Released
- January 3, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
The Diablo series is now a legendary one in gaming. As well as debuting on PC, it also made an appearance on the PlayStation. The dark fantasy epic has the player (or two players, with split-screen support on the PSX) going up against the titular Diablo and his minions as either a warrior, rogue, or sorcerer.
Although the PC version is considered superior, PSX fans who live for collecting mountains of loot, slaughtering countless aggressors, and traversing through an eerie, procedurally-generated landscape will get a nostalgic kick from returning to Tristram and its hellish depths all from the comfort of their wired controller.
MediEvil 2 (2000)
A Victorian Horror Story With A Toothy Smile
MediEvil 2
- Released
- April 21, 2000
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Crude Humor, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Platformer
In a follow-up to his posthumous adventures through the medieval land of Gallowmere, Sir Daniel Fortesque finds himself thrust into Victorian London in MediEvil 2, where he must confront the machinations of a sorcerous industrialist.
8 Games That Let You Play As A Skeleton
When it comes to playing as a skeleton, these games make no bones about it!
This time, Dan faces off with cockney serial killers, vampire lords, demonic forces, and the restless undead before he can finally rest in peace. While the game retains its predecessor's dark, sinister atmosphere, with its foggy cobblestone streets and soot-stained rooftops, it also brims with the same dark comedy and quirky charm that made the original such a cult classic.
The Legacy Of Kain: Blood Omen (1996)
A Vampire's Dark Rise To Power In A Cursed World
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
- Released
- November 15, 1996
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature // Blood and Gore, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Top-Down, Hack and Slash
This top-down slash-and-drink-their-blood 'em up might look antiquated even for the PSX, but its storytelling and voice acting are top notch. The titular Kain, freshly turned into a vampire, projects a lushiously evil laugh every other time he bests an enemy and slurps gratuitously on their red blood cells.
With the release of the Soul Reaver remaster, Raziel fans might be curious to see how Kain's original rise to power played out. Blood Omen explores this and delves into the lore surrounding the Pillars of Nosgoth while Nosgoth was greener and more lush with vampire-unaware peasants.
Nightmare Creatures (1997)
A Head-Chopping, Limb-Cleaving Rampage Through A Fantastical Horror
Nightmare Creatures
- Released
- September 30, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Action
This fast-paced action game involves players hitting the Victorian streets of London armed with swords, bombs, pistols, magic spells, and mixed martial arts against an army of werewolves, zombies, superpowered monsters, and horrors from the depths. Nightmare Creatures is the PS1 equivalent of Bloodborne eighteen years early.
10 PlayStation Games That Were Ahead Of Their Time
The PlayStation was a revolutionary console, and these are the games that stood out as being far ahead of the curve.
While it has been described as a survival game, mechanics like the adrenaline bar prompts players into throwing themselves into a fight in a constant flurry of action. Between the surprisingly deep and fluid fighting moves is a game built with compelling lore and love for the setting, as many of the playable areas were modeled on real 19th-Century maps of London.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997)
A Genre-Defining Gothic Masterpiece
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
- Released
- October 2, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence
- Genre(s)
- Metroidvania, Action RPG
Comparatively few games can claim to be one half of a genre-maker. Castlevania's contribution to metroidvanias is not overstated, as this legendary vampire romp through Dracula's castle inspired countless developers over the years with its gothic atmosphere, intriguing lore, and electric gameplay
From its haunting soundtrack to its stunning pixel art, Symphony of the Night set a standard for dark fantasy games on the PSX and beyond that has rarely been matched, even by games today.
The Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver (1999)
Vampires, Reavers, Revenge, And Redemption
Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver
- Released
- August 16, 1999
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Platformer, Fighting, Puzzle, Adventure
It doesn't get any more dark fantasy than playing a formally-beautiful angelic vampire now cursed into the body of a jawless, wing-tattered wraith on the hunt for revenge against a deified vampire in a world infested by eldritch abominations and world rot. Soul Reaver raised the bar for mature storytelling in video games, and not just because of its horror and gore content.
During Raziel's adventures through Nosgoth in his campaign against a legion of undead foes and block puzzles, players will encounter chilling existential horror, superbly written and performed dialogue, and world building that not only scratches that specific dark fantasy itch but buries deep inside the mind and makes itself at home for decades or more.
10 Best Hack And Slash Games On The PS1, Ranked
If you were playing hack and slash games on the PS1, then these games were the cream of the crop.