Summary
- Some PlayStation exclusives like Puppeteer, Okage: Shadow King, and Folklore deserve more recognition for their creativity and uniqueness.
- These overlooked games offer inventive mechanics, bizarre stories, and bold artistic directions that set them apart.
- Despite their initial commercial misfires, these titles left a lasting impact on those who experienced them.
For every God of War or Uncharted that’s still basking in the PlayStation spotlight, there are gems buried in the back catalog, collecting dust next to a third-party controller and a memory card that barely works. These are the games that deserved more fanfare than they got. Some launched on underperforming hardware, some were ahead of their time, and others quietly faded into the shadows for reasons nobody quite understands.
But just because time forgot them doesn’t mean they weren’t brilliant. In fact, revisiting these lost PlayStation exclusives is like finding an old photo album filled with moments that are way better than anyone remembered. Here are a few titles that deserve a second chance with gamers.
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7 Puppeteer
A Puppet Show That Deserved a Bigger Stage
Puppeteer
- Released
- September 10, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- JapanStudio
- Platform(s)
- PS3
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
Puppeteer came out in 2013, and despite being published by Sony itself, it vanished almost instantly. This might have been because it launched deep into the PS3’s twilight years, when most players were already eyeing the PS4. But beneath its commercial misfire lies one of the most visually inventive and mechanically creative platformers on the console.
The game is structured like a theatrical performance, complete with curtains rising, stage props shifting in real-time, and an audience reacting to the action. Players take control of Kutaro, a boy whose head has been stolen by the tyrannical Moon Bear King. So, naturally, he replaces it with a rotating set of toy heads, each with unique abilities. The central mechanic — using a magical pair of scissors to snip through fabric environments — is as fun as it is original.
It’s not often that a game this confident in its weirdness gets made, let alone published by a major company. But Puppeteer did just that, and deserves more appreciation for it.
6 Okage: Shadow King
Your Shadow Is Way More Interesting Than You
Okage: Shadow King
- Released
- March 15, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen
- Developer(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4
Released in 2001, Okage: Shadow King is like Tim Burton meets early Final Fantasy, but filtered through that quirky, slightly offbeat lens only early PS2 RPGs seemed to have. The story follows Ari, an unassuming boy whose shadow gets possessed by an ancient evil being named Stan — who, despite all his big talk about world domination, is more sass than sinister.
What makes Okage special isn’t just its surreal art style or offbeat humor. It’s the commitment to weirdness. The turn-based battles aren’t revolutionary, but the enemies — like evil appliances and insult-hurling fish — are a whole other story. The writing swings between satirical and genuinely clever, with a self-awareness that predicted the ironic humor of later indie RPGs. The game never caught on, probably because it looked like a children’s game but wasn’t, and marketing it in the West wasn't great. Still, it’s one of the most charmingly bizarre RPGs Sony ever funded.
5 Bushido Blade
Honor Is Everything (Except, Apparently, Marketable)
Bushido Blade
- Released
- September 30, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Platform(s)
- PS1
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
While most fighters from the late '90s were obsessed with juggling combos and health bars, Bushido Blade quietly introduced something wild: one-hit kills. Players could win or lose a match thanks to a single well-placed strike. No HUD. No time limits. Just pure tension. It leaned into realism in a way that was unheard of at the time. Players could cripple limbs, rendering an opponent unable to swing or even stand. And the environment mattered: players could chase an enemy through gardens, bamboo forests, and castle courtyards, with fights that felt more like duels than button-mashing brawls.
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Bushido Blade never had mass appeal, but it’s still discussed in reverent tones by those who played it. A spiritual sequel, Kengo, tried to carry the torch but never quite caught fire. With modern fighting games going all-in on spectacle, Bushido Blade’s meditative pace and brutal simplicity feel more radical now than ever.
4 Folklore
The Dead Don’t Stay Quiet
Folklore
- Released
- June 21, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen
- Developer(s)
- game republic
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 3
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
There’s a good chance Folklore slipped past even the most die-hard PS3 owners. Released in 2007, just months after the console’s launch, it was overshadowed by hardware complaints, a thin library, and the looming arrival of big-budget blockbusters. But Folklore remains one of the most uniquely atmospheric exclusives on the system.
Set in the quaint Irish village of Doolin and its dreamlike alternate realm known as the Netherworld, the game follows two protagonists, Keats and Ellen, both chasing very different mysteries. Players explore surreal landscapes, battle bizarre spirits called Folks, and absorb their abilities through a shake of the Sixaxis controller. The motion controls haven't aged that well, but everything else is fascinating.
Its art direction leans into Celtic mythology, the monster designs are strikingly original, and the music is haunting in all the right ways. Folklore was a bold experiment in narrative-driven ARPGs, but Sony never followed up on it. Which is a shame, because it was one sequel away from being legendary.
3 Alundra
If Zelda Had Anxiety and a British Accent
Alundra
- Released
- April 11, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
Often described as Sony’s answer to The Legend of Zelda, Alundra did more than borrow top-down action RPG mechanics. It infused them with deep themes, punishing puzzles, and a story that punches well above its weight. The game follows a “dreamwalker” named Alundra, who enters the nightmares of villagers plagued by mysterious deaths. It sounds like fantasy fluff, but the narrative gets surprisingly dark, tackling grief, trauma, and the existential horror of not being able to save everyone. And unlike most RPGs of the era, Alundra actually required problem-solving. The puzzles are dense, sometimes frustratingly so, but always rewarding.
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It got good reviews, sold decently, and then quietly disappeared, overshadowed by flashier 3D RPGs that would follow in the PS2 era. It did get a sequel, Alundra 2, but the tonal shift and 3D platforming didn’t sit well with fans. Which only made the original feel even more special.
2 Legend of Dragoon
The One That Almost Took On Final Fantasy
Legend of Dragoon
OpenCritic Reviews
- Released
- December 2, 1999
- ESRB
- t
- Platform(s)
- PSP, PlayStation 3
- Genre(s)
- JRPG, Adventure
Sony wanted a Final Fantasy killer, and Legend of Dragoon was their answer: four discs, flashy FMVs, and a budget rumored to be in the tens of millions. Released in 1999 (2000 in North America), it arrived right in the golden age of JRPGs, with sky-high expectations and a massive marketing push.
The world of Endiness is rich with lore. Its Dragoon transformation system adds depth to combat, and the “Addition” mechanics — timed button presses that turn basic attacks into combos — keep players engaged during otherwise traditional turn-based battles. The story leans into epic fantasy with plenty of twists, ancient wars, and winged warriors.
Despite strong sales and a loyal fanbase, Legend of Dragoon was never revisited. No sequel, no remake, not even a cameo in PlayStation All-Stars. But fans still beg for a revival every time Sony announces anything RPG-related, and at this point, it’s long overdue.
1 Syphon Filter
Before Snake Made It Cool to Crouch in a Vent
Syphon Filter
- Released
- February 17, 1999
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Animated Blood, Violence
- Platform(s)
- PS1, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 3
- Genre(s)
- Stealth, Third-Person Shooter
Gabe Logan might not have the star power of Solid Snake, but in 1999, Syphon Filter was a big deal. It blended third-person shooting, stealth mechanics, and surprisingly advanced enemy AI into one of the most tightly designed action games on the original PlayStation.
Players took down terrorists across international hotspots, used infrared goggles to spot tripwires, and tasered enemies until they caught fire — a feature that became oddly iconic.
The pacing was sharp, the level design was varied, and the plot had just enough late-90s techno-thriller nonsense to keep things spicy. It spawned multiple sequels, with Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow on PSP considered a high point, but the franchise fizzled out by the PS2 era. The studio behind it, Bend Studio, went on to make Days Gone, but fans still keep asking: where’s Gabe?
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