Sony’s unveiling of the original PlayStation to the world was a magnificent moment in video game history. As the catalyst for Sony’s rise to power in the video game world, this precious console was home to the beginning of many iconic franchises likeMetal Gear SolidandResident Evil. To say the least, it was a remarkable console with a perfect catalog to sink endless time into.
18 Best Metroidvania Games Ever Made, Ranked
This list breaks down the best Metroidvania games around, exploring the genre’s origins and the titles that celebrate exploration and discovery.
The number of incredible games on the PlayStation 1is notably extensive. While a majority of these games branched out past Japan, there were quite a few that tragically never made their way into the rest of the world. Thankfully, we’ve been able to discover more about these games over time. Now, to get this show on the road, here are the best PlayStation 1 titles that never left Japan.
10Another Mind
Slow-Paced Mystery With Touches Of Emotion
What Players Will Love…
Developed by Squaresoft, Another Mind places you in the mind of a sixteen-year-old girl in the hospital after a car accident. After freshly waking up, she learns that a new consciousness has taken residence in her head. On a journey within her mind, you go on a heart-pumping adventure through various twists and turns that take you down a deadly path.
In a lot of ways, Another Mind is a thought-provoking game. When it comes to decisions, you have to convince the protagonist to make a specific choice after getting the chance to communicate with her. Thegame feels very interactivebecause of this, offering a unique gaming experience. While slow and a bit hard to understand at times, it’s a shame it’s a Japan-exclusive as the story of Another Mind sticks with you.
Another Mind
9Rakugaki Showtime
Artistic & Chaotic Fighting Experiences
As a game that gives the impression of being a simple yet entertaining experience on the surface, Rakugaki Showtime is a charming fighting game. Taking place in a full 3D arena, you go head-to-head with other opponents to make it out victorious. The majority of the mechanics revolve around throwing projectiles, playing similarly to dodgeball.
Rakugaki Showtime was given a rather short release. Due to a legal dispute involving Enix, the game went on to become a rare release — being pushed into the realm of obscurity and unable to make its way out of Japan. At the end of the day, although it is all over the place in terms of story and combat, it’s a vibrant experience with quirky-stylized characters and chaotic action that leaves your mind boggled in the best way possible.
Rakugaki Showtime
8Advanced V.G. 2
Vibrantly Beginner-Friendly With All-Women Teams
Advanced V.G. 2 features combative gameplay that gets more colorful and blood-pumping the longer you play. Released solely in Japan, Advanced V.G. 2 serves as the sequel to the wildly entertaining Advanced V.G. The sequel is notably more story-driven, introducing a brand-new protagonist who must face all the competitors from the previous game.
Although this game has a creative anime-esque look to it at first, Advanced V.G. 2 plays much like your classic 2D fighting experience. With exhilarating combos and a variety of compelling fighters to challenge, this is a perfect fighting game if you’re a beginner or looking for a spark of competition without having to grind to get the hang of the controls.
Advanced V.G. 2
7Yuuyami Doori Tankentai
Realism & Urban Legends Beautifully Combined
Yuuyami Doori Tankentai is a nearly forgotten gem in the Japan-exclusive PlayStation 1 world. Capturing a sense of realism in its already frightening story, this game features a reflection of Japanese society in the 1990s. Giving you the chance to accompany three young friends on a treacherous adventure to uncover urban legends plaguing their city, Yuuyami Doori Tankentai is one of a kind.
Untangling the story and the terrifying legends is one of the game’s richest aspects. Not only does it let you have an even stronger sense of interactivity, but it lets you engulf yourself in the haunting atmosphere. While the game might have some faults, it’s only gotten better with time.
Yuuyami Doori Tankentai
6Policenauts
Hideo Kojima’s Thrilling Cyberpunk Tale
Directed bythe brilliant mind of Hideo Kojima, Policenauts is a futuristic point-and-click adventure game that never got around to getting a proper English translation. When an astronaut, Johnathan Ingram, recovers from unconsciously floating through space for nearly twenty-four years, he soon wakes up and becomes a hard-working detective in Los Angeles.
Along Johnathan’s journey, he discovers an illegal organ trafficking ring. From there, the story dives into different and intricate directions that feel philosophical. With this said, it does require a lot of patience to make it through, as there’s a lot to experience. This might feel overwhelming at first, but taking your time with the game gifts you with a look into the beginning of Kojima’s foot in the virtual storytelling format.
Policenauts
5Kowai Shashin
Cursed At First Sight
Supposedly said to be cursed, playing this Japan-exclusive PS1 game is far from a relaxing experience. In a world where you must work to exorcise ghosts, you capture them through real-life photographs. Rumors have spread over the years about the source of these pictures, with theories that range from these pictures being truly ghost photos to someone in the development team dying under strange circumstances.
When it comes down to it, Kowai Shashin is a beautiful result of wonderful horror game marketing. Although the curse might not be real, the curiosity from audiences about what this game brings to the table is authentic. The concept of Kowai Shashin is utterly unsettling, and it’s a worthwhile feat to see how it unravels in the game.
Kowai Shashin
4Twilight Syndrome: Tansaku-Hen
Uniquely Haunting Side-Scrolling Adventure
Released only in Japan as the first volume in an eerie tale surrounding haunting rumors, Twilight Syndrome: Tansaku-hen is a scarily amazing game. Following the adventures of three high school heroines as they investigate paranormal urban legends in their school, the trio’s curiosity gets the better of them.
Getting the chance to explore every dark corner and claustrophobic room in the school is divided up into different chapters called “rumors.” This makes the progression of Twilight Syndrome: Tansaku-hen very gripping, pulling you in slowly but surely as each segment comes to a chilling close. From the well-developed characters tounique side-scrollingmechanics, Twilight Syndrome is an engrossing must-play.
Twilight Syndrome
3LSD: Dream Emulator
Surreal Endless Exploration That Boggles The Mind
Playing LSD: Dream Emulator might have your mind spinning in the most quirky way possible. Composed of various segments called “dreams,” each lasting around ten minutes, you’ll explore vibrant and surreal environments. There’s no objective to tackle in LSD: Dream Emulator. Instead, everything feels like you’re trapped to merely exploring an endless dream.
10 Strangest Games Released On The PS1
The Playstation 1 is a primitive console by today’s standards, but some games were strange the day they were released.
The game was created by Japanese artist Osamu Sato. He saw the vision of using the PS1 as an artistic medium, which led to this experimental work of art. With vibrant landscapes that make your experience feel interestingly unnerving, LSD: Dream Emulator is like nothing else. Although it had a limited run in Japan, causing it to be an utter rarity, it has grown a following that keeps its light shining bright.
LSD: Dream Emulator
Claustrophobic Survival Horror Nightmare Galore
Set in the same vein asClock Towerwith its mechanics, …Iru! is a terrifying first-person survival horror. When a young exchange student and his friends stay late after school to finish preparing for a local festival, the haunting unexplainable happens. Before our protagonist knows it, his schoolmates start dying in strange ways. On top of this, he finds himself trapped within the building.
In hopes of saving his friends, you’ll help the young protagonist through claustrophobic horrors and (hopefully) make it out alive. Gameplay-wise, you’ll be introduced to various heart-inducing chase sequences from monsters that encourage you to hide and escape their ruthless grip. Sadly, due to its low budget, this game never got the chance to get a proper translation and leave Japan.
1Mizzurna Falls
Twin Peaks Meets A Snowy Melancholic Mystery
Mizzurna Falls is one of the most beloved Japan-exclusive video games. Highly reminiscent of the strange classic TV series Twin Peaks, this game captures the essence of the weird and obscure in the most creative way. Besides its real-time mechanics that encourage you to use your time wisely to solve the mystery in time, walking through its snowy landscape easily pulls you in.
Putting us in the shoes of a protagonist in the middle of a chilling and mysterious disappearance, you’re challenged with talking to everyone around you to uncover the truth. With gaining a rather notable cult following over the years, Mizzurna Falls is an exclusive masterpiece that explored the potential of virtual and unsettling open-world mechanics in video games.
Mizzurna Falls
10 Greatest Horror Games That Never Left Japan
There are several cult-classic horror video games that stayed exclusive for Japan; here are some of the best ones.
