The original PlayStation yielded numerous phenomenal games. Many defined or redefined their respective genres. One genre with comparatively few hits, though was the hack and slash. Only a handful of these titles managed to leave a lasting impression, meaning that countless more were lost to history.
A number of these forgotten PS1 titles have palpable passion and talent behind them, whether in the hack and slash antics or other aspects. Unfortunately, they often find themselves sunk by come shortcoming. This isn't always the fault of the game itself, but rather poor advertising or a crowded market. Nevertheless, these overlooked games deserve a second chance to be recognized for what they did right.
6 Dragon Valor
This game is more ambitious than meets the eye. Dragon Valor appears to be a formulaic hack and slash with light platforming elements. Players use these shallow mechanics to reach the end of each stage, occasionally fighting a boss to cap things off. However, the game is much deeper in how it's constructed. It's steeped in lore and characters, which fuel a variety of branching paths. No two playthroughs are the same when playing Dragon Valor.
The problem is that few people opted for multiple playthroughs. Dragon Valor never rose above decent quality in gamers' eyes. They passed off the story as messy and uninvolving--not the desired response for the biggest selling point. With the standard gameplay failing to pick up the slack, Dragon Valor went down as an RPG whose reach exceeded its grasp.
5 Akuji The Heartless
This puts a spin on the usual hack and slash foundation in that the main character doesn't wield a sword. Instead, Akuji sports claws on each hand, slicing his enemies to ribbons in animalistic fury. These tools work in tandem with the voodoo visuals to enhance the tribal atmosphere, which woefully few games fully commit to.
Unfortunately, Akuji didn't make a compelling case. The gameplay made for a frustrating experience, apparent in the wonky targeting and imperfect platforming. Few 3D titles handled these aspects well during the early days. Sadly, this was yet another hit-or-miss attempt and few players remember it.
4 Nightmare Creatures
In one of the PS1's rare forays into gothic horror, Nightmare Creatures sees players cut through monsters in 19th-century London. While they have pistols and bombs, their main method is swordplay. This focus on melee, with sprinkles of other tools, makes the game seem like a bloodier version of MediEvil.
The combat itself was better designed, but it got somewhat repetitive. The same went for the environments, which were all variations on the same stone buildings and wooden crates. It didn't help that the sequel did little to fix these issues. In the end, Nightmare Creatures overstayed its welcome, the lack of variety wearing out whatever enthusiasm it initially had.
3 Alundra
The name doesn't lie. Alundra was a sprawling adventure with a wealth of environments. These locales weren't just based on familiar climates, but fantastical dream realms. Navigating these environments informed the intuitive puzzles. Compared with how intricate the exploration was, the basic melee combat felt more primitive than it already was. Regardless, the ethereal yet cartoonish style won out.
Sadly, said style may have also been Alundra's downfall. Though it earned enough love and money to get a sequel, many of its mechanics were eerily similar to The Legend of Zelda. The iconic series even made several top-down entries in the same cartoonish vein. Granted, this comparison isn't entirely fair to Alundra, but they made it much harder to stand out, especially in hindsight.
2 Blood Omen
Plenty of people recognize later entries in the Legacy of Kain series, but they often overlook the original title. That may be due to it opting for a top-down RPG approach rather than the 3D action of subsequent titles. That's not to say that Blood Omen has no action. On the contrary, it featured solid hack and slash mechanics amid a slew of dungeon crawling. It then wrapped these elements in a polished package of gruesome fantasy flair.
The result was successful enough to spawn a sequel, but the humble beginning soon became lost on the shuffle. Title disputes partially stemming from rights issues over the IP caused the series to split. A few entries bore the Legacy of Kain title, but also mixed in were Soul Reaver 2 and Blood Omen 2. These games jumped all over the place in terms of gameplay and character, leaving Blood Omen in an awkward place in the grand scheme of things.
1 Darkstone
Though originally a PC game, Diablo still made a sizable splash on the PS1. It was only a matter of time before the copycats rolled in. Enter Darkstone. This game crafted a similar dark fantasy world where players hack through foes with swords, axes, and whatever else they find. It even mirrored the isometric perspective and procedurally generated quests. However, that faithfulness was the problem.
Darkstone couldn't step out of its predecessor's shadow. While players found the formula reasonably fun, it wasn't as engrossing as its inspiration. Fans felt like they were playing a discount Diablo. That lack of identity probably led to poor sales. Even Diablo has had its share of blunders, but its trendsetter debut is one reason that it's still around.
