A masterpiece of game design that blends player control effortlessly into its storytelling, the original Final Fantasy VII is one of the most important and critically acclaimed video games of all time– and for good reason. When it came time for its remake to finally be released, fans were excited for a fresh take on a familiar classic.
While not a bad action RPG, Final Fantasy VII Remake drops the ball with its story. In fact, there are tons of PS1 RPGs with much better plots. There’s an idea in video game discourse that game stories are just now becoming legitimate and coming into their own quality-wise, but this is a reductive look back on the medium that ignores how competent games writing has been for decades now.
10 Breath Of Fire III
Breath of Fire is one of Capcom's most underrated franchises period, and while the series has been dead in the water for a few years now, the first five entries are all solid RPGs, with II onwards telling particularly compelling stories. While Breath of Fire IV gives it a run for its money, Breath of Fire III might very well have the best story in the entire series.
The first half focuses on a younger Ryu as he learns about the world around him, making friends. It's a charming look at childhood, but it's followed by a poignant second half that jumps into the future and raises the stakes considerably. Despite a premise that suggests BoF III is a typical coming of age story, this is a game that very deliberately centers on themes of genocide & religion.
9 Chrono Cross
Chrono Trigger has one of the best video game stories of all time– and is coincidentally also available on the PlayStation 1– but Chrono Cross is in a league of its own. Along with serving as a pseudo-remake of Radical Dreamers for the Super Famicom, Chrono Cross' nature as a sequel to Chrono Trigger comes with some very contentious plot points.
Cross reveals the fate of Trigger's main cast in a fairly morbid manner, but that in itself is part of what makes Chrono Cross' narrative compelling: it showcases the reality of humanity's impact on the Earth. Chrono Cross' cynical tone can be off-putting, as can its incredibly confusing last act, but underneath the surface is a layered plot worthy of deep analysis.
8 Final Fantasy VII
It goes without saying, but Final Fantasy VII's story is much, much better than Final Fantasy VII Remake's. It wouldn't even be fair to compare the two if the latter weren't a remake of the former. While VII Remake is compelling in its own right, it lacks the thematic depth that embodies the entirety of Final Fantasy VII's narrative.
Final Fantasy VII's environmentalist themes were always poignant, but the ring more so– as does its anti-fascist mindset. Beyond an incredibly emotional story that outright challenges Hollywood's romanticized depiction of death (something VIIR bungles terribly,) Final Fantasy VII masterfully uses control as a means of storytelling.
7 Final Fantasy Tactics
The notion that video game writing is just now reaching a level comparable to the best of literature or film is downright nonsense. While Final Fantasy Tactics' PlayStation 1 localization did it little favors, its rerelease on the PSP, War of the Lions, cleaned up the text considerably, making it all the clearer just how well written Tactics always was.
To put into perspective how strong the storytelling is, FFT was already considered one of the best examples of video game writing before its retranslation. The core story is so strong, it transcends its textual failings. With one of the most sophisticated depictions of class & religion in the medium, Final Fantasy Tactics is a must play.
6 Legend Of Mana
Legend of Mana is unlike any other RPG in the genre. Rather than telling a traditional story, Legend embraces the freeform nature of the video game medium. Players are dropped into a world they have to rebuild with absolutely no direction... and that's it. From there, it's up to the player to stumble their way through the story.
While this might not sound ideal, the end result is a story so naturally told, it'll make going back to structure difficult. There are three story arcs running throughout the game, each one focusing on a different form of love– romantic, familial, and communal specifically. It can be hard to understand what exactly is happening under the surface, but Legend of Mana tells a beautiful story about love, loss, and the end of life itself.
5 Persona 2 Duology
It's not unusual to see "Best of" lists featuring Persona 3, 4, or 5, especially if they're in regards to story. Here's the thing, though, while all those RPGs tell good stories (P4 less so,) Persona 2 is the real deal. As far as Persona goes, Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment are the peak of the franchise's storytelling. A duology originally released for the PlayStation 1, there's nothing quite like Persona 2.
Both set in the late 90s, Innocent Sin is more in-line with the rest of the series in tone, but it doesn't take long for it to start tackling heavier subject matter in a much more mature manner. Innocent Sin culminates in an almost overwhelmingly emotional ending which Eternal Punishment tonally follows up, even featuring a rare fully adult main party.
4 Star Ocean: The Second Story
The original Star Ocean unfortunately never made it west, which is a shame as it's one of the best RPGs on the Super Famicom, but its sequel did. While Star Ocean 2 isn't as impressive for the PS1 as Star Ocean was for the SNES, it's hard to deny that Star Ocean: The Second Story isn't the better game. Aside from having a stronger battle system, the story is downright incredible.
While Star Ocean 2 isn't too thematically dense, the narrative is just entertaining from start to finish, really capturing that space opera vibe with a passion and never letting go. With excellent character development, an unforgettable villain, and jaw dropping plot twists, Star Ocean: The Second Story is never dull.
3 Suikoden II
It should be noted that Suikoden II is best played after already finishing Suikoden I, as the story greatly expands on themes, concepts, and plot points introduced in the first game. All the same, that's only necessary to best appreciate everything Suikoden II has to offer. The story is plenty gripping as is, and can definitely standalone.
Outright rejecting the notion that there are heroes in war and never shying away from its horrors, few RPGs are as consciously mature as Suikoden II. Even with a cast of 108 characters, Suikoden II finds time for meaningful character development & plenty of emotional depth. The game is worth playing if only to experience Luca Blight, one of fiction's greatest antagonists.
2 Valkyrie Profile
Valkyrie Profile is a very contentious (and very expensive) RPG, so buyer beware. That said, it's worth playing at least twice in full if you can get your hands on it. Why twice? The first to play through the game blind, where players will likely net Ending B and be left scratching their heads. The second to play through the game with a guide, so players can get Ending A and actually understand the story.
Which isn't to say that first playthrough isn't enjoyable– it's arguably the best part of the game. Valkyrie Profile's story and world are complexly layered beyond belief, almost needlessly so. Intimate details are brought up not as plot points, but to add depth to the world around the narrative. Like Legend of Mana, there's nothing quite like Valkyrie Profile, but that's what makes the story so compelling.
1 Xenogears
Get cozy, because Xenogears is a commitment and a half. People make fun of Metal Gear Solid for its long cutscenes, but Xenogears' longest cutscene is roughly 45 minutes, give or take. To say nothing of a second disc which is almost entirely narrative. Xenogears is not an RPG for those who don't like long reading sessions.
But it is wonderfully told, and has some of the richest themes of any game on this list. Beyond that, the character writing is impeccable strong and Disc 2, while jarring, is so conceptually interesting that it's hard not to appreciate on some level.