JRPGs on the PS2 with the Darkest, Most Disturbing Stories

The PlayStation 2 library remains to be one of the crucial legendary and numerous catalogs of video games of all time. Whether or not it was survival horror, stealth, or sports activities video games, there was no scarcity of titles to expertise. If there was a style of recreation on the market, likelihood is you would discover an epic masterpiece someplace on PS2.

One style the place the PS2 completely shined, nonetheless, was the JRPG. Very like its predecessor, the PS2 was the go-to place for JRPGs. A few of these JRPGs took a fairly completely different flip from their contemporaries, shying away from the normal excessive fantasy tales about friendship defeating a maniacal god, and into far darker territories.

I’ve all the time been fairly drawn to the darker, complex JRPGs of this era. All of them have a sure vibe that’s unmatched right this moment, and the distinctive look of PS2 video games helped to make sure these video games had a deliberate, long-held identification that’s nonetheless so gratifying even right this moment.

10

Kingdom Hearts

Surprisingly Darkish for a Disney Sport

Regardless of its charming exterior as a legendary crossover between the worlds of Disney and Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts is a recreation that veers into some darkish, advanced territories. Over its runtime, Kingdom Hearts tackles some fairly grownup themes, and does so with a fairly deft hand at instances.

The primary Kingdom Hearts recreation is rife with themes of loss of life, psychological breakdowns, and the lack of innocence. In a recreation with this many Disney characters, it is really stunning how arduous the sport goes into its musings concerning the afterlife and what occurs after we die.

Future video games would really feel a bit extra sanitized, however the authentic recreation is sort of intent in its want to discover these ideas. Kingdom Hearts is one of those games the place you play it as a child with gleeful abandon, then understand later simply how darkish and moody it really was.

9

Last Fantasy 10

To Zanarkand

Last Fantasy’s transition from 2D to 3D got here with lots of adjustments. Outdoors of FF9, the excessive fantasy kingdoms had been all however deserted for cyberpunk and science fiction settings throughout this period of Last Fantasy. With these new environments got here new storytelling kinds, one thing that Final Fantasy 10 took to coronary heart.

Last Fantasy 10 is a morose, extremely unhappy recreation that options among the franchise’s most ominous moments. Throughout Yuna’s pilgrimage to perform the Last Summoning, there’s an innate, unending air of despair. Every occasion member is doing their finest to get via it, however your complete premise of their journey revolves round Yuna sacrificing her life to deliver peace to Spira.

The ultimate fifteen hours or so are additionally extremely darkish for a Last Fantasy recreation. You’ve got already been via the ringer, however the recreation’s ultimate hours are stark, chilling, and really feel altogether haunting when all is claimed and achieved.

8

Baroque

The Different Darkish Atlus JRPG

Baroque was initially launched on the Sega Saturn and PS1, the place it was a first-person dungeon crawler with Roguelike components. Years later, it might get a full-blown remake for the PS2, and it retained all of the darkly sinister attraction of the unique.

Now utilizing a 3D over-the-shoulder perspective, Baroque on PS2 contains a world clearly influenced by spiritual texts and symbolism. It is no surprise that Atlus stepped in to publish the sport, because it feels prefer it may very simply slot into the world of Persona or Shin Megami Tensei.

There are lots of examinations of God as an idea, and a few of these go into some pretty taboo subjects. It truly is like no different recreation I’ve ever performed, and its story is one which goes to lots of oddball locations, nevertheless it’s one effectively value exploring right this moment.

7

Drakengard

A Bleak Exploration of Conflict

The one phrase that I can consider to adequately describe Drakengard is unhinged. And contemplating that the sport is from the delightfully twisted thoughts of Yoko Taro, the person accountable for the Nier video games, that will not come as a lot of a shock.

Drakengard is about in a world the place people and mythological creatures co-exist, happening in the midst of an ongoing battle. Every character in Drakengard is uniquely affected by battle, and the examination of the toll that battle takes is dealt with with lots of care and precision.

Thematically, Drakengard explores existential dread and options some bleak, harrowing ultimate hours that put a robust emphasis on ensuring every character is seen and heard. There is a distinctive focus within the writing, the place Taro is not shy about completely demolishing every character’s sense of self-worth and is not shy about giving them a decidedly darkish ending.

6

Persona 4

Thou Artwork I

No listing of darkish PS2 JRPGs would really feel full with out an look from Persona. On the PS2, the collection was effectively represented with two mainline video games, however Persona 4 stays the perfect entry on the console even all these years later.

One of many key causes for that’s its story, which can be one of many best in the entire franchise. Persona 4 is one in a protracted legacy of darkish, brooding Atlus JRPGs, however one which does it with a lot model and beauty.

Every character in Persona 4 is coping with so much, and the sport places them via so much on the similar time. The themes of self-love and inside battle towards one’s personal doubts are large in Persona 4, and the sport handles each with class.

5

Shadow Hearts

Alternate Historical past Sequel to Koudelka

Koudelka was a considerably profitable, at the least in Japan, survival horror JRPG that launched on the PS1 again in 2000. Whereas one thing named Koudelka 2 would not come to fruition, a direct sequel of types did take form within the type of Shadow Hearts for the PS2.

Persevering with the story from Koudelka, Shadow Hearts takes place in an alternate timeline the place cosmic beings and paranormal entities are out within the open. Its narrative offers with lots of fairly intense material, together with loss of life and the afterlife, in addition to what occurs once we cross that threshold.

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Shadow Hearts additionally makes use of real-world historical past combined with its fictional timeline, citing real-world figures like Roger Bacon and different well-known historic entities. It is a actually distinctive model of recreation, as its darkish, macabre examination of humanity’s darkest impulses remains to be probably the greatest PS2 JRPGs you could find right this moment.

4

Suikoden III

The Infinity Conflict of Suikoden

Suikoden has discovered its method again into the highlight not too long ago due to Konami’s excellent remaster of the first two games. For nearly as good as they’re, nonetheless, no Suikoden recreation reaches the identical narrative and thematic heights because the third iteration, which launched on the PS2 in 2002.

Set in the midst of a disastrous battle within the Greenlands, Suikoden expertly balances its lighter, sweeter moments with an overarching story that feels remarkably darkish even for its time. There may be loss of life, sacrifice, and characters waxing about their sinister destiny in abundance.

For a recreation with this colourful of an aesthetic, it is really stunning how a lot it veers into some lethal severe territory. It is by no means afraid to punch you full drive, and has no qualms about killing your favourite character.

3

Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Intestine und Böse

Seize Some Popcorn and Tissues

Whereas the Xenosaga trilogy remains to be tragically stranded on the PS2, it stays certainly one of Monolith Mushy’s most fascinating tasks. You possibly can really feel components of the Xenoblade Chronicles DNA right here, nevertheless it’s additionally very a lot its personal beast. A type of components is simply how darkish and overwhelmingly unhappy Xenoblade can get, which is effectively represented in Xenosaga.

That is very true relating to Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Intestine und Böse, which is well the darkest of the trilogy. The sport has sturdy, laser-focused conversations on humanity and what it means to expertise these feelings. It is nearly on the very core of the expertise, with philosophical musings and complicated feelings which can be usually fairly morose.

There’s additionally fairly a little bit of time spent on large-scale, overly bold militarization and the consequences of battle on harmless lives. It is a recreation well-known for its lengthy cutscenes, and whereas the fight system might not be nearly as good as Episode I or III, the story within the second chapter is totally fabulous, coping with themes that many JRPGs weren’t touching again within the day.

2

Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Satan Saga

Welcome to the Junkyard

If any JRPG franchise has a well-earned fame for being darkish, it is Shin Megami Tensei. Certainly, many of those video games aren’t shy about discussing mature themes very frankly, and the PS2 was house to probably the greatest SMT video games with Digital Satan Saga.

Going down in a far-flung, apocalyptic future, Digital Devil Saga is set in a combat simulation often known as The Junkyard. What the sport actually units out to discover is human desperation in its darkest hour, as every tribe comes into battle with one another at completely different factors all through the story.

Digital Satan Saga is one recreation within the franchise that might do brilliantly with a remaster from Atlus. It would slot in so effectively with right this moment’s emphasis on sturdy, emotive character writing.

1

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne

The Darkest SMT Sport

Regardless of a flashy, quip-filled cameo look from Devil May Cry’s Dante, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is without doubt one of the most oppressively darkish and foreboding video games I’ve ever performed. And in terms of PS2 JRPGs, no recreation comes near matching its dedication to apocalyptic musings and irredeemable monsters.

SMT3 is about within the quick aftermath of Conception, a world-ending occasion that kicks off the sport’s grim examination of humanity’s ultimate hours. A number of video games are set in apocalyptic settings, however only a few of them use that to their benefit in addition to SMT3 does. It is much less concerning the bodily destruction of people, focusing extra on the emotional turmoil and horror of it.

A variety of SMT video games veer into this type of territory, however there is a uncooked, type of unchained feeling to Nocturne that no recreation within the collection ever will get near. It looks like SMT at its absolute peak by way of storytelling, and whereas future video games within the franchise would attempt, not a lot of them have captured this recreation’s delightfully sinful attraction.

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