Games On The Original PlayStation That Have Never Been Ported

The PlayStation marked Sony’s entry into the video game market, and what a splash they made. Some of the most foundational games in the industry released on the PS1, and have changed how the industry makes games. Many of them are also lost to the sands as time as nothing but memories and legacies.

While some of these games were later re-released on the PSN on the PS3, they have since been lost to time once again with the shut-down of storefronts and no native releases. Plenty of those games are massive successes, while the lesser known titles deserve to be remembered, too.

Updated November 20th, 2024 by Hilton Webster: aWith the advent of emulation on the PS5, plenty of people hoped for some of those classic titles to make a reappearance. If not as native releases, then at least through their PS Plus subscription. Sadly, plenty of the PS1’s iconic titles are still locked in history, so we’ve tidied up this list to highlight some of the most prominent.

10

Ehrgeiz

It’s hard to think about a world before Final Fantasy 7 now, seeing as its at the forefront of everything Square Enix-related. Except after it launched initially, fans and Square Enix went wild for it as well. Why, it wasn’t very long until Tifa was putting her fists to more appropriate uses in Ehrgeiz.

Ehrgeiz was originally made for arcades before being later ported to the PS1. Designed as a wrestling game to differentiate from other fighting games at the time, it came with a cast of its own characters, and then FF7 ones, too. So if you ever wanted to see Sephiroth suplexed, this was your only chance.

9

Einhänder

While Square Enix is well-known for their RPG endeavours, every now and then it released a game that fell outside of their norms, and Einhander was one such game. A side-scrolling shooter game styled like earlier arcade games, it had you playing a flying machien with just a single weapon arm.

One of the game’s more stand out aspects was its setting. Pulling heavily from Greek myths, it made a future setting where the earth was at war with the moon. Coupled with the techno music they game blasted at you, and it was an experience like few others.

8

Vagrant Story

When people talk about some of their favourite Final Fantasy settings, it’s hard to avoid at least a few mentions of Ivalice. It’s a strong locale seeped in history, not afraid to stray away from the aspects that define the Final Fantasy series. Except Ivalice isn’t exclusive to Final Fantasy.

One of the most prominent games in the world of Ivalice is Vagrant Story. It’s a game unlike most others, and drastically different from its Final Fantasy counterparts. Vagrant story showed just how much could be done with the world of Ivalice, so it’s unfortunate that so few people can still experience it.

7

Tenchu: Stealth Assassins

While we’re highlighting the first Tenchu game here, both it and its sequel are sadly locked to the PS1. Being one of the earliest 3D stealth games alongside Metal Gear Solid and Thief, it’s sad that Tenchu has been forgotten to time where the former have remained.

Of course, the ownership of Tenchu has never made it simple either, with the rights constantly swapping hands until it ultimately ended up with its current owners, FromSoftware. Perhaps Sekiro is the closest we will get to a new Tenchu game for a long time.

6

Bushido Blade

Predating the other Square-published fighting game, Ehgreiz, by a year, Bushido Blade remains a much more widely known though just as inaccessible title. It pulled heavily from Japanese history and the concept of Bushido, though took plenty of its own liberties.

What made the game stand out so much was the unique body damage system, whereby characters would lose clothing, get visibly damaged, and so on as the battle dragged on. It was an impressive achievement to see in real-time on the PS1.

5

Thousand Arms

Visual novels still get a bad rep in the western world, many of them being branded as dating sims and only being likable if they’re super self-aware. That’s a cruel way to look at art, but Thousand Arms back in 1998 was happy to take the dating element away from visual novels and plop them into a genre players were more willing to enjoy – RPGs.

Thousand Arms features the unique system of using typical RPG turn-based battle systems, but only allowing your weapons to be empowered by the women you’ve been affectionate with. So you literally have to date them to succeed in your journey. It’s a unique experience by all means, one that can’t be played by legal means any more.

4

Brave Fencer Musashi

Brave Fencer Musashi was a departure for Square in terms of their typical RPG output. WHile the game remained within the genre, it implemented many more simulative elements and action combat. In certain regards, it could be seen as a predecessor to the style later used by Kingdom Hearts.

Brave Fencer Musashi did get a re-release on PSN in Japan, though is now just as unavailable as anywhere else with the store’s closure. It’s a shame too, because the game had some genuinely great elements portrayed in a more playful world.

3

Alundra 2

The original Alundra was a beloved title, and often praised for being one of the few Zelda-like games that truly understood what made the style click. It’s sequel, Alundra 2, couldn’t have been further from the original.

With a new setting, disconnected story, new gameplay, and a 3D world, ALundra 2 was something of a culture shock to those who had loved the original game only two years prior. That change isn’t a bad thing, but it’s sad that it never got any more of re-release, leaving the original game as the only remnant of the series.

2

Fear Effect

Like a couple of other entries on here, both of the Fear Effect games have never left the PS1, not even digitally. However, the game did get a prequel some time later. Even the previously announced remake couldn’t reach the finish line.

Fear Effect is so well remembered for its style. It pulled heavily from the aesthetics of Hong Kong action films, a little bit of sci-fi, and a healthy dash of survival horror. There’s few games with the confidence of style Fear Effect has, and it’s unfortunate that it seems doomed to never see the light of day again.

1

Threads Of Fate

In the mid to late 1990’s, Square Enix had something of a soft spot for smaller games. After Tetsuya Takahashi’s version of Final Fantasy was turned down, it was adapted into Xenogears. And after the heaviness of the topics in Xenogears, lead programmer Koji Sugimoto wanted to make the lighter Threads of Fate.

And indeed, it was a much more light-hearted journey. It featured dungeon exploration, monster transformations and plenty more, as well as more beautiful music. It even had two characters with wholly different abilities, though you had to choose and commit to this at the beginning of the game. And like Xenogears, it was never heard from again.