Best PS1 Games With Female Protagonists

The original PlayStation is jam-packed with some of the most enticing offerings gamers can get their hands on. It’s a console that opened the floodgates for mature gaming experiences to become the norm as players were invested in dark, brooding tales that felt completely unlike the charming adventures of popular video game franchises like Mario and Sonic.

The PlayStation was also a console that featured its fair share of female protagonists that slowly started coming into the limelight. While there’s no denying that female representation in video games was still a long, long way from being acceptable, these games did a stellar job of getting players invested as they controlled these powerful women in their respective quests and missions.

8 Koudelka

The Main Character Is Well-Written, Even If The Title’s Gameplay Can Be Hard To Get Through

Koudelka can be a pain to play through, with its turn-based combat being way too slow to be engaging for most fans. However, players who managed to bear with the game’s lengthy battles were treated to an amazing story that was rife with dark, gothic undertones.

The eponymous protagonist herself seems a bit too distant at times, only to slowly connect with the other heroes as they explore the Nemeton Monastery. Her backstory before the events of Koudelka is chilling and highlights the struggles she had to overcome after being derided and vilified as a mere child for having an affinity to psychic powers.

7 Fear Effect

An Underappreciated Action-Horror Game With An Excellent Art Style And Memorable Characters

Cel shading is a timeless art style that helps any video game age like a fine wine. This applies to the blocky graphics of the PS1 too, with Fear Effect being a standout example. It’s an excellent action title with horror elements that players can check out. One of the protagonists, Hana, wastes no time in establishing herself as a femme fatale who is quite competent in combat.

This mercenary takes on several complicated jobs, including one that lands her knee-deep in the business of the Triads as she tries to locate a kidnapped daughter. Fear Effect is known for its elaborate kill screens, letting players witness the extent of their mistakes firsthand if they fail to circumvent certain challenges in time.

6 Clock Tower: The First Fear

Jennifer’s Horrific Adventures In An Abandoned Mansion Make Players Feel Sorry For Her

Clock Tower: The First Fear is an updated version of this classic horror title on the PlayStation that fans will have a great time with if they love simple yet engaging horror titles. Players control Jennifer Simpson, an orphan who must navigate a dreadful mansion while being chased by the sinister Scissorman.

Based on the actions she accomplishes, Jennifer can save some of her friends and uncover the mystery surrounding this mansion. This leads to a bunch of varied endings, with players having to do every secret action possible to unlock the True Ending.

5 Tenchu: Stealth Assassins

Ayame Is A Sneaky Ninja Who Is A Master Of Stealth

Players who love the stealth genre have Tenchu to thank for making this gameplay loop more mainstream than ever before. It may seem rather basic now, but Tenchu‘s stealth-based gameplay was revolutionary at the time.

If players didn’t want to engage in combat at all, then controlling Ayame was the way to go. She made less noise and could take out guards in style, making her the best playable character for players who wanted to see how far they could go in Tenchu: Stealth Assassins without being spotted.

4 Dino Crisis

Regina Is A Badass Protagonist And Players Would Love To See Her Return In A Modern Dino Crisis game

Dino Crisis is one of the most beloved action titles on the PS1 along with its successor. It makes the most of the Resident Evil engine while letting players enjoy a fresh spin on the concept of zombies, replacing them with terrifying dinosaurs instead.

At the heart of this game is Regina, an agent who’s an expert in wielding firearms and must infiltrate a secret government facility where dinosaurs are running amok. It’s a brilliant premise, with the first game leaning towards horror tropes a bit more compared to its predecessor. This leads to some memorable set pieces, such as when Regina must avoid being chomped down by a T-rex.

3 Parasite Eve

Aya Brea Is A No-Nonsense Detective Who Must Stop Eve From Forcing Humanity To Evolve Violently

A short and satisfying JRPG that is perfect for fans who may not be huge fans of the genre, Parasite Eve starts with a bang as the audience in a theater suddenly bursts into flames with the arrival of Eve. This prompts Aya Brea, an efficient detective, to investigate the source of this disturbance, quickly being roped into a plot where the entire world is at stake.

Parasite Eve is chock-full of set pieces and memorable dungeons that never overstay their welcome. It helps that Aya doesn’t waste a player’s time as they chase down Eve and prevent her from forcing humanity to mutate at the cost of numerous innocent lives.

2 Resident Evil 2

Claire Redfield Is An Excellent Choice Of Protagonist In The Zombie-Infested Raccoon City

The first Resident Evil game was a joy to play through, but it had some rough edges that needed to be addressed. This was promptly addressed in the sequel, with Resident Evil 2 quickly establishing itself as one of the greatest survival horror games ever made.

Leon and Claire’s adventures as they navigate the infested alleys of Raccoon City are great in both the original title and the Resident Evil 2 Remake. While most people love Leon as the protagonist, there’s something about Claire’s story that made her compelling in her own right, to the point where she has become a mainstay of the Resident Evil series.

1 Tomb Raider 2

Lara Croft Is An Iconic Video Game Protagonist Who Needs No Introduction

It would be impossible to talk about the most iconic video game heroines of all time without paying one’s dues to Lara Croft, a protagonist everyone is familiar with. This British archaeologist set the world ablaze with her debut and never looked back until the failure of The Angel of Darkness caused her to disappear for a while.

Tomb Raider 2 is considered by many to be her best adventure, full of memorable set-pieces and engaging levels as Lara embarks on another world-spanning adventure. Venice, Tibet, and China are amazing to explore as players navigate numerous levels and take out the many enemies that stand in their way.