Summary
In its effort to appeal to a wide swathe of players, Sony positioned the PlayStation as a home for all types of games.All sorts of RPGs, third-person action games and strategy titles were able to find a place to thrive. And in keeping with that need for variety, the types of protagonists that starred in these games also ran the gamut, and some of the best games on PS1 featured kids in the lead role.
Not every PS1 protagonist was a gruff, no-nonsense soldier or an adult seeking adventure. Some of the PS1’s best titles featured kids in the lead role, including some absolutely stellar action games and cinematic platformers. It was a console noted for its vast library of incredible games, and these games starring child protagonists rank among some of the platform’s best releases.
The first video game based on the hit Comedy Central series about a small mountain town in Colorado was released on the PS1 in 1999, nearly a full year after its N64 debut. Starring Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny,South Parkis a first-person shooter that perfectly captures the edgy attitude of the kids and sees them embark on a journey to save their town from aliens, rabid turkeys and other baddies.
Featuring the original voice cast and making use of the impressive engine forTurok 2: Seeds of Evil,South Parkis a treat for fans of the series, as the quaint little town is fully realized in 3D for the first time. The quirky voice acting and oddly satisfying feeling of hitting turkeys with snowballs and plungers works perfectly together, as this oddball approximation of the cult-hit TV series is still quite a bit of fun to fire up with some friends today.
540 Winks
Charming 3D Platformer Features Two Playable Characters
In its ongoing effort to directly compete with Nintendo, Sony was keen on havingcompetent 3D platformers torival the likes ofMarioandBanjo-Kazooie. Enter40 Winks, a cute platformer that sees players control Ruff and Tumble, a pair of siblings who find themselves traversing various dream worlds in order to stop the HoodWinks and their nightmarish creations.
40 Winksis absolutely loaded with charm, as Ruff and Tumble are delightful little kids with adorable voices. The platforming feels excellent, and the wide variety of worlds available to explore, ranging from medieval fantasy to science fiction. Ruff uses a candle to dispatch enemies, while Tumble makes use of a tiny teddy bear.40 Winksis readily available on Steam today, and it is absolutely worth revisiting.
The cinematic platformer was alreadyfairly niche by the timeHeart of Darknessreleased in 1998, but had cultivated a passionate fanbase thanks to landmark releases likePrince of Persiain 1989 andAnother Worldin 1991. But where early cinematic platformers had starred adults,Heart of Darknessfelt like a Saturday morning cartoon come to life, as players took control of Andy in a quest to rescue his dog from sinister shadow creatures.
Directed by Eric Chahi ofAnother World,Heart of Darknessfeatures absolutely stellar animation and some incredibly detailed backgrounds. Andy is a wonderful lead, as his expressive movement and strong personality come to life beautifully thanks to the outstanding animation. It also has some remarkable music, composed by Bruce Broughton with a live orchestra, which helps make the entire thing feel like an interactive children’s film.
3Breath Of Fire 3
Traditional Turn-Based JRPG Features Young Ryu As Lead
Although it hasn’t been heard from since a disappointing mobile game in 2016, theBreath of Fireseries remains one of Capcom’s most beloved franchises. And withBreath of Fire 3, Capcom continued the story of Ryu on his quest to fully understand his dragon transformation powers, as thistraditional turn-based JRPGis still one of the console’s best.
Ryu is a brave young warrior on the verge of a great destiny, as this epic journey takes him to a variety of different locations and dungeons.Breath of Fire 3is still one of the franchise’s most influential entries, and manages to stand out on a console that is overflowing at the seams with JRPGs. Its satisfying combat and compelling tale of heroism is a fabulous tandem, as this classic title would benefit greatly from an enhanced remake today.
Despite the popularity ofChrono Trigger, and its status as one of the greatest JRPGs of all time, Square opted to go in a different direction for the sequel. Instead of directly continuing the events of the SNES game,Chrono Crossis set within the same world, only hundreds of years later. To that end, Square created a new cast of charactersfor this time-traveling journey, led by the charismatic Serge.
Serge is still one of PS1’s best heroes, and he leads a party of equally charming characters. Alongside the spunky Kid and the delightful Harle, this robust cast of recruits makes up one of the best JRPG casts of all time. This surefire PS1 classic is still an absolute blast to play, and is currently available via a spectacular remaster on all modern platforms.
After proving how well they could thrive in the highly competitive 3D platformer scene withCrash Bandicootin 1996, Sony went all-in, hiring Insomniac to produceSpyro the Dragonfor the console. Released in 1999, not long after the PlayStation 2 was announced,Insomniac was able to squeeze a lot of power out of the aging hardware and put players in control of an adorable little dragon named Spyro.
This spunky young dragon was tasked with a big job in the firstSpyrogame, as he makes his wayacross impressively-large 3D worldsin order to rescue dragons trapped inside crystal prisons. Even for a PS1 game, the size and scope of the worlds is fantastic, and the music by Stewart Copeland is some of the best heard on the platform. This outstanding 3D platformer was remade for modern hardware, alongside the two PS1 sequels, in 2018 and is still a brilliant experience.
