The PlayStation 2 is regularly cited as one of the greatest home consoles of all time, and one look at the system’s frankly breathtaking library is one needs to see how true these claims ring. There’s truly no shortage of great titles on the PlayStation 2, but there’s one genre that arguably stood out more than others.
Like the PlayStation before it, the PS2 was home to some of the best RPGs of its generation– all of which told incredible stories. There’s a common notion that video game storytelling has just now started improving with titles like Final Fantasy VII Remake pointed to as a shining example of gaming narratives; but the action RPG hardly compares to the PS2’s best.Â
10 Breath Of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Dragon Quarter got a lot of flack at release for straying away from Breath of Fire’s traditional JRPG roots, but the end result is one of the best designed games on the PlayStation 2 and one of the best examples of gameplay/story integration in the genre. The franchise’s signature transformation mechanic becomes a life or death crutch where using it brings the player character one step closer to perma-death.Â
Considering the difficulty curve, however, transforming is outright necessary. The gameplay loop ultimately revolves around dying to make use of multiple New Game Plus files– getting further and further each time. With an oppressive atmosphere and great thematic writing, Dragon Quarter’s story doesn’t get enough credit.Â
9 Digital Devil Saga DuologyÂ
The Shin Megami Tensei franchise makes a habit of featuring strong storytelling, and the Digital Devil Saga duology on the PlayStation 2 is arguably the finest effort to come out of SMT. Combat features a fixed set of party members for a change, with no monster collecting elements whatsoever. That said, this does lend itself to a deeper combat system.Â
More importantly, Digital Devil Saga tells a mature story with Hinduism at the center of the tale. The religion isn’t just used as aesthetic, however, as Hinduism’s core principles– karma, dharma– are all explored with great tact. Beyond how layered DDS’ story is, the plot itself is engaging, emotional, and features excellent character development from top to bottom.Â
8 Dragon Quest VIII
Dragon Quest is as classic as RPGs come. While Final Fantasy has reinvented itself time and time again, Dragon Quest keeps its update subtle– ensuring the core of the series’ appeal is always intact while giving each main installment some unique flarings. Dragon Quest VIII is the heart of the series’ storytelling meets the presentation of Final Fantasy.Â
Complete with the series’ classic gameplay, Dragon Quest VIII is more epic in scope than previous entries, telling an incredibly endearing story full of laughs, tears, and more than enough drama to go around. Dragon Quest VIII was remade for the 3DS, but the remake isn’t necessarily better.Â
7 Final Fantasy XII
It’s hard to pick between Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XII, but when it comes purely, the latter is better written and tells a far more nuanced tale. Final Fantasy XII has a literary quality that other entries in the franchise tend to lack. Vaan himself is often disregarded as a poor protagonist when he should be seen as gaming’s Ishmael.Â
Final Fantasy XII tells a politically charged story that doesn’t shy away from themes of class, or race. Ivalice is one of Final Fantasy’s most in-depth world, and XII makes incredible use of it– fleshing out the land considerably, from the scope of politics to Ivalice’s history. The writing notably stumbles into the last act, but the script remains strong & XII ends well enough.Â
6 Kingdom Hearts
The Kingdom Hearts franchise has become something of a punching bag in recent years, in large part due to its increasingly convoluted narrative. While fans following along will be quick to note how the story does make use of internal logic, the narrative’s core concepts have only become more abstract– and not in a good way. It’s like night and day going back to the original Kingdom Hearts.Â
A classic coming of age story, there’s a Disney-like quality both to the characters’ dialogue and pacing. The cinematography is particularly strong for an early PS2 game, with excellent voice direction throughout. The original Kingdom Hearts keeps its scope small, sets its sights on adventure, and actually serves as an example of bildungsroman in gaming– Sora’s developing relationship with “Heart” & “Light” an inherently spiritual one.Â
5 Odin Sphere
Vanillaware has been on the quiet side in recent years, which is a particular shame as they churn out some of the highest quality games in the medium. Their PlayStation 2 masterpiece, Odin Sphere, tells one of the greatest stories in gaming, taking great influence from Richard Wagner’s epic music drama Der Ring des Nibelungen and the themes present in the plays & sonnets of William Shakespeare.Â
Odin Sphere is an RPG for the well read, and tells a beautiful story that’ll sit with you long after credits have rolled. Odin Sphere was notably remade for the PS3, PS4, & Vita as Odin Sphere Leifthrasir. While Leifraiser is one of the best remakes ever made, the original PS2 release has its charm (but is also included in the remake so just buy that.)
4 Persona 3
Like Shin Megami Tensei, Persona has a reputation for strong storytelling. Although Persona 4 and 5 tell engaging stories, they’re not quite on the same level as Persona 3. The game itself is stylized around the theme of death, but the actual narrative focuses heavily on overcoming trauma through solidarity, with plenty of emotional moments throughout.Â
Persona 3 also arguably features the best cast in the series. SEES aren’t all friends, and there is some animosity within the group that needs to be worked through. As a result, every single party member keeps their relevance up through the end of the game– something P4 & 5 fail to do. Persona 3 notably features a lack of party control on the PS2, but this only adds to the immersion and makes combat more strategic.Â
3 Radiata Stories
Tri-Ace in general is a fairly underrated RPG studio, and Radiata Stories might very well be the most underrated game in their catalogue. A PS2 exclusive, Radiata Stories focuses on a country bumpkin who wants nothing more to become a knight. By the midpoint, Jack finds himself torn between siding with or against humanity in a grand war.Â
Despite its premise, Radiata Stories has a great sense of humor about itself. At the same time, it never shies away from drama and both endings serve as fantastic conclusions to the game. Rounded out by Tri-Ace’s trademark action RPG gameplay and dozens upon dozens of recruitable party members, Radiata Stories is an unforgettable experience.Â
2 Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time
Another Tri-Ace action RPG, Till the End of Time is the third mainline entry in their flagship Star Ocean franchise. The RPG features some of the best combat and dungeon design in the franchise, but it’s rounded out by a fairly controversial story. What’s set up as a standard Star Ocean plot derails into an existentialist examination of man’s relationship with God by the last act.Â
The way in which this theme is explored is particularly controversial, but without spoiling, it plays upon the video game medium in the way only a video game could. That in itself is important as it helps the audience feel their microscopic role in the context of a Creator figure.Â
1 Tales Of The Abyss
As a franchise, Tales of tends to do a good job with developing its assorted core casts while telling compelling stories with interesting villains. Tales of the Abyss follows suit, but it tackles its story with a greater maturity than most other entries in the franchise– juggling themes of identity, depression, and moral relativism with a surprising amount of tact.Â
Tales of the Abyss’ cast is also unique for the genre, rounded out by a group many might deem “unlikable” on a surface level, but they end up with some of the best development in the franchise– protagonist Luke especially.Â