16 Weirdest & Strangest PS1 Games Ever Made

The PS1 was my first 3D console. I acquired the N64 shortly after, nonetheless the PlayStation’s large on-line sport library (and entry to imported Japanese video video games) saved it associated for years after its launch.

Thought-about considered one of my favorite points in regards to the PS1 is how one can on a regular basis end up inside the on-line sport equal of Youtube’s uncommon side that you just solely attain after letting the autoplay run for hours.

Whenever you weren’t cautious whereas searching for discounted or used video video games, you’d bear in mind about some precise weird stuff. Truly, it wasn’t even uncommon inside the PSX days.

And looking out again, the console wouldn’t have been the similar with out these unusual video video games. We’ll be taking a look at among the many best.

16. Tempo Freaks (1999)

Our first entry isn’t weird resulting from its gameplay, nonetheless resulting from its aesthetic and paintings path.

Developed by Funcom Dublin, Tempo Freaks is the PS1’s reply to Mario Kart – or considerably, it was competing with Crash Workers Racing for the spot.

What’s so weird about it is the pilots’ design, which you can inform merely from wanting on the cowl.

They’re like the middle ground between an infinite baby and Rayman, which is a bit horrifying.

Fortuitously you’re solely ever their backs, and it’s not so harmful. The gameplay is pretty good. And whereas it’s not the tightest racer, the applications are literally fulfilling to traverse.

It’s in regards to the journey considerably than the holiday spot.

15. D (1996)

Warp initially developed D for the 3DO as considered one of many console’s many interactive movie video video games. It should positively made it to the PS1 in a reasonably competent port of the distinctive.

On this horror recreation, you’re tasked with exploring a hospital and discovering your father, who’s barricaded himself in after a presumed killing spree.

Points take a flip and alter into further Silent Hill-y whenever you’re inside, though. And what was as soon as a hospital turns proper right into a dank medieval citadel.

You’ll resolve puzzles to progress further into the citadel in direction of considered one of many recreation’s plenty of endings.

With psychedelic visuals, a creepy setting, and human fashions sitting correct within the midst of the uncanny valley, this recreation has weirdness for days.

And that is part of an odd horror trilogy with an fascinating historic previous.

14. The Misadventures of Tron Bonne (2000)

Some video video games are weird not for his or her content material materials, nonetheless for the one actual motive of present.

In Capcom’s Mega Man franchise, Tron Bonne is the one character other than Zero (from Mega Man X) to ever star of their very personal spin-off recreation.

That’s weird not solely on account of Mega Man Legends was significantly obscure, nonetheless on account of Tron Bonne is a girl – and strong female protagonists weren’t all that frequent once more on the time other than Lara Croft.

Lucky for everyone, the game is pretty good. Every diploma choices completely completely different gameplay mechanics, making it remarkably numerous. It’s acquired movement, some tough puzzles, and the story weaves into Mega Man Legends fully.

Plus, Tron Bonne is gorgeous.

13. Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman (1999)

UEP System’s Rising Zan is simply not solely top-of-the-line video video games on the PS1, nonetheless considered one of many weirdest on account of its combination of Western and Jap aesthetics and motifs.

The game follows a type of samurai cowboy going in direction of demon ninjas, evil robots, and many alternative weird enemies with decidedly Japanese origins – all inside the American Wild West, in truth.

No particular person talked about you couldn’t observe the Bushido code with a revolver.

12. Pepsiman (1999) (JP)

Pepsiman was Pepsi’s superhero mascot in Japan all through the second half of the 90s, starring in TV commercials the place the character would ship a can of Pepsi to a thirsty bystander sooner than getting trashed in increasingly ridiculous accidents.

They normally made a on-line sport about this man.

The game follows the similar technique, in addition to it’s flipped spherical.

You’ll administration a working Pepsiman as he narrowly avoids oddly inconvenient hazards in your method to ship a current can of Pepsi. It’s the world’s weirdest Temple Run clone – in addition to it acquired right here out over ten years sooner than the hit app.

To nobody nonetheless developer KID’s shock, the game didn’t promote correctly – nonetheless it’s nonetheless pretty entertaining, and most people who owned it take note this wild recreation pretty fondly.

11. Baldies (2003)

Considering I’m a die-hard RTS fan, and most importantly a bald man, it’s beautiful I’d not at all heard of Baldies sooner than testing it for this score.

Developed by Inventive Edge Software program program, the title combines battle simulation and god recreation mechanics. Your purpose is to spice up and lead a navy of “baldies” – hairless egg-shaped people – as they tried to subdue the “hairies” and conquer the entire acknowledged world.

PS1 Baldies is a port of the PC mannequin, though the online multiplayer is sorely lacking.

The game will likely be carried out merely super with an on a regular basis PS1 controller, nonetheless it moreover helps utilizing the PlayStation Mouse for an experience nearer to the PC mannequin.

10. Hogs of Battle (2000)

One different whimsical wargame comes inside the kind of Hogs of Battle, which took the turn-based artillery gameplay of the Worms franchise and took it to 3D.

Apart from progressive and fascinating gameplay, the game shines for its fascinating 3D graphics goofy humor. It consists of pigs from all all around the world with foolish names and silly voices, which makes blowing them up funnier than I’d anticipated.

Whereas goofy, the game might be pretty strategic – from customizing your pig soldier squad sooner than each battle to scrupulously planning each shot to keep up the upper hand.

Get it for some implausible couch multiplayer.

9. Bishi Bashi Explicit (2000)

To not be confused with the 1998 JP-only title of the similar determine, Konami’s Bishi Bashi Explicit (EU) is a compilation of the two first video video games inside the franchise to ever come out on PS1 – translated and launched for Western audiences.

The game is pretty identical to WarioWare.

It consists of plenty of mini-games with straightforward controls outlined briefly initially of each showdown. These fast-paced microgames are pretty daunting at first, on account of it’s not on a regular basis clear what you’re presupposed to do.

It’s part of the attract.

The game has stunning hand-drawn anime graphics for most likely probably the most half. Nevertheless each subsequent microgame can have a definite paintings path than the ultimate one. It’s hectic, numerous, and a wide range of fulfilling.

8. Wild Arms (1997)

Very like Rising Zan, Wild Arms makes it onto the itemizing due to its unusual combination of the American Wild West aesthetic with one factor totally completely completely different – on this case, sci-fi.

The game takes place on Filgaia, a dying world that’s oddly identical to the American Wild West – other than the high-tech weaponry and completely different sorts of sci-fi/steampunk staples.

This title follows the Dream Chasers, a band of thrill-seekers scouring the world looking for journey and fortunes earned by risking their lives. Now they’re about to get entangled in a single factor better than themselves.

The graphics are nothing to place in writing residence about. Nevertheless the implausible writing, unbelievable soundtrack, and memorable opening cinematic elevate this recreation to greatness.

7. Skullmonkeys (1998)

Developed by The Neverhood as a sequel to their eponymous 1996 recreation, Skullmonkeys models itself apart from completely different Movement/Platformers on the time with its unusual and highly-detailed graphics.

The fluid animation of pseudo-3D characters and environments was achieved via claymation strategies, using the similar fashions as these seen inside the recreation’s cutscenes.

The claymation kind gave rise to some bizarre constructs – along with a boss that’s a photorealistic human head with limbs and one different smaller head on prime.

It might be weird, nonetheless it’s moreover one of many artistically accomplished titles on the console.

6. Fluid (1998)

Should you think about making a recreation focused on music, you’d think about a rhythm recreation like Guitar Hero or the DDR sequence – nonetheless that’s not the one method to go about it.

Opus developed fluid as a straightforward interactive sound lab the place players may create and file their very personal mixes by arranging the game’s samples and beats.

These samples have been collected by controlling a dolphin and swimming via plenty of environments on-rails. And these samples might be robotically added to your menu whereas creating “grooves”.

Your mixes may even be saved to the memory card and carried out once more whereas swimming as a result of the aforementioned dolphin. Because of the comparatively superior and extremely efficient mixing devices, you can also make some robust tunes on this recreation.

5. Vib-Ribbon (1999)

Whenever you select to sit down once more and take heed to music (considerably than create it) then NanaOn-Sha’s Vib Ribbon is the right music recreation worth attempting.

It’s a type of rhythm platformer the place an anthropomorphic bunny traverses ranges based on completely completely different songs.

Whereas the game comes with some good tunes to take a look at, the idea is with the intention to take out the game’s CD from the PS1 after loading it one time, then altering it alongside along with your favorite music CD. The game then creates ranges based in your music of different.

It was a clever method of using the PS1’s music-playback capabilities, and the whole course of felt pretty mystical and mysterious once more as soon as I used to be youthful.

4. N20: Nitrous Oxide (1998)

The Tube Shooter type has on a regular basis been well-known for its wonderful, vibrant visuals and fast-paced gameplay, nonetheless in 1998, nobody was anticipating one factor like N2O.

The game is a bit like Atari’s 1981 arcade hit Tempest, nonetheless on steroids. Or considerably, on some strong hallucinogenics.

Finally, the game has you amassing shrooms and completely different… uncommon devices, along with money on every diploma.

Certainly one of many recreation’s best elements is the soundtrack, which was particularly recorded by the American music duo Crystal Methodology. Truly, the game is perhaps carried out once more on any frequent CD participant like a number of commonplace music CD.

3. LSD: Dream Emulator (1998) (JP)

One different hallucinogenic-related recreation that left a mark on our reminiscences is LSD: Dream Emulator.

Asmik Ace Leisure developed it as an adaptation of a Dream Journal saved by one amongst their workers on the time. Over 20 years of bizarre wishes have been boiled proper all the way down to a wierd, ethereal exploration recreation.

It’ll will let you freely traverse numerous surreal areas filled with whimsical creatures that will slot in with everyone else all through an intense LSD journey.

And get this: while a Japan-only title, it lastly acquired an English launch.

Successfully, fan launch nonetheless nonetheless.

This recreation is proof that the vaporwave aesthetic has been an element for over 20 years – we merely didn’t know it however.

2. Screaming Mad George’s ParanoiaScape (1998) (JP)

Screaming Mad George is the stage determine of Joji Tani, a Japan-born American that had made a popularity for himself inside the film enterprise as a result of the author of terrifyingly wise monster make-up and props for horror films.

His disturbed ideas was on the doorway of ParanoiaScape, developed by Mathilda as a fusion between pinball gameplay – inside the first particular person, ideas you – and a horror ambiance identical to the hellscapes conjured up by the disturbed minds of schizophrenia victims.

It could be a bit daunting.

Nevertheless in case you’ll be able to keep on to your sanity as you maneuver your ball via these grotesque environments, it’s an unforgettable experience.

1. Unimaginable Catastrophe (2000)

The title that merges most likely probably the most fulfilling and weirdness into the similar PSX bundle: Polygon Magic’s Unimaginable Catastrophe.

This implausible recreation follows a working-class Japanese Family as they wrestle to arrange for Grandma’s birthday. Positive, this generally is a precise on-line sport.

They’ll try and make it to her dwelling in time, solely to be stalled repeatedly by most likely probably the most far-fetched situations you presumably can think about.

The gameplay is paying homage to WarioWare, as a result of it consists of quite a few fast-paced microgames the place you’ll info our heroes earlier irrespective of hurdle future throws at them.

My favorite half is that it choices music from the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra – not super weird there, nonetheless an entire win in my e e-book.