The original PlayStation may not have become known for its ability to render sprawling, epic fantasy landscapes, but its hardware limitations inspired developers to get creative: Silent Hill used fog to mask draw distance or Metal Gear Solid leaned into moody character and atmosphere renderings.

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Much in the same way, dark fantasy games on the PlayStation embraced their constraints to deliver eerie atmospheres and stylized visuals. Long before the grimdark trend of the late 2000s, these shadowy titles crafted twisted, magical worlds that remain timeless in their appeal and still inspire the seeds of new virtual realms today.

MediEvil (1998)

A Darkly Comedic Twist On Swords Versus Sorcerers

Action-Adventure

Hack and Slash

Systems

Released

October 21, 1998

ESRB

T For Teen due to Blood and Gore, Violence

Taking heavy inspiration from The Nightmare Before Christmas (with more of an emphasis to its Halloween side), MediEvil stars the recently reanimated Sir Daniel Fortesque and follows his bumbling adventures through the kingdom of Gallowmere as he attempts to put a stop to the evil sorcerer who put him in his grave (and subsequently took him out of it).

Mad townsfolk, gory zombies, rotting demons, and sassy gargoyles are all put in the toothy knight’s way, but there is a healthy feast of hearty, macabre humor to be enjoyed along the way. MediEvil has enjoyed a number of remakes across the years, but the original holds up just as well today.

King’s Field 2 (1995)

An Immersive And Brutal Dungeon Crawler

King’s Field 2

Systems

Released

July 21, 1995

ESRB

T For Teen // Violence

Before there were Soulsborne games, there was King’s Field, and King’s Field 2, also known as King’s Field outside of Japan, is widely considered the series’ best. Like many early Japanese RPG studios (and many still today), FromSoftware took great inspiration from the Wizardry dungeon crawler series. Like its inspiration, it is a brutal, first-person slog through dungeons dark and deadly.

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Like the genre that FromSoftware would become famous for, there are opportunities to upgrade equipment and battles to be won through patience, trail and error, and skill. A surprising amount of emphasis is put on immersion (surprising for the era), with the player being put behind the eyes of their avatar, able to explore a seamless, loading-screen free map as they fight their way to reclaim a legendary sword.

Diablo (1997)

The Groundbreaking Action RPG From Hell

Systems

Released

January 3, 1997

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ // Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence

The Diablo series is now a legendary one in gaming. As well as debuting on PC, it also made an appearance on the PlayStation. The dark fantasy epic has the player (or two players, with split-screen support on the PSX) going up against the titular Diablo and his minions as either a warrior, rogue, or sorcerer.

Although the PC version is considered superior, PSX fans who live for collecting mountains of loot, slaughtering countless aggressors, and traversing through an eerie, procedurally-generated landscape will get a nostalgic kick from returning to Tristram and its hellish depths all from the comfort of their wired controller.

MediEvil 2 (2000)

A Victorian Horror Story With A Toothy Smile

Action-Adventure

Platformer

Systems

Released

April 21, 2000

ESRB

T For Teen // Blood, Crude Humor, Suggestive Themes, Violence

In a follow-up to his posthumous adventures through the medieval land of Gallowmere, Sir Daniel Fortesque finds himself thrust into Victorian London in MediEvil 2, where he must confront the machinations of a sorcerous industrialist.

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This time, Dan faces off with cockney serial killers, vampire lords, demonic forces, and the restless undead before he can finally rest in peace. While the game retains its predecessor’s dark, sinister atmosphere, with its foggy cobblestone streets and soot-stained rooftops, it also brims with the same dark comedy and quirky charm that made the original such a cult classic.

The Legacy Of Kain: Blood Omen (1996)

A Vampire’s Dark Rise To Power In A Cursed World

Action-Adventure

Top-Down

Hack and Slash

Systems

Released

November 15, 1996

ESRB

M For Mature // Blood and Gore, Violence

This top-down slash-and-drink-their-blood ’em up might look antiquated even for the PSX, but its storytelling and voice acting are top notch. The titular Kain, freshly turned into a vampire, projects a lushiously evil laugh every other time he bests an enemy and slurps gratuitously on their red blood cells.

With the release of the Soul Reaver remaster, Raziel fans might be curious to see how Kain’s original rise to power played out. Blood Omen explores this and delves into the lore surrounding the Pillars of Nosgoth while Nosgoth was greener and more lush with vampire-unaware peasants.

Nightmare Creatures (1997)

A Head-Chopping, Limb-Cleaving Rampage Through A Fantastical Horror

Nightmare Creatures

Released

September 30, 1997

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ // Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence

This fast-paced action game involves players hitting the Victorian streets of London armed with swords, bombs, pistols, magic spells, and mixed martial arts against an army of werewolves, zombies, superpowered monsters, and horrors from the depths. Nightmare Creatures is the PS1 equivalent of Bloodborne eighteen years early.

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While it has been described as a survival game, mechanics like the adrenaline bar prompts players into throwing themselves into a fight in a constant flurry of action. Between the surprisingly deep and fluid fighting moves is a game built with compelling lore and love for the setting, as many of the playable areas were modeled on real 19th-Century maps of London.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997)

A Genre-Defining Gothic Masterpiece

Systems

Released

October 2, 1997

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence

Comparatively few games can claim to be one half of a genre-maker. Castlevania‘s contribution to metroidvanias is not overstated, as this legendary vampire romp through Dracula’s castle inspired countless developers over the years with its gothic atmosphere, intriguing lore, and electric gameplay

From its haunting soundtrack to its stunning pixel art, Symphony of the Night set a standard for dark fantasy games on the PSX and beyond that has rarely been matched, even by games today.

The Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver (1999)

Vampires, Reavers, Revenge, And Redemption

Action-Adventure

Platformer

Fighting

Puzzle

Adventure

Released

August 16, 1999

ESRB

m

It doesn’t get any more dark fantasy than playing a formally-beautiful angelic vampire now cursed into the body of a jawless, wing-tattered wraith on the hunt for revenge against a deified vampire in a world infested by eldritch abominations and world rot. Soul Reaver raised the bar for mature storytelling in video games, and not just because of its horror and gore content.

During Raziel’s adventures through Nosgoth in his campaign against a legion of undead foes and block puzzles, players will encounter chilling existential horror, superbly written and performed dialogue, and world building that not only scratches that specific dark fantasy itch but buries deep inside the mind and makes itself at home for decades or more.

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