Summary
For everyGod of WarorUnchartedthat’s still basking in thePlayStation spotlight, there are gems buried in the back catalog, collecting dust next to a third-party controller and a memory card that barely works. These are the games that deserved more fanfare than they got. Some launched on underperforming hardware, some were ahead of their time, and others quietly faded into the shadows for reasons nobody quite understands.
But just because time forgot them doesn’t mean they weren’t brilliant. In fact, revisiting these lost PlayStation exclusives is like finding an old photo album filled with moments that are way better than anyone remembered. Here are a few titles that deserve a second chance with gamers.
Puppeteercame out in 2013, and despite being published by Sony itself, it vanished almost instantly. This might have been because it launched deep intothe PS3’s twilight years, when most players were already eyeing the PS4. But beneath its commercial misfire lies one of the most visually inventive and mechanically creative platformers on the console.
The game is structured like a theatrical performance, complete with curtains rising, stage props shifting in real-time, and an audience reacting to the action. Players take control of Kutaro, a boy whose head has been stolen by the tyrannical Moon Bear King. So, naturally, he replaces it with a rotating set of toy heads, each with unique abilities. The central mechanic — using a magical pair of scissors to snip through fabric environments — is as fun as it is original.
It’s not often that a game this confident in its weirdness gets made, let alone published by a major company. ButPuppeteerdid just that, and deserves more appreciation for it.
Released in 2001,Okage: Shadow Kingis like Tim Burton meets earlyFinal Fantasy, but filtered through that quirky, slightly offbeat lens only earlyPS2 RPGsseemed to have. The story follows Ari, an unassuming boy whose shadow gets possessed by an ancient evil being named Stan — who, despite all his big talk about world domination, is more sass than sinister.
What makesOkagespecial isn’t just its surreal art style or offbeat humor. It’s the commitment to weirdness. The turn-based battles aren’t revolutionary, but the enemies — like evil appliances and insult-hurling fish — are a whole other story. The writing swings between satirical and genuinely clever, with a self-awareness that predicted the ironic humor of later indie RPGs. The game never caught on, probably because it looked like a children’s game but wasn’t, and marketing it in the West wasn’t great. Still, it’s one of the most charmingly bizarre RPGs Sony ever funded.
While mostfighters from the late ‘90swere obsessed with juggling combos and health bars,Bushido Bladequietly introduced something wild: one-hit kills. Players could win or lose a match thanks to a single well-placed strike. No HUD. No time limits. Just pure tension. It leaned into realism in a way that was unheard of at the time. Players could cripple limbs, rendering an opponent unable to swing or even stand. And the environment mattered: players could chase an enemy through gardens, bamboo forests, and castle courtyards, with fights that felt more like duels than button-mashing brawls.
Bushido Bladenever had mass appeal, but it’s still discussed in reverent tones by those who played it. A spiritual sequel,Kengo,tried to carry the torch but never quite caught fire. With modern fighting games going all-in on spectacle,Bushido Blade’smeditative pace and brutal simplicity feel more radical now than ever.
There’s a good chanceFolkloreslipped past even the most die-hard PS3 owners. Released in 2007, just months after the console’s launch, it was overshadowed by hardware complaints, a thin library, and the looming arrival of big-budget blockbusters. ButFolkloreremains one of the most uniquely atmospheric exclusives on the system.
Set in the quaint Irish village of Doolin and its dreamlike alternate realm known as the Netherworld, the game follows two protagonists, Keats and Ellen, both chasing very different mysteries. Players explore surreal landscapes, battle bizarre spirits called Folks, and absorb their abilities through a shake of the Sixaxis controller. The motion controls haven’t aged that well, but everything else is fascinating.
Its art direction leans into Celtic mythology, the monster designs are strikingly original, and the music is haunting in all the right ways.Folklorewas a bold experiment innarrative-driven ARPGs, but Sony never followed up on it. Which is a shame, because it was one sequel away from being legendary.
Often described as Sony’s answer toThe Legend of Zelda,Alundradid more than borrow top-down action RPG mechanics. It infused them with deep themes, punishing puzzles, and a story that punches well above its weight. The game follows a “dreamwalker” named Alundra, who enters the nightmares of villagers plagued by mysterious deaths. It sounds like fantasy fluff, but the narrative gets surprisingly dark, tackling grief, trauma, and the existential horror of not being able to save everyone. And unlike most RPGs of the era,Alundraactually required problem-solving. Thepuzzles are dense, sometimes frustratingly so, but always rewarding.
It got good reviews, sold decently, and then quietly disappeared, overshadowed by flashier 3D RPGs that would follow in the PS2 era. It did get a sequel,Alundra 2, but the tonal shift and 3D platforming didn’t sit well with fans. Which only made the original feel even more special.
Sony wanted aFinal Fantasykiller, andLegend of Dragoonwas their answer: four discs, flashy FMVs, and a budget rumored to be in the tens of millions. Released in 1999 (2000 in North America), it arrived right in the golden age of JRPGs, with sky-high expectations and a massive marketing push.
The world of Endiness is rich with lore. its Dragoon transformation system adds depth to combat, and the “Addition” mechanics — timed button presses that turn basic attacks into combos — keep players engaged during otherwise traditionalturn-based battles. The story leans into epic fantasy with plenty of twists, ancient wars, and winged warriors.
Despite strong sales and a loyal fanbase,Legend of Dragoonwas never revisited. No sequel, no remake, not even a cameo inPlayStation All-Stars. But fans still beg for a revival every time Sony announces anything RPG-related, and at this point, it’s long overdue.
Gabe Logan might not have thestar power of Solid Snake, but in 1999,Syphon Filterwas a big deal. It blended third-person shooting, stealth mechanics, and surprisingly advanced enemy AI into one of the most tightly designed action games on the original PlayStation.
Players took down terrorists across international hotspots, used infrared goggles to spot tripwires, and tasered enemies until they caught fire — a feature that became oddly iconic.
The pacing was sharp, the level design was varied, and the plot had just enough late-90s techno-thriller nonsense to keep things spicy. It spawned multiple sequels, withSyphon Filter: Logan’s Shadowon PSP considered a high point, but the franchise fizzled out by the PS2 era. The studio behind it, Bend Studio, went on to makeDays Gone, but fans still keep asking: where’s Gabe?
