The PlayStation 3 was Sony’s first major misstep in the video game market. They used this console as a trojan horse of sorts to increase viability of their new Blu-ray movie format. Because of this hardware costs were absolutely through the roof. The entry point hardware costed five hundred dollars which was practically unheard of for a mainstream gaming console at the time. It was the first time a Sony system didn’t fly off the shelves at launch. Eventually it caught its stride and amassed a large library of games. I thought it would be fun today to highlight some of the best PS3 hidden gems now that it’s defunct and a few generations old. With that let’s get started. These are the top fifteen best PS3 hidden gems of all time.
Before beginning we need to go over a few guidelines I made for myself when making this list.
- First of all these are hidden gems for a variety of reasons. Either they were ignored at release, had a big launch but were eventually forgotten, or are so uncommon no one played them. Regardless they have some level of obscurity.
- You’ll only find North American releases on this list. We’re going to cover PS3 imports at some point in the future. Regardless it does little good to go over Japan only releases in this context because they could all be considered hidden gems.
- Lastly I had a lot of fun making this list, and it’s not some be all end all determination of the best PS3 hidden gems. This is entirely my own opinion. Feel free to make suggestions or disagree in the comments section. We love feedback.
With that said let’s jump into the next dimension (the fourth, according to Ken Kutaragi). Here are the top 15 best PS3 hidden gems in alphabetical order.
3D Dot Game Heroes
Do you like Zelda, but wish it was more like it used to be? Well 3D Dot Game Heroes might be just the game for you. This is a highly stylized title making use of a unique block based graphic engine. It’s intended to look like 3D pixels. To that capacity it’s very successful. At a glance you could almost mistake this for an 8-bit game, but in a 3D world. It’s amazing. Gameplay also does a great job of replicating 8-bit Zelda even replicating the semi-overhead perspective. You collect items, traverse an overworld, explore dungeons, and conquer bosses. It’s a very solid package and very polished. As a retro gamer at heart I had a goofy smile plastered on my face from start to finish. It’s just a shame no one played this one.
Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel
This is actually the third installment in the Ar Tonelico series. It takes away the strategy RPG elements of its predecessors and replaces them with a more action oriented battle system. It’s a little racier than I like (I sometimes struggle with anime tropes) but there’s a lot to enjoy here. The most interesting mechanism in place is the emphasis on music. You can move fairly freely during battle, and striking foes to the beat of the song in the background grants you bonuses. How neat is that? While I like the battle system, and the story to a degree, it’s fair to say that Ar Tonelico Qoga isn’t for everyone. It’s full of innuendo, and there’s nothing slight or subtle about it. I have a healthy sense of humor but it was too much for me because of how constant it is.
Asura’s Wrath
If you’re like me then you hate quick time events most of the time. How then can I recommend a game so heavily based on them? Easy. Asura’s Wrath is so cinematically over the top that I couldn’t help but gleefully mash buttons as fast as I can whenever it asked me to. The game itself is somewhat similar to God of War, but dare I say, better. At least a little. You run through environments destroying everyone that stands in your path. Oh and quick time events, but I already mentioned those. Asura’s Wrath is normally the type of game I hate, but I connected with it almost immediately. This is definitely one of the best PS3 hidden gems.
Eternal Sonata
What they did to Eternal Sonata is kind of a crying shame. Gamers were hungry for Japanese RPGs at the time, and they sent this one out with almost no advertising or hype. It’s a unique music based role playing game where you play as Frederick Chopin (the historically famous music composer) as he enters a dream-like state on his deathbed. This transports him to a magical and musical based anime world where he and a rag tag group of adventurers band together to save this land. It’s weird, but in a good way. I really liked the emphasis on music. The battle system is also really interesting and feels like a combination of that of Chrono Cross and the Tales of series. I found Eternal Sonata so underappreciated it’s also included in our list of the best Xbox 360 hidden gems as well.
Folklore
Folklore had a fair amount of pre-release hype for this one. It was, after all, the first RPG released on the PS3. I’ll start by saying that this one is a little strange. For one thing it takes place in a single village and the alternate realm called the Netherworld. There’s a really dark but colorful art style that I really liked in this one. Folklore targets the action RPG genre with real-time combat, and special techniques that use something called ‘folk.’ The game is just oozing with atmosphere. That’s a big part of what makes it so memorable. The combat is fun as well, but nothing original or inventive. Folklore to this day remains a PS3 exclusive, and was never released digitally. Tracking down a disc will run you a pretty penny. It deserves a place on any list of PS3 hidden gems.
Heavenly Sword
PS3 fans will probably do a double take when they see this one. I mean, it was one of Sony’s featured highlights at E3, and had a ton of hype leading up to its release. Let me ask you a question though. Does anyone still talk about Heavenly Sword? No? That’s why I consider it a PS3 hidden gem. This was one of the first truly ambitious titles for the platform. It’s a hack and slash action game that occasionally blends genres. It’s also highly cinematic and very stylized. In basic gameplay you have multiple stances. One allows you to deal more damage and the other makes you move more quickly. It feels inspired, but to an extent, it’s a bit too ambitious for its time. Heavenly Sword is definitely cool and deserved a sequel.
Modnation Racers
Sony tried for the better part of a decade to make Modnation Racers a thing. Unfortunately it just wasn’t ‘fetch’ enough. As a kart racer it’s pretty basic. It suffers from uninspired track designs, boring items, and lame characters. So why then do I consider it a PS3 hidden gem? Content creation. Yes, you can make your own character and tracks to boot. At this point it’s basically only as boring as you make it. The level creator is surprisingly intuitive. I was up and running in mere minutes. Before this I never realized how thought had to go into designing shortcuts, or how fun they were to plan and create. At the time of release I wondered why Sony didn’t just call this Little Big Planet Karting, and then when that title came out I wondered why Modnation Racers was still a thing. I still prefer this one.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with developer Level-5. That is, until Ni No Kuni released. This was the surprise of a lifetime. The game’s claim to fame was that the art was created by none other than Studio Ghibli of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away fame. Because of it Ni No Kuni is absolutely beautiful. It’s basically an anime movie you play, and has a plot up to the standards of the typical Ghibli outing. The game also has a super unique combat system. It’s like an action RPG version of Pokemon where you collect monsters, grow them, and then control one of these directly in battle. It’s a fun game with a beautiful story. Shame on us all for relegating this one to hidden gem status. It deserved so much more.
Nier
Had enough RPGs yet? Well I’m not finished. Nier is a spin-off of the Drakengard series. Never heard of that one or Nier? Well you’re not alone. This is one of those cases where the storyline isn’t great, but the gameplay makes up for it. Nier was released to lukewarm reviews. At the time I assumed this was just because so many critics are entirely focused on storyline and this just isn’t it. Combat is pretty fun with three different weapon types to pick from (which all have separate functions in battle), interesting techniques, and more. I especially like the cinematic boss fights. My main complaint is that the game is a bit too easy. Enemies and bosses are mostly pushovers, but I liked how that allowed me to explore combat options with little concern.
Puppeteer
A lot of the time it feels like Sony throws random gimmicks at the wall hoping something sticks. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn’t. Puppeteer is kind of a mixed bag because of this. It’s a pretty fun game but that’s in spite of its gimmicks not because of them. This is a 2.5D platformer where you play as, you guessed it, a puppet. This guy is armed with a giant pair of scissors allowing you to cut through elements of the scenery. Also he has replaceable heads. These grant him additional abilities all of which are pretty interesting. Puppeteer is a pretty good game by Sony first party standards, and I did enjoy the head changing gimmick (not so much the scissors). The thing is almost no one played Puppeteer. I guess that’s why it’s a hidden gem.
Resonance of Fate
Developer Tri-Ace seemed dedicated at the time to proving that they were more than just Star Ocean. They succeeded, but no one noticed apparently. Resonance of Fate is a turn based RPG that uses a pleasant steampunk style. The battle system is a mix of turn based and real-time, but it’s extremely flashy. I loved watching all of the attacks and special moves, and watching insane amounts of damage splash out of foes. It’s a really cool game and nothing at the time felt quite like it. Unfortunately Japanese RPGs were mostly being ignored at the time so most gamers missed out on this certified classic.
Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny
Here’s an interesting fact. Rune Factor: Tides of Destiny was the first game in this Harvest Moon spin-off series to be released on any console besides a Nintendo platform. It’s also made by the same company that developed Lufia II on the SNES. For those not in the know this is a combination farming sim and action RPG. You wake up every morning, plant/water/harvest crops, and then go off into dungeons to defeat foes. Oh and there’s socializing with NPCs. It’s basically Harvest Moon combined with the Legend of Zelda and lots of crafting. Who wouldn’t love that? Rune Factory Tides of Destiny may be one of the weaker links in the series but it’s still a PS3 hidden gem.
Siren: Blood Curse
This is another series of games that Sony kept trying to make a thing but the market collectively said no to. It’s a shame because I’ve always liked Siren, and Blood Curse does not disappoint. This is a kind of re-imagining of the original title. It retains the episodic nature of the first release, but is even more frightening and scary. I love the emphasis on stealth. It only makes things more tense that you can hear your own character’s heartbeat when they’re in danger. The most interesting aspect of this title however is the ‘sight jacking’ mechanic. It’s frightening, scary as all heck, fun, and one of the best PS3 hidden gems of all time.
Tales of Graces f
Yes, I’m a bit fan of the Tales of series. I didn’t want to inundate this list with these games. Left with just one choice I went with Tales of Graces f. It has one of the worst and most contrived storylines of all time. Just think of every anime trope you’ve ever seen. Slap them all into a video game and you have Tales of Graces f. So why do I like this one then? The combat system is simply sublime. It’s mostly action based but the dodge mechanics, and the different mechanisms for attack require an absolutely huge amount of strategy to prevail on the more intense difficulty. This is the only Tales of game so far where you actually have to pay attention or risk certain defeat. Yeah the storyline is trash, and the graphics underwhelming (this is originally a Wii title), but the gameplay is incredible.
Valkyria Chronicles
This one caught me by complete surprise. I mean I knew it would be good (it’s Sega after all) but I had no idea that one of the best games of the generation would be released so early in it. This game takes place in an anime version of the world around WWI. Valkyria Chronicles is truly an original strategy RPG. It’s basically turn based, but movement is in real-time. When you reach your destination you can shoot the enemy and damage is based on percentages. During the enemies turn your characters act on their own and fire upon the foe when they’re in rage. Vice versa it’s the same. You have to place units in strategic locations to counter enemy movement. It’s a very fun, but incredibly difficult game that’s ultimately very rewarding.
