The Sony PlayStation turned 20 years old last year. Being a kid that grew up with the original PlayStation the brand holds a very nostalgic and significant place in my life. The list of PlayStation games that came to the West is well over 1000. Though this is an amazing library, it caused some really great and maybe just obscure titles to be shadowed by some of the more popular franchises. I’m starting this editorial to bring some awareness to some of the games that I grew up with in hopes that it gives you that nostalgic smirk of remembering the times you rented/bought these games or maybe introduce you to a title you haven’t heard of and will give it a try. I hope you enjoy and if you have PlayStation titles that you believe deserves a write up, comment them below and I’ll do my best to share them in an article. Now, to the game!
Beyond the Beyond
I found Beyond the Beyond at some game rental store when I was ten. After a quick look at the back of case I knew this is the type of game I would enjoy. In regards to that, I would constantly try to look for RPG’s after I played Final Fantasy VII. Without the internet to look up lists, like we do now, the only way to do this was to go to Toy R Us or Funco Land and figure out by the cover or the back of the case if you will be into it or not. There were plenty of times that I got home after getting a pizza and renting a video game to discover that the game I rented was terrible and my weekend would be ruined. Back to Beyond the Beyond, The premise focus around a 14-year-old boy, Finn, who is on a quest to save the world (not original, but who doesn’t love saving the world?!). Finn fights a race called the “Vicious Ones” and a group of evil warlocks. The game is extremely text heavy and spends a lot of time developing characters. Personally, I enjoy text heavy games, but for more modern game enthusiasts this could be a problem.
What I remember really enjoying about the game was the battle system. This is because in the town and field map your characters looks like your typical Super Nintendo RPG sprites, but once you enter battle the camera sits behind your party to show them fully standing. As a kid this alone blew my mind, but it didn’t stop there! This game allows you to hit X at the point you connect with an enemy to add an extra attack like Legend of Dragoon or Super Mario RPG. The most annoying thing about this game is just how many random battles you enter. I swear it’s probably every four or five steps you are put into battle. I ended up beating this game which was very strange for me as a kid because I rarely beat games (still rarely do) and it was fun enough to leave a good lasting impression in my mind as an enjoyable and exciting game.
Facts about Beyond the Beyond:
- Came out in 1995 and was the first RPG released on the PlayStation in North America.
- Produced by Sony Computer Entertainment.
- Developed by Camelot Software who developed Shining Force and Golden Sun, but now focus on Mario Golf titles.
- Composed by Motoi Sakuraba who has also composed the Tales series, Bravely Default, Dark Souls and many more.
- A dragon joins your party and helps you in battle!
- Has a 44.3% review rating.
I hope to continue this feature so please comment any opinions on this game or PlayStation games you grew up with that you feel didn’t get enough spotlight. Thank you for reading!
