10 More Great Video Games Nobody Bought
1. Vagrant Story
Rather incredibly, famed Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu rated Vagrant Story a perfect score of 40/40. This is not only a better score than any Final Fantasy game on the PS1… it’s actually the only PlayStation 1 game to hold this honour. And those who have played Vagrant Story tend to agree. It’s a game that if you love it; you truly, deeply love it.
When it comes to clever and immersive RPGs, Vagrant Story was cutting way above expectations in 2000. Weapons and equipment levelled differently depending on your style of play, gaining boons and downsides reactively as you explored the game’s many dungeons. The graphics were incredibly unique and the game had a rich socio-political story.
The game's strong start to sales petered off unfortunately quickly, especially as many Square fans were already content with Chrono Cross that had arrived a few months prior. Even more likely that they had money set aside for that summer’s Final Fantasy IX. A new IP like Vagrant Story was fighting an uphill battle.
Ironically, since this unsung gem was set in Ivalice - the same world as Final Fantasy Tactics - the game may have fared a lot better if Vagrant Story was a subtitle and the game was positioned as an entry in the Final Fantasy series.
Alas, this perfectly scoring Square game feels lost to time.