The 10 WEIRDEST PS2 RPGs
“Baroque” (2008)
If it ain’t ‘baroque’ then don’t fix it. Yes, I was contractually obligated to make that pun…you’re welcome. Silliness aside, Baroque is a very strange RPG indeed. Combining elements of fantasy, steampunk, and post-apocalyptic natures, Baroque sees you move about the Neuro Tower in order to decipher the works of the Absolute God. Throwing in elements of climate change, celestial beings, and creatures who resemble manifestations of guilt, this action RPG doesn’t so much teeter on the verge of weird but fully succumbs to it.
“Dual Hearts” (2002)
If the menagerie of hyper vibrant colors doesn’t lull you into this weird RPG then perhaps the fact that you can battle a boss called Moneybags who happens to be cosplaying as Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas will. Yep, this is a bizarre one to be sure. Dual Hearts is a fantasy tale all about dreams. You step into the role of Rumble, a treasure hunter who must search through various dream worlds, solving puzzles, pummeling enemies, and doing some wonky platforming. This game comes off as a sort of fever dream. However, there’s no denying that hopping about with Rumble and your pal Tumble searching for dream orbs will put a smile on your face, even if it is a derpy one.
“Steambot Chronicles” (2005)
I guess this is why you shouldn’t judge a game by its cover since Steambot Chronicles looks like it would be a super bright, cheery, and vibrant RPG. Instead, you are greeted by one of the drabbest color palettes around which adds to the weirdness of the already strange mech-based RPG. Yep, you heard that right, Steamboat Chronicles is a mech-RPG with full on robot battles and destruction. This feels especially weird when there is lively fantasy-esque music playing in the background as you decimate your foes with your customizable mech. Adding to the weirdness is the fact that the protagonist’s name is Vanilla R. Beans. Vanilla can roam around the town of Nefroburg, helping townsfolk, buying items from the bakery, troting about in your Trotmoible, and even playing the piano in a music mini-game. Well, they do say variety is the spice of life.
“Magna Carta: Tears of Blood” (2004)
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If you were somehow hoping for a PS2 RPG about the 13th-century Great Charter of Freedoms, otherwise known as the Magna Carta, then you will be sorely disappointed here, since, well, it’s not about that at all. Tears of Blood is a fantasy realtime battle RPG that takes place in the land of Efferia where wars ravage across the kingdoms. The game leans into themes of alliances, mercenary work, forbidden magic, and familiars. The game features a fairly robust battle system where a leadership meter must be filled and multiple timed button presses must be made on a Trinity Ring in order for actions to be counted as successful. While it might be obvious this game is weird because of the Magna Carta name in the title, it’s also quite bizarre given it’s janky animations, laughable voice acting, and simply out-of-place vocal piece in the opening cutscene.
“Kingdom Hearts” (2002)
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I freakin’ adore the Kingdom Hearts series, and yes, even despite its convoluted and impenetrable plotline and characters. You really can’t argue that way back in 2002 the sheer idea of an RPG that combined the likes of beloved Final Fantasy characters with popular Disney characters and worlds was downright bananas. Fortunately, it paid off since people loved seeing Sora, Donald, and Goofy explore the likes of the Olympus Coliseum, Tarzan’s Deep Jungle, Wonderland, and so much more.. Back in the day this mashup was mind-blowing to say the least and it’s crazy to think how far the series has come with its many, many spin offs and mainline entries. Of course, the flipside to that trying to explain it to a non-fan makes for an exercise in futility.
“Virtua Quest” (2004)
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Reality can be so boring sometimes, right? Why not hop into virtual reality to experience another world. Yep, that’s the plot of Virtua Quest in a nutshell. If you might have gleaned, it’s an action RPG spinoff of the fighting game franchise, Virtua Fighter. That concept alone is pretty weird but then again, Street Fighter 6 opted to go open-world and people seem to enjoy that. Virtua Quest stars the happy-go-lucky Sei, a character who must venture through various servers of this virtual reality escape to collect Virtua souls, defeat opponents, and ultimately save the day. Interestingly, in Japan, the game’s full title is Virtua Figher Cyber Generation: Ambition of the Judgement Six. Yeah, that seems on brand…
“Shadow Hearts: Covenant” (2004)
Ditching the horror themes and tones of the first Shadow Hearts, the sequel, Covenant, leans even more into the alternate history macguffins that this series has become synonymous with. Well, that, and the spectacular Judgement Ring-based battles. In Covenant, you play as a crazy cast of characters that include Karin, Yuri, Gepetto, Blanca, and more at the height of World War One in 1915. The game uncovers the plot of Sapientes Gladio, a secret society that has ties to the first game’s protagonist, Yuri, and his monstrous, yet wondrous powers. You explore various real life and fictional versions of Europe as overarching themes of war, power, and even Lovecraftian elements come into play. It’s a frankly wild alternate history RPG that really hasn’t been matched today. And my goodness, the musical score in this game is all over the place… in the best way possible!
“Persona 3” (2006)
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The very notion that you have to put a magical cap in your cranium in order to summon your monstrous partner in battle pretty much sums up while this entry is the craziest of all its brethren! The popular school-based social and academic aspects are all here in force, but it’s the third outing’s dark and nuanced storyline, catchy music, and quirky characters that really elevates it to the realm of WTF territory. The weirdness is absolutely part of its charm of course, even in one where the concept of death is very much the thematic centre.
“Graffiti Kingdom” (2004)
Do you like fantasy games? Do you enjoy art? How about graffiti? Do you like creating cartoony monstrous aberrations that will make friends and family run in fear? Enter Graffiit Kingdom, an action RPG/monster catching and creating game that was most certainly created by someone who downed one too many energy drinks before development. Graffiti Kingdom has you step into the quirky role of Prince Pixel of the Canvas Kingdom who must battle evil through the power of graffiti and monster creation…for reasons. There’s just something so charming and creative about the way you can collect monsters to then edit them into some other amalgamation altogether, to then just have them battle other foes for you.
“Okage: Shadow King” (2001)
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If Tim Burton would have made a video game in the early 2000s it might have looked very similar to this horror-adjacent, turn-based RPG. This one is strange because on the surface it looks cartoony and lighthearted, however, dig a bit and you will find a familial story all about an ancient evil and a ritual summoning, one that frees the dastardly soul of Lord Stanley Hihat Trinidad the 14th, otherwise known simply as Stan. Protagonist Ari unfortunately has Stan fused into his own shadow which means the two are now linked together, for better or for worse…usually worse. Now, it’s up to them and Ari’s pals to destroy the fake evils around the realm. So yeah, it’s got some bite to it beneath its chummy surface!
