MINORITY REPORT: PLAYSTATION

INTERESTING GAMES YOU'VE NEVER PLAYED

The PlayStation is now 30 years old, and to celebrate we’ve decided to dive into its rich library and pick out some interesting games that don’t receive much discussion today

Words by Nick Thorpe

» [PlayStation] Merge your monsters for more diverse magical attacks, and even new elemental combinations.

» [PlayStation] It’s time to capture a monster, in a sequence that’s just slightly too drawn out.

» [PlayStation] The character designs are far stronger than the dialogue and plot on offer.

JADE COCOON: STORY OF THE TAMAMAYU

■ Pokémon was one of the smash hits of the mid-Nineties, with millions taking on the challenge of catching 151 diverse critters. Of course, being a Nintendo exclusive, owners of other platforms missed out on the fun – but that’s where games like Jade Cocoon come in. Just like the Pokémon games, it’s an RPG in which you fight a variety of monsters that you can catch and deploy in battle, but it’s far from being a direct clone.

For a start, there’s a very different plot. Where the story of Pokémon emphasises personal glory, Jade Cocoon tasks you with saving your community, where many villagers have fallen into a magical sleep following a demon attack. As the Cocoon Master, only you can soothe the spirits of the forest creatures and find a cure for the curse. There’s a lot of emphasis on ancient tales and spiritualism that gives the game a decidedly different feel, and the game’s cast looks great thanks to the work of Katsuya Kondo, a character designer famed for his work on Studio Ghibli films like Kiki’s Delivery Service.

When you venture out into the pre-rendered 3D locales, you’ll notice that enemies are visible as you wander around, and they exhibit different behaviours – some will run from you and others will behave aggressively. It’s sometimes