If you’re looking for portable fantasy madness to ease your battle-craved mind, then out list of the best PSP RPGs should have your mind off of spreadsheets and onto sword-wielding-magical-mayhem in no time.
Or maybe you’ve just bought a PSP and want some games for it…
Either way, we’re happy that you’re here!
In the world of the best retro handhelds and a market where the best Game Boy games still reign supreme, it’s easy to forget about the PSP.
The PlayStation Portable is, for those of you who are still still in the dark, a handheld gaming unit built by Sony with many characters from the best PlayStation games making themselves available for gaming on the go.
And man, did this thing have some epic RPGs!
If you’re a fantasy fan or identify as a Goblin Warlord on all major government forms, then you need the PSP in your life. It’s got more magic than Gandalf at a David Blaine stunt launch, and it fits perfectly in your pocket for gaming on the go!
We’ve made a list of the 10 best PSP RPGs, which is as lot easier to write down than it is to say out loud, I can tell you!
Check out our favourite mythical adventures and turn-based beat ’em ups below!
Table of Contents
1. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (2007)
If any of you have been sat wondering when a Final Fantasy title might finally show up, then you’ll be pleased to know that Crisis Core has taken the top spot on our list of the best PSP RPGs.
I’m a huge Fire Emblem fan, but even I can’t deny that the Final Fantasy series is the most successful and undoubtedly the most famous franchise in the RPG world.
Whether you’re playing on a retro home console or a portable handheld, the storylines, characters, quests, and abilities are second to none.
Not to mention the monsters that you have to face along the way.
Final Fantasy is known for having some of the best weapons of any RPG game too, a fact that is solidified by the big-ass Buster Sword on the front cover!
This time, players take control of Zack Fair as they explore this open-world quest through the Final Fantasy universe. He’s searching for a fellow soldier and helping the Shinra war effort at the same time.
Talk about having a lot on your plate!
If you’re a stickler for your Final Fantasy timeline gaming order, then this title is set seven years before Final Fantasy 7 and ends just before the events of Square’s 1997 epic.
Real-time combat, big scary monsters, and more magic that you can throw a Moogle at; Crisis Core is a worthy winner of the top spot in our list of the best PSP RPGs.
2. Persona 3 (2009)
Persona 3, or ‘Persona 3 Portable’ takes the second spot on our list of the best PSP RPGs, a title with an incredible plotline that has secured this games place in every RPG list until the end of time.
You play as a high school student who has joined an organisation called the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad.
We had table tennis and drama club when I was at school, but this after-school club sounds far better!
As part of this epic squad, you are tasked with uncovering the secrets of the ‘Dark Hour’ a period of time between one day and the next that contains a world overrun by brain-eating shadow monsters.
If I haven’t drawn you in yet, then there may be no hope left for you!
This game is fantastic from start to finish and one of my favourite titles for the console. It boasts all of the best RPG elements that you might hope for in a mysterious, magical game, and you’ll love both the combat and social elements of the game as you progress through each of the well-thought-out levels.
The PSP also lets you fight as a male or female protagonist, though it’s down to your skills as a player to make those friendships and relationships that will ‘up’ your skills for the fight against the shadows once the day is over!
3. Jeanne D’Arc (2006)
This next entry in our list of the best PSP RPGs also made it into our list of the best PSP games too!.
Jeanne D’Arc, or ‘Joan of Arc’, is one of the most bad-ass heroines of all time. A saint that led wars at the age of 16; no wonder they decided to make a video game about her!
I’ve always thought that this game is like a cross between Final Fantasy and Holy Magic Century/Quest 64, and a real must-have title for anyone who recites Lord of the Rings from memory and loves fantasy adventures.
Jeanne may have proved her metal fighting against the English forces, but the ghouls and demons that the English have sided with in this epic tale are sure to put fear in the hearts of any player.
I guess that’s what happens when the only people who will side with you after Brexit are spirits and the undead…
Wielding a sacred armlet that grants her special powers, Jeanne must defeat the evil forces that have invaded her beloved France in a turn-based RPG that has hidden surprises and memorable quests hiding around every corner.
Whether you’re a history buff or just like gaming-on-the-go, Jeanne of Arc should be high up on your wish list.
4. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006)
It’s time for an RPG with a difference.
If you’re into gaming, then the chances are you’re also going to be a massive Marvel geek like myself.
And what better way to get your Marvel fill then by teaming up with your favourite characters from the franchise in a an action/role-playing adventure through the Marvel Universe.
You can create your own custom teams of four fighters, and you get extra points for teaming members of existing groups together; the Avengers, Defenders, X-Men etc.
Ultimate Alliance was released for most major consoles, and although the PSP version offered simplified graphics, it still beat the GBA port hands down.
There are multiple endings depending on which character group you chose to roll with, and other fighters and quests can be unlocked as you proceed through the game.
Seeing Spiderman and Wolverine fighting side-by-side is enough to make anyone part with their cash. Add the fact that you can unlock Captain Marvel and the Black Widow in the PSP version, and you’ve got yourself an instant classic!
5. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (2010)
If you’ve checked out Tactics Ogre: The Knights of Lodis, one of the best Game Boy Advance games, then you’ll know what to expect from ‘Let Us Cling Together’.
The Tactical Ogre franchise, or ‘Ogre Battle’ series is what I like to refer to as ‘the professional RPG players choice’.
These games are HARD, and they require the military strategy and patience of Hannibal Barca to complete.
We’re talking squad-based, grid-battle, tactical manoeuvres like you’ve never experience before.
It makes some RPGS look like a friendly game of chess.
Still, battling on the isometric grid and having to think about character speed and ability in order to succeed in battle is why I love this game so much.
It’s one of the best PSP RPGs for gamers who like to think first and act later, as opposed to slashing first and asking questions never.
6. Riviera: The Promised Land (2006)
Riviera: The Promised Land originally began its life on Gunpei Yokoi’s incredible handheld, the WonderSwan.
Ports were made for the GBA and the PSP, and this game has gone on to become one of the most highly revered titles in portable RPG gaming.
Riviera is fully voiced from start to finish, which is unusual for a handheld game. It is perfectly illustrated and has a deeply engaging storyline that you’ll be thinking about hours after you’ve switched off your console.
The six playable characters in Riviera are superb too, each with their own interesting backstories, skills, and traits that will help you in your quest.
The Promised Land storyline is based around Norse mythology, with Ragnarok and Asgard playing big parts in setting the scene for what is to come.
Expect Grim Angels, funny sounding place names, and lots of magical spells and dazzling swords a-plenty.
What’s not to love!
7. The Legend Of Heroes: Trails In The Sky (2006)
Next up is Trails in the Sky, the first title in what fans of the RPG genre will no-doubt know as the ‘Trails’ series.
This title sees the player travelling through a host of spellbinding worlds in the Liberl Kingdom from a top-down view perspective. The characters might look small, but they certainly pack a punch when they get stuck into a battle.
Speaking of which, the turn-based battles in The Legend of Heroes is grid based, and the special magic skills that you can use as part of your turn are pretty amazing!
But what can you expect from Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky once you load the game up?
Well, there’s plenty of exploring to do in both towns and villages and out in the open. There are monsters to defeat at pretty much every turn, and you’ll need to buy items and level up your characters along the way.
Oh, and a storyline that requires a Masters in Ancient Mythical Lore to understand.
That’s everything that a good RPG should have an abundance of though, right?
One thing is for certain; Legend of Heroes will give you hours and hours of gameplay.
The narrative is so immersive that you’ll soon find that days have gone by without you even noticing, and both the well-planned combat elements and the tricky-but rewarding tasks make this one of the best PSP RPGs for gamers looking for something they can really sink their teeth into.
8. Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite (2008)
Speaking of enemies, the next game in our list of the best PSP RPG games of all time has some of the biggest, gnarliest monsters of any video game I’ve ever played!
If you liked Monster Hunter Freedom 2, then you’ll love this 2008 offering for the PSP.
With more weapons, more enemies, more quests, and basically more of everything else, Freedom Unite gives hack and slash warrior-types a real chance to destress and take down some bad-ass creatures while they’re at it.
The Freedom Unite expansion also allowed players to hold more items, upping the capacity to 99 of everything.
Who’s laughing now, massive minotaur dude!
This game is Capcom slash and dash at it’s best, and you’ll find yourself coming back for more and finding cooler ways to kill the gargantuan monsters in this game time and time again.
Let the hunt begin!
9. Tales Of Eternia (2005)
Next up on our list is Tales of Eternia, a game that many Playstation fans out there will hopefully have played on the PS1 back in early 00’s.
The game was ported to the PSP in 2004, and both fans and critics alike went wild for it.
And even though the in-game mythical world may be called ‘Inferia’, this title is certainly not ‘inferior’ to the home-console version or many other RPGs of the time.
You play as a hunter who, along with two friends, meet a girl that speaks a strange language.
As with every quest where someone ends up sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong, you and your companions soon find themselves in a another world and get gathered up in a conflict that has been going on for centuries.
The PSP adventure is much better for impatient gamers than the PS1 version as it has quicker loading times with virtually no loading screens.
Some of the enemies have a Pokemon feel about them too, though you’ll want to chop them with an axe until dead rather than catch them in a ball if you want to survive.
10. Half-Minute Hero (2009)
Taking the tenth spot on our list of the best PSP RPGs is Half Minute Hero, a title that was initially released as a PSP exclusive in all regions back in 2009.
This game is one of the only handheld titles that I can think of with so many single player game modes, each piece providing a hint of what the heck is going on in a much larger, role-playing jigsaw puzzle.
No one ever said this article was going to be easy to understand, just like the plots of most of these games!
The hidden catch in each of the game modes is the recurring game mechanic in which you are tasked to do something in 30-seconds.
The main story, for example, sees a hero challenged with the task of finding and destroying an enemy boss in just 30-seconds.
I thought being the hero of time was hard enough in Majora’s Mask, but this is time trialing on another level!
By completing overworld challenges and levelling up in true RPG fashion, you can pick up better weapons and reset time ‘at your own peril’.
If you’re looking for a tough cookie to crack a perfect score on, then this could be one of the best PSP RPGs for you!
