Vandal Hearts (1997)
The PS1 was a golden era not just for RPGs but especially strategy RPGs. Vandal Hearts wasn’t the best of them but it was one of the most evocative and bold, with characters dying in geysers of blood and battles that constantly put your party’s back up against the wall as you faced impossible odds. The sprite art was excellent, the class upgrades looked really cool, and the music was exceptional. I can still see the glowing blue oceans and molten lava battlefield squares pulsating in my sleep. — Ethan Gach
