Over the years, many video game franchises have transcended their genres and drawn in players of all kinds, delivering unforgettable experiences over the course of more than just a single title. With that said, many series have been forgotten, despite having worlds that are just as captivating as the most popular franchises out there.
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Some of these forgotten trilogies are relics from a different era that never saw the widespread appeal they deserved, and others were shelved due to a shift in attention from the studio. Whatever the case, these trilogies still manage to deliver exceptional gameplay and compelling narratives, despite not having a huge amount of recognition today.
Shadow Hearts
A Forgotten RPG Masterpiece
Shadow Hearts
- Released
- December 12, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sacnoth
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
The Shadow Hearts trilogy had a very different start with Koudelka, a horror-infused RPG blending turn-based combat with psychological storytelling. This concept then evolved into the first Shadow Hearts, transporting players to an alternate fantasy world full of darkness and mystery. This, alongside unique gameplay mechanics like the Judgement Ring system, drew in players and critical acclaim, spawning two sequels that expanded the lore while maintaining the same haunting atmosphere.
Despite critical praise, the series faded into obscurity due to niche marketing and the decline of mid-budget JRPGs. Yet even today, the story, tone, and even the gameplay have aged gracefully, allowing it to stand as one of the more emotionally resonant and unique RPG trilogies out there.
Drakengard
Overshadowed By The Beauty Of Nier
Drakengard
- Released
- September 11, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Cavia, Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, JRPG, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Before NieR gained the global recognition it has today, Drakengard laid the foundation for Yoko Taro’s twisted narrative universe. This trilogy combined medieval warfare with aerial dragon combat and a deeply unsettling storyline that was equal parts brutal and brilliant, spanning all the way to the final installment that took a more personal route than the first and second entries.
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Many players never realized how tightly it connects to NieR, as Drakengard 3's endings directly birthed that franchise’s post-apocalyptic world. Beneath the series' rough edges lies some of gaming’s most ambitious writing, with stories that question morality, sanity, and humanity itself. While Drakengard may not be as widely known as its successors, its influence on the RPG genre is immense.
Yomawari
Unsettling Horrors Hidden Behind A 2D World
Yomawari: Night Alone
- Released
- August 24, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Nippon Ichi Software
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
The Yomawari trilogy offers a stark contrast to mainstream horror games, replacing gore and monsters with loneliness and emotional dread. Each entry follows young protagonists exploring eerily deserted towns filled with spirits that reflect grief and guilt, and the series' minimalist visuals, combined with soft, ambient sound design, evoke genuine unease rather than shock.
Even though many will have heard of the first game, the rest of the trilogy has flown mostly under the radar. Despite being a more niche horror experience, it still manages to portray childhood fears perfectly. The Yomawari series is a reminder that true horror often comes not from monsters, but from the absence of danger itself.
The Journeyman Project
The Original Time-Travel Adventure
- Release Date: January 6, 1993
- Developer: Presto Studios
- Platforms: PC, Classic Mac
Long before futuristic gaming epics, The Journeyman Project defined what a story-driven sci-fi adventure could be. The games center around a time-travel project that has been put under the watch of the Temporal Security Agency, and it is the player's job to venture through time to prevent temporal rifts across a range of settings and eras.
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The series was incredibly technologically ambitious, blending pre-rendered visuals with a point-and-click style that was common at the time, but nothing from the era could compete with it from a graphical standpoint. While it may have become more of a cult hit than a mainstream phenomenon today, the franchise still had a noticeable impact on how video game stories are told through exploration and observation rather than constant action.
Cursed
A Gem In The Indie Horror World
- Release Date: 18 Feb, 2022
- Developer: Disaster Squad Productions
- Platforms: PC
The Cursed trilogy delivers a haunting, lore-rich indie horror experience that went largely unnoticed outside of niche PC circles. Blending first-person exploration with some distinctive hand-drawn visuals, it tells several interconnected stories of guilt, madness, and redemption across multiple timelines, all set in beautifully bleak environments.
The trilogy excels in how it builds atmosphere, using subtle environmental storytelling to keep players uneasy from start to finish. The budget constraints and unconventional style meant that it never gained the recognition it deserved, but the series still showcases how the horror genre can be pushed forward in the indie space without relying on cheap jump scares.
Persona
Before The Widespread Breakout
Revelations: Persona
- Released
- December 14, 1996
- ESRB
- Everyone // Mild Animated Violence, Comic Mischief
- Developer(s)
- Atlus
- Genre(s)
- JRPG, Social Simulation
Persona has quickly become a household name in the modern gaming world, but many players will have missed the groundwork laid by the original trilogy. These games introduced the now-iconic mix of social simulation and psychological drama, exploring themes of identity and trauma while pioneering the series' traditional brand of turn-based combat that many RPG fans know and love.
The series' western success may have been limited, but in Japan, there was a pretty big audience in Persona's early days. Thanks to the impressive world-building and developer ambition, the series has now blossomed into one of the most beloved JRPGs out there, showing the importance of building an early legacy even if the big successes take some time to show.
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