The aesthetic of the first PlayStation continues to haunt video games, thirty years after its release

The circle on the right, the cross at the bottom, the square on the left, the triangle at the top… If these geometric shapes that we now find on so many controllers are also natural in the video game lexicon, it is the PlayStation that we owe it. The Sony system was released exactly 30 years ago in Japan, on December 3, 1994. The manufacturer was then preparing to set foot on the home console market, jealously guarded for years by Nintendo and SEGA. The success is resounding: more than a hundred million machines sold, a catalog of games that have remained cult (Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill…) and a successor in 2000, the PlayStation 2, which would become the best-selling console in history.

But if the PlayStation has had such an impact, it is also because it was, for many players, the first contact with the third dimension. A 3D in its infancy, limited by the techniques of the time, with an easily recognizable character. A style so popular that it now arouses great enthusiasm among independent creators, who revive it in their productions.

2024, the year of fake PlayStation games

In 2022, the German game signaled made a mark by appropriating this aesthetic (often called “PS1” or “PSX”) and received a particularly warm critical and commercial reception. However, it is in 2024 that the genre will experience spectacular growth. The surrealist Arctic Eggs makes us cook eggs in a snowy military complex that evokes Metal Gear Solid. Crow Country makes us investigate an abandoned amusement park with an atmosphere reminiscent of Resident Evil or Silent Hill. As for the chilling science fiction story narrated by Mouthwashingit features characters made up of a few vaguely rough blocks worthy of Tomb Raider.

“In its code, PlayStation cannot handle very precise numbers. So she can’t always place elements exactly where they need to be. It makes the image look very shaky and unstable.”analyzes Bryan Singh. He and Crista Castro, his partner, developed Fear the Spotlighta horror game released in 2023, whose graphics are unequivocally reminiscent of Sony’s first console. “We have a lot of nostalgia for that time. This lack of detail leaves a lot of room for imagination”she adds. Another aspect that is not misleading: the volumes display raw pixels. “Unlike the Nintendo 64, the other big 3D console of that era, which tended to blur details, this roughness made Silent Hill iconic and works perfectly for the kind of atmosphere we wanted for Fear the Spotlight »observe-t-elle.

You have 65.87% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.