The most recent Nintendo Direct wasn’t that special, but Atlus fans were pleasantly surprised to see Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army. A popular sub-series from the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, fans were hoping to see this re-released after Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne received one a few years ago.
It took a while, but the Devil Summoner series has finally returned, continuing Atlus’ trend of PS2 re-releases. Now that we have this and Shin Megami Tensei 3 readily available, there’s a chance more of these releases are being planned by the company.
Originally called Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army, Raidou Remastered is only slightly less of a mouthful to say but looks to be the same quality game. Much like the SMT 3 remaster, this re-release enhances the PS2 version’s graphics and adds some quality-of-life features. The game now has voice acting, a lock-on feature, more devils to summon, and more save slots.
Considering how the Nocturne remaster was a bit barebones, only adding voice acting, quick saves, and touched-up graphics, these features are a huge improvement. While they won’t make Raidou look or feel like a modern game, they do make this action RPG feel less tedious, a common complaint with the SMT games.
Devil Summoner was unique in Atlus’ PS2 era, as it brought real-time combat to the Shin Megami Tensei series. It helped diversify this lineup of RPGs by doing something new with these iconic demons, even managing to get a sequel not long after. We’re surprised that Atlus didn’t bundle it with Raidou Remastered, but they could always get away with releasing Raidou Remastered 2 next year.
Now that we have SMT 3: Nocturne and Raidou on modern platforms, fans are hoping that Atlus’ other PS2 RPGs get the remastered treatment. The second Raidou game is a no-brainer if Soulless Army sells well. Hardcore SMT fans are hoping that the Digital Devil Saga trilogy gets some love soon, since those games continue the franchise’s dark themes and have great monster designs.
click to enlargeBefore anyone asks, Atlus’ Persona games from the PS2 are just fine. Persona 3 got an amazing remake in P3: Reload, and Persona 4 Golden is readily available on modern systems. There are also signs of a Persona 4 remake coming, which we don’t need but it should be a great game either way.
Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC on June 19.
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