19 Years Later, A Cult Classic PlayStation 2 RPG Is Finally Coming Back
Demon’s delight.
Shin Megami Tensei is one of the most prolific franchises in all of gaming, with over three decades of history. But it feels like the series is in the midst of another renaissance, from the smash-hit success of Persona, to new games like Shin Megami Tensei V and Soul Hackers 2. But now one of the most tragically overlooked SMT games is about to get the due it deserves, with a gorgeous-looking remaster of Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzonoha vs. The Soulless Army. While the title might be a mouthful, Raidou remains one of the most inventive and experimental entries in the series.
Raidou was originally released on the PlayStation 2 in 2006, and was followed by a sequel with an equally lengthy title in 2008, Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abbadon. This remaster is just the first game, so for now we’ll have to wait and see if the second gets its own.
The most striking aspect of Raidou is easily its unique art style and setting, taking place in the Taishō period of Japan, specifically 1931. This gives the game a unique historical flavor that’s entirely distinct from any other SMT game — especially when mixed with the detective noir style narrative.
You play as Raidou Kuzunoha XIV, a Japanese teenager who works as a detective, but also doubles as a Devil Summoner. As Raidou works at the Narumi Detective Agency, he’s assigned as the protector of the capital, Tokyo, which means he’s responsible for dealing with any demonic and supernatural threats in the city.
SMT games are usually good about their settings, but Raidou has a real sense of atmosphere that permeates the entire game — a moody historical version of Tokyo that’s tinged with noire, and simply a joy to explore. Demon collecting is, of course, a huge part of the experience, but there’s a bit of a twist this time around as they play a more integral role in the story and exploration.
Raidou’s historical setting is superbly realized, and gives the game a wholly distinct personality.
In addition to having demons help you in battle, you can actually use them to affect characters in the world. For example, using a fire demon, you can affect someone’s mood and get them fired up for something. It’s an interesting twist that gives the world a more reactive feel.
But combat is also pretty drastically different from most SMT games, as Raidou is a real-time action RPG. The best comparison is actually the Tales games, with you taking on the role of Raidou and summoning your demons as party members. Combat can feel a little stiff at times, but overall it’s an intuitive system that simply feels good to play — and the wealth of capturable demons ensures there’s a lot of variety.
In 2006, Raidou was tremendously experimental for the franchise, and most of the ambitious swings the game tries pay off, especially in terms of narrative. This is a story that goes to some wild places that dives into themes of cultural adaptation, and even looks at how Western culture influenced Japan during the time period. There might also be some time travel involved.
Raidou’s comeback is reason enough to be excited, but the potential of how a remaster could improve the experience is even more tantalizing. For as engrossing as the game is, Raidou was undoubtedly rough around the edges. There was a noticeable lack of polish to the experience, as mentioned before, combat could feel stiff, and there was a real lack of quality of life elements. Namely, save points could be incredibly demanding, making you go through massive dungeons with no way to save — and if you wipe, you’d need to replay hours.
Raidou’s action combat is extremely similar to Bandai Namco’s Tales franchise.
Nearly all these elements were improved upon in the second game, but now the remaster could drastically improve the actual gameplay experience. Raidou easily has one of the best stories in the franchise, so refining the gameplay component means we might be looking at one of the best SMT games to date.
And it sounds like there could be more plans past this remaster, or even a remaster of the second, if things go well. In a World Spotlight trailer, producer Kazuyuki Yamai says “Since he’s made his return, I don’t want things to end here. I can’t say for sure, but I also hope that Raidou will continue to play an active role in the future.”
At the very least, the original creators are interested in continuing the Raidou franchise, so if there’s enough interest, who knows? But in the meantime, considering it’s nearly impossible to find a PS2 copy these days, it’s a blessing that more people can experience one of the weirdest (in a good way) games on the generation.
