Review – Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army

With the proposal to transport players to the pulsating scenario of the 1920s of the Taisho period, the launch of renewing Atlus’s legacy by bringing back one of the most striking adventures of the franchise. The game, originally released as Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army gains remastering not only to visually renew a contemporary classic, but also corrects and expands many of the points that divided opinions at the time of launch for PlayStation 2.

Revisiting criticism of the original game helped developers to understand the impact of changes needed to value the effort to modernize this experience through new edition with high definition graphics, improvements in quality of life and a revised combat system, all without losing the essence of the supernatural classic that has won fans around the world.

The destination of the capital is in your hands

When you start this chapter of the franchise, the question that comes from the beginning is: do I need to know the other games to start this? And the answer is “no”, you do not need prior knowledge. This is because the narrative begins in a very didactic way, presenting the characters and the world gradually, from an unusual request from the young heiress, Kaya Daidoji, who seeks the Narumi detectives agency for Raido and his boss, Detective Shohei Narumi, cause his own murder.

Before they can understand the reason for the strange request, Kaya is kidnapped by mysterious red armor soldiers known as Soulless Army, triggering an investigation that led to explore several districts of Tokyo, including historical places and alternative versions of the city, such as the dark kingdom, where demons roam freely. What begins as a search for missing people soon becomes a conspiracy of national proportions, full of twists and complex characters, keeping the player involved to the end, very well accompanied by Raidou, Narumi, the Gouto-Douji cat, the reporter Tae Asakura and a team of very caricatures.

The story is still interesting and very well developed, with a supernatural plot and unique ambiance, a lot of originality by the police investigation set in an old and fictitious Japan, with a silent protagonist while surrounded by mysteries, full of the characteristic demons of the series, conspiracies, real historical figures and references to events of the time. The tone of mystery and the blend of humor with supernatural maintains this striking identity, but requires dedication from the player to stay engaged because of the slow start and moments when the narrative is slow, taking time to gain rhythm and depth.

The work of a Devil Summoner never ends

Leaving the story aside, Atlus has invested close attention to reviewing Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army, starting with the most fluid and strategic battle system. Now, Raidou can learn and equip his weapon -related invitation skills, divided between combat and sword skills, which can be alternated during fights to adapt to different enemies.

Just as the amount of demons has been expanded, reaching the number of 120 creatures, the number of available skills also increased and follows the player’s advance. Not to mention that you can use the new menu for creating creatures and creating new weapons through Sword Alchemy, adding an extra layer of customization and depth to combat. For the most nostalgic, the developers also brought the monsters of the original game, the sequence, Raidou Kuzunha vs. King Abaddon, and even Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, one of the latest releases. This all greatly increases the tactical possibilities and encourages experimentation, as each demon brings its own skills and affinities.

Thinking about quality of life improvements, the game now has fast rescue, difficulty adjustments and a more robust tips system, making the experience more accessible and less punitive for those now coming to the universe of Shin Megami Tensei. Another interesting point was the wipe in repetitive elements, such as excessive random encounters, and optimized navigation by maps, facilitating progress especially in the steps where history is less dynamic and few events come to streamline gameplay.

Adventure between the human world and the demons

Impossible to finalize this analysis without talking about the excellent work with HD charts, rework in the look of characters and demons, and expanded environments, making the capital gain more life by mixing western and oriental architecture in a scenario that mixes Art Deco with the traditional Japanese. All with many vibrant details and arts, even when we have the supernatural as part of the art direction, creating a very unique atmosphere.

To compensate for the limited soundtrack, especially when we have a good job with persona, their tracks can create that feeling of tension and mystery, especially in boss battles. Restamination expands this aspect, with remastered arrangements and new themes, as well as adding voice acting in scenes, giving voice to the characters that were almost silent and deepening immersion.

For those starting now and fans of the franchises Shin Megami Tensei and Persona, he broke Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is a key title for expanding shared mythology among the games, featuring narrative elements that influenced future studio titles. Delivering a remaster full of news, Atlus’s work has managed to turn this classic into a modern, accessible and visually impressive experience, without sacrificing the charm and identity of the original. A remastering that allows a new generation of players to discover one of the most original chapters of one of the most interesting franchises in games.