The last few years were a period of learning for people who started getting into Atlus’ catalog of RPGs. Persona was the gateway drug for most of us, then came Shin Megami Tensei V to showcase a more complex, more challenging, and edgier take on the game we had fallen for over the previous years. But Atlus has way more spinoffs based on the original Shin Megami Tensei formula, one of them being the Devil Summoner subseries. Soul Hackers 2, released a while back, is part of this spinoff variety, and so is Raidou, the game we’re covering today.

If this all sounds very confusing, don’t worry, I’m still trying to figure things out myself. The original Raidou game, then known as Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army, was released in 2006 for the Playstation 2, bringing a brand new take on the traditional Shin Megami Tensei style of “catching demons, fusing them, and then battling against hordes of other demons by exploiting their weaknesses”. The brand new take in question is the inclusion of real-time hack n’ slash combat, instead of a traditional turn-based battle system. Think of it as if Shin Megami Tensei and Kingdom Hearts had had a baby. Oh, and said baby is set in the early 1930’s.

The story begins when you take control of Raidou Kuzunoha XIV, a freakishly-looking Japanese high schooler, and also detective, who is also a ‘Devil Summoner’ (in essence, a Pokémon trainer of the creatures in the Shin Megami Tensei universe). After completing a small tutorial, in which he is granted the title of Devil Summoner from an ancient family, he is sent to 1930s Tokyo, working as a detective at the Narumi Detective Agency.

The plot truly begins once they meet Kaya, a mysterious teenage girl who claims to be from a stupendously rich, but cursed family. She is then immediately kidnapped by a bunch of masked soldiers who look exactly like the enemies seen in the Advance Wars series. They seem to know who you are, and tell you to not intervene, before vanishing. The owner of the Narumi Agency considers this to be a case you have to see through until the very end, thus the story unfolds from then on.

To be honest, the story is… fine. Is it the relatable adventure seen in Persona 4, or the over-the-top edgefest seen in Shin Megami Tensei V? Nope. Instead, it’s kind of a middle ground. It’s wacky and zany when needed, mysterious at times, occasionally violent, but somewhat easygoing. This is not exactly the kind of RPG you will play for its plot. You will enjoy it mostly for its presentation, setting and combat.

Just like with the story, let’s consider the overall presentation as a midway between the ultra stylishness seen in Persona and the edginess seen in Shin Megami Tensei. Characters are a bit goofier, but retain the characteristic art style penned by Kazuma Kaneko, which is best described, even by fans of the franchise, as an “acquired taste”. I really don’t like how Kaneko’s humans are drawn, with their excessively pale skin and dead, lifeless eyes. Raidou, the protagonist, for instance… he doesn’t look like a protagonist. Instead, his dead eyes and freakish looks make him look like a goon to a villain, that typical silent henchman who kills everyone his boss needs gone from the shadows.

On the other hand, the music is really good. It’s comprised of a bit of jazz, and a bit of rock. It’s a lot more stylish and easygoing than the soundtrack seen in the Shin Megami Tensei games, though not as smooth as Persona 5, or utterly erpic as Persona 4 (yes, I still think that game has the superior soundtrack). Still, it’s pretty good, and so is the voice acting.

And then there’s the combat, and that’s where the game shines. Raidou is NOT a turn-based RPG, but it’s not a traditional hack ‘n’ slash either. Whenever you attack a foe on the overworld, you are transported to a small arena, where you are free to move around and attack enemies in real time. You have access to a light attack, a strong attack, spells, and a dodge. You are also able to perform some combos, and summon demons to help you out, just like in other Shin Megami Tensei games. The difference is that you don’t control them; they act according to how you set their AI, but they attack foes on their own. As to be expected, the combat revolves around exploiting enemy weaknesses, as this can stagger them for a while, leaving them open to a flurry of your own attacks.

You can recruit monsters, level them up, and fuse them, just as you would in other games in the series. In this regard, the “Pokémon-before-Pokémon” aspect is kept intact. The monsters are the same, their attributes are the same, the only difference being that you can use special abilities in the overworld to help you out during your investigations. One of your demons might have the ability to rekindle one’s spirit, whilst another can read one’s mind, if they’re not willing to cooperate with your questions. In short, it’s real-time Shin Megami Tensei, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

It took me ten paragraphs to start mentioning that, as per the title, Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is a remastered version of the original game, and well, it shows. It might run spectacularly, at a blistering fast 60 frames per second, with improved resolutions and aspect ratios, but there’s no way to hide the fact it started out as a PS2 game, and it still looks like one. The character animations, the amount of characters onscreen, the level of detail, it’s still a nearly twenty year old game, released way before Persona started becoming stylish, so menus and assets all look dated.

Will that be an issue? I honestly don’t think so. I have bigger qualms with how hideous human characters look in Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army than anything related to the game’s age. Sure, learn to tamper your expectations regarding the game’s size and scope, as well as production values, but as a product from 2006, it aged somehow well.

This is not a game without a handful of flaws, namely its underwhelming story and really ugly (human) character models. That being said, consider me a brand new fan of Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army, and the Devil Summoner subseries as a whole. I really enjoyed it being a faster-paced, action-oriented take on the Shin Megami Tensei formula, in an episodic format that makes it highly enjoyable in smaller sessions. It may have aged visually, but mechanically-wise, it still holds the hell (pun intended) up.

Graphics: 6.5 There’s no way to hide the fact it started out as a PS2 game, and it still looks like one, despite the improved resolution, aspect ratio and framerate. Demon designs are solid, but I really don’t like the looks of the protagonist.	Gameplay: 8.5 It expertly mixes the Shin Megami Tensei gameplay loop revolving around using and fusing monsters with a simple, but entertaining hack n’ slash combat system. Grinding is pretty fun as a result. The detective elements are simplistic, and city exploration is very clunky. But all in all, the sum of its parts is great.
Sound: 8.0 A bit of jazz, a bit of rock. It’s more stylish than the soundtrack seen in the Shin Megami Tensei games, though not as smooth as Persona‘s tunes. Still, it’s pretty good, and so is the voice acting.	Fun Factor: 8.0 Darker than Persona, but not as excessively edgy as Shin Megami Tensei. The story isn’t the most interesting in the world, and I thoroughly disliked the protagonist, but the excellent gameplay and side characters kept pushing me forward.
Final Verdict: 8.0

Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series S/X, PC, Switch and Switch 2. The original version is available on PS2.

Reviewed on Xbox Series S.

A copy of Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army was provided by the publisher.