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I’m an enormous Atlus fan, and when Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army was revealed again in March, I used to be completely over the moon. See, I by no means received an opportunity to play the unique JRPG – which first launched on the PS2 – however had at all times hoped to get in on some demon-filled investigative motion.
Review data
Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and Series S, PC
Release date: June 19, 2025
And Atlus has really served up a full-blown remaster of Raidou’s first journey, bringing the Devil Summoner’s story to only about each fashionable platform with full voice performing, fleshed-out 3D environments, enhanced visuals and audio, in addition to developed fight.
Atlus has produced banger after banger for many years, together with a few of the best RPGs like Metaphor: ReFantazio and Persona 5 Royal. So, can the Switch 2 game Raidou Remastered rise to those self same heights
Well, maybe not fairly. But it’s nonetheless a implausible remaster. Here’s what I fabricated from the sport after spending greater than 30 hours taking part in it on Nintendo Switch 2.
Where lies man, so lies darkish
In 1930s Japan, a younger girl approaches the Narumi Detective Agency with a surprising request. She desires you to kill her. But earlier than you may hear precisely why, she’s kidnapped by mysterious people in pink capes.
So, in steps Raidou Kuzunoha XIV, an apprentice detective on the Narumi Detective Agency who goals to serve the capital – not solely by serving to residents with their day-to-day wants, but in addition by holding issues in examine inside the Dark Realm – a curious juncture between the true world and the netherworld, the place demons lurk.
And now it’s all the way down to Raidou and his allied demons to resolve the thriller of the kidnapped lady… which, in flip, leads you to unveil a far larger conspiracy than you might ever think about.
Of course, I don’t need to give away too many particulars plot-wise. But I can guarantee you that there are many twists and turns because the thriller unravels – and that thriller stays gripping all through. In addition, you don’t have to sit down by hours of heat up earlier than the story actually will get going.
Best bit
The greatest a part of any Megami Tensei title is witnessing the customarily wacky and wild nature of the varied demons you encounter. At one level, I ran right into a deeply troubled demon named Ippon-Datara who felt compelled, determined even, to assemble a wall blocking my path. It was solely after I known as him silly, and received an earful about consuming brains with a spoon that he finally cleared the best way. Classic SMT.
Yep, you’re flung straight into the center of a darkish case, in a metropolis flooded with characters in want of your help – typically in the principle story, and different occasions by temporary, but pleasurable aspect quests known as Case Files. And you’ll meet an actual vary of people all through the sport’s runtime. No actually, I bumped into everybody from a yakuza captain by to a zany demon-fusing scientist – and that’s simply in the true world!
These characters assist to show most of the sport’s key themes, that are tightly interwoven with the 1930s setting. There are frequent questions across the morality of battle and the position of financial injustice on individuals’s on a regular basis lives, for example.
And I felt that I may hook up with the forged because of newly added voice performing – the most effective inclusions on this remaster. Whether it is the considerably lazy, but playful Detective Narumi or rival Devil Summoner, Rasputin, expressive voice performing injects a lot extra character into every character. Even the demons have some extremely entertaining – typically weird dialogue that add a lot whimsy to the expertise. The commanding voice of Hayataro or the long-lasting hee-ho’s of Jack Frost even made me reluctant to fuse them into one thing else.
Your feline companion, Gouto, can also be at hand to information you thru the case’s key plot factors and supply pointers should you get a bit caught. Those ideas are sometimes helpful, and customarily, Gouto is much much less invasive than a sure different cat that Atlus followers shall be properly acquainted with. I received’t title names in fact… but it surely begins with ‘M’ and ends in ‘organa’.
Raidou’s revamped
So, there’s an attractive plot and intriguing forged to match, however what about gameplay itself. Well, that is the place the image begins to get somewhat extra blended.
I’ll begin with fight. You’re not getting the turn-based press flip battle system from Shin Megami Tensei titles, with this sport as an alternative taking a real-time motion strategy. However, the fight system has been considerably overhauled in Raidou Remastered, when in comparison with the unique sport.
There aren’t any extra pesky random encounters, Raidou can now use two demons in battle (versus one within the authentic), you’ve received the power to lock on to enemies, and far, far more. These alterations are all most welcome and have made fight really feel means extra fluid than earlier than.
When doing battle, you’ll need to deal with draining MAG, which is expended when demons use magic assaults, corresponding to the fireplace spell Agi or volt assault Zio. In order to get your MAG again, Raidou can dish out gentle assaults, which replenish the bar swiftly, enabling you to often exploit enemy weaknesses, and in consequence, stagger them for a better path to victory.
Other than these gentle assaults I discussed, Raidou can use heavy assaults, fireplace his gun, forged magic skills of his personal (Summoner Skills) and unleash extremely punishing strikes like Devil’s Bane and Spirit Slash. You’ll acquire new Summoner Skills as the sport progresses, and you may additionally be capable to allocate stat boosts to Raidou when he ranges up throughout power, magic, vitality and luck.
I went for a blended power / magic construct, and my major technique in battle was to whack out as many gentle assaults as doable, fueling one demon’s use of therapeutic magic and one other’s devastating elemental injury. You may use gadgets in battle, however I mainly by no means wanted to do that.
Most of the time, my technique proved to be a sure-fire strategy to win battles, that means that fight may get somewhat repetitive. Also, regardless of enhanced battle mechanics – which incorporates extra fluid maneuvering – I discovered that Raidou may really feel somewhat clunky to manage, particularly within the air. This was hardly ever an enormous situation, however should you’re anticipating extremely seamless, ultra-smooth motion from this title, you is likely to be somewhat upset.
Boss fights are nonetheless good enjoyable, although, and may usually pose an honest problem. Here, I discovered that blocking and dodging was a bit extra necessary. Just spamming my gentle assaults and anticipating my demons to do the remainder was hardly ever adequate. I’m positive this is able to ring much more true should you’re taking part in on exhausting mode, however I performed on Private Eye issue – which is actually the usual degree of problem.
Before we proceed speaking gameplay, although, I simply needed to flag that this sport has an excellent soundtrack – there are some critically catchy tunes right here. I nonetheless can’t get the theme from Narumi’s Detective Agency out of my head.
Battling our demons
Anyway, let’s proceed chatting gameplay – and the true spotlight right here, for me, is filling out the demon compendium and fusing probably the most highly effective creations possible.
You can recruit demons just about trouble free – not at all times the case in different Atlus entries (I’m taking a look at you, SMT 4). And you can even request the assistance of the peculiar Dr. Victor within the Goumaden, who lets you fuse a number of demons collectively and forge new, stronger companions to take into battle. You may fuse swords, spears or axes for Raidou, which come which include contemporary skills in addition to differing stat boosts.
During demon fusion particularly, you may move on skills and passive expertise which can enable you to goal the weaknesses of opponents within the Dark Realm – simply be sure to regulate their Investigation Skills, which can are available in use outdoors of battle.
And that brings me onto what’s, no doubt, the weakest a part of Raidou Remastered – solo investigations. These happen when Raidou is unable to progress by an space himself, and he as an alternative enlists the assistance of his demons (which most people are unable to see in the true world). You can ship a demon out to collect clues or examine blocked off areas, which sounds fascinating, however finally ends up being simply boring.
Most demons transfer fairly slowly, and the dash button doesn’t work once they’re out investigating. On prime of that, retrieving clues often simply consists of urgent a single button to look an space, learn a thoughts, or squeeze into a good space. I simply want that these elements of the expertise have been extra interactive, particularly on condition that being a detective is central to the sport’s plot.
Finally, a fast observe on the expertise taking part in on Nintendo Switch 2. Typically, I performed with my Joy-Con 2 controllers, and the sport managed properly. Switching between targets whereas locked on took a little bit of getting used to – it may, at occasions, really feel somewhat inflexible. But every thing else, from utilizing assaults, summoning demons, sprinting and dodging felt completely fantastic.
Similarly, efficiency was very sturdy – although I’d count on this given it is hardly probably the most demanding title on the market. It runs at a most of 60fps at 1080p, which appears to be like stable, although the shortage of 4K could disappoint some.
Overall, although, I really like how the sport stays trustworthy, visually, to its PS2 roots, whereas nonetheless making certain characters and backgrounds look polished. Oh, I additionally hardly ever skilled body fee points – that’s until I carried out Raidou’s final assault, Spirit Slash. This would typically trigger somewhat little bit of slowdown, however by no means to a level that it price me a battle or something.
In the top, I had a blast with Raidou Remastered. I used to be eager to finish virtually each Case File, the principle story had me hooked, and naturally, I beloved summoning a few of my favourite demons from the SMT sequence. Combat, although pretty layered, may typically get somewhat samey and I actually want solo investigations didn’t really feel like a chore. But general, Atlus did a superb job with this remaster and I’m grateful that it’s enabled me – and so many different followers – to resolve this thriller for the very first time.
Should you play Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army?
Play it if…
Don’t play it if…
Accessibility options
The sport consists of subtitles, button remapping within the controls part, a management stick sensitivity slider, and the power to toggle vibrations on and off. There are another delicate adjustments you may make, corresponding to the choice to easily maintain the A button, relatively than press it repeatedly to restrict a demon. There are 4 tough modes, together with one which makes fight extraordinarily fundamental for individuals who need to primarily deal with story alone. There isn’t a colorblind mode for anybody searching for that out, although.
How I reviewed Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army:
I spent greater than 30 hours with Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army, taking part in by the principle story and the overwhelming majority of Case Files. I had the sport set on Private Eye issue – primarily regular. I’ve performed a ton of Atlus titles earlier than, from Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne by to Persona 3 Reload, so I used to be already lots acquainted with techniques like demon fusion.
I performed the Nintendo Switch 2 model of the sport, which I downloaded digitally through a code provided by Sega. Usually, I performed in docked mode in 1080p at 60fps, however I did strive taking part in for some time in handheld mode too. When docked, I had my Nintendo Switch 2 linked to the Sky Glass Gen 2, with audio taking part in from the Marshall Heston 120 soundbar.
First reviewed June 2025