The Shin Megami Tensei series has had many spinoffs over the years. We all know of the big names like Persona, but there is also the action RPG sub series Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha. This is a very different take on Shin Megami Tensei that originally came out in 2006 as a spinoff of the SMT spinoff Devil Summoner, and blended action gameplay with 1930s noir film fiction storytelling. This was a very different take on the franchise, and didn’t really land saleswise, but has developed a cult fanbase.
RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is a new remaster for modern platforms that goes above and beyond a normal remaster, both for good and for bad. Many quality of life improvements have been added and aspects of the game have been tweaked to make the game more enjoyable, as well as new content being added. This works well to modernize the game and improve combat and demon fusion, but there is also the fact that a lot of what made the original experience stand out is gone. These may have been in service to remove the rougher aspect of the game, but that is part of why fans loved it.
RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army sees players take the role of Raidou Kuzunoha XIV, a new member of an organization of Devil Summoners who take on threats to the world. Raidou heads to Tokyo and works in a detective agency alongside his talking cat Gouto, and the two soon find themselves uncovering a conspiracy that threatens the world.
As mentioned above, RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is an action RPG, but that is only one part of the game. The other aspect is the detective story nature ( we did mention this was film noir inspired after all), that sees you uncovering leads and discovering clues to solve the mystery. It can be a bit awkward at times and even come across as something of a fetch quest here and there, but it does try something very different than other games in the Megami Tensei franchises.
The story is dark, but not as dark as the main Shin Megami Tensei games, and instead RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army leans into the hardboiled detective aspect as much as it can. The developers were not afraid to get goofy at times and poke fun at detective fiction, while setting up a well done story. It helps that voice acting has been added here, which really helps improve the overall experience.
But you are probably most interested in the combat aspect of the gameplay, seeing as this is an action RPG after all. Atlus heavily refined the hack ‘n’ slash gameplay of the original, removing the fixed camera and clunky movements, and made things much smoother to play. There is no random combat this time, as you will see a foe before a battle and can choose to go for it or not.
In battle, Raidou is accompanied by two partner demons that you can choose from, and these demons will fight independently from Raidou. The demons will use skills that draw from a shared MP pool (referred to as MAG), and only Raidou can replenish MAG by using proper combos to replenish your supply, while dealing damage. It is a bit more complicated than just attack and magic though, as you need to use different ways to exploit the enemy weaknesses to put enemies into a Stun state that will let them take extra damage. You have to be very careful when in combat and think strategically, but with the various changes to RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army, the combat now feels almost like a cross between Devil May Cry and Pokemon Legends Arceus, and that is excellent.
Of course Demon Fusion is also present in this game, being a staple of the Shin Megami Tensei series, and the remaster has reworked it to make it simpler and more intuitive to use. It is now easier to search for potential fusions as well as pass on skills and traits to new demons, which avoids many of the frustrating parts of the Demon Fusion in previous games. Plus there are many new demons available, some as DLC, from later games, to give you much more variety in terms of options and gameplay.
One thing to note is that RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army has some strange visual choices. It has removed the pre-rendered backgrounds and replaced them with 3D environments, but the fixed camera angle is still a major issue that can throw you off at a moments notice. What is worse is that the grainy film look that helped establish a film noir look for the game has been taken out, and while it may look better in some ways, it is missing something here.
RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army runs extremely well on Switch 2, running in full 60 FPS gameplay and the game does look stunning in motion, especially the combat. If not for the awkward camera and some texture issues, it would be perfect visually. With regards to audio, RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army has a fantastic soundtrack that mixes jazz, hard rock, and music reminiscent of the mainline Shin Megami Tensei games to create something unique for itself.
RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army may not be a game for everyone, but it really is a fun spinoff of Shin Megami Tensei and Devil Summoner, and feels like a great second chance for a game that was overlooked at the time. It greatly shakes up the standard Shin Megami Tensei formula and manages to create a very unique experience in terms of an action RPG, especially with its inclusion of the detective elements. This is one easy to recommend, even with some of the strange choices, and RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is a game that RPG fans should definitely give a chance.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
