Atlus really seems to be going all-in on its remasters. We’re getting improved versions of games that are far more accessible than before, which is great. That’s the general goal for any rerelease like this. However, we’re also seeing entirely new features and quality of life changes in these. Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster helped start to set the bar, and Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army continues that with further enhancements to Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs the Soulless Army, an already excellent game.
Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is an origin story set just after Japan’s Taisho era. Our character is the latest person to adopt the Raidou Kuzunoha XIV role after successfully completing devil summoner challenges. They’re set to Tokyo to work for the Narumi Detective Agency to handle supernatural cases involving supernatural forces alongside the mysterious Gouto-Douji and befriended demons. Raidou and Shohei Narumi get pulled into such a mystery when meeting with a teenager named Kaya Daidouji who begs for them to kill her. After Hell’s Pawn supernatural soldiers in red abduct her, Raidou gets directly involved in this case and other related demonic situations. It’s not the longest affair, with more than a few of the revelations being rather obvious, but it works as an introduction and doesn’t wear out its welcome.
While Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is a JRPG and SMT spin-off, it’s much more active than other entries. The game sends us around Tokyo to different spots and, as a perk here, fast travel is an option in this version to get to spots more quickly. Investigations involve not only talking to people and exploring locations, but calling upon demons to use their unique abilities to perform special actions to gain access to new information or areas Raidou can’t reach. Jaunts into the Dark Realm, a netherworld version of Tokyo, is also necessary to progress, get answers, and save people. It involves a lot of footwork in a good way that can feel more like an investigation, especially since you might need the right demon skill at the right time.
Fights in Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army involve an active battle system, compared to the turn-based ones in other SMT JRPGs. We directly control Raidou, who can attack with a sword, shoot with his gun, or perform magical attacks. Two demons can be summoned to fight alongside you, and you can set their strategy. Many of these are adjusted, either via rebalancing or new features. Raidou’s Summoner Skills, which involve Combat Skills like the elemental Sign spells, additional physical attacks, or ones that provide buffs such as Sword Skills. The combat system really feels competent and varied, allowing for so many approaches, and the remaster helps with that in so many ways. The extra customization elements from those skills and being able to adjust demonic allies’ through Skill Books and fusions is a huge boon.
In fact, I’d say that the nature of Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army makes demons feel better here than in any other SMT game. Part of this comes down to the way they are handled in the story. Demons are portrayed as both partners and friends who work productively alongside Raidou. They get along in a way we don’t see in the mainline SMT games and other spin-offs like Persona and Devil Survivor. They aren’t minions. They aren’t evil or lesser. They’re as adept and valued as Raidou himself. The fact that this remaster also ups the number of total characters by including ones from Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon and other SMT games makes it even better. Yes, we don’t get the exact kind of direct control you might appreciate from turn-based JRPGs. Still, it’s all handled quite well. Plus the remaster does remedy an issue the original version had, which is that there wasn’t as large of a selection of opponents as other SMT entries.
The general HD remaster boons we come to expect from games are also front and center in Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army. Yes, it does look better than the original. The voice acting is a nice perk as well. The English performances are generally strong. As someone who played the original, I felt like the updated graphics left the biggest impression. The original game looked fine, but didn’t feel like they had as much care as other PS2 SMT titles like Persona 3.
I mentioned earlier that a big selling point of these Atlus deciding to remaster games in particular is that it is giving people a chance to play an otherwise hard to access title, and that’s especially true with Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army. Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs the Soulless Army came out in Japan and the US in 2006, right when the PS3 debuted. It appeared when SMT was still a bit niche and Atlus did limited runs. As a result, the PS2 game can go for hundreds of dollars on places like Amazon and eBay. So even before we get into how much better the game looks, runs, and plays, this game’s existence is a boon for preservation purposes even if we don’t count all of the other points earlier highlighting how all of these additions make a great enjoyable game even more of a delight.
Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is a way to experience a fun piece of SMT history again, and it’s another example of Atlus going above and beyond for a remaster. The quality of life adjustments, like battle additions, fast travel system, and newly added demons, are all a big deal. So is making it all look and sound better. But in a way, getting easier, more affordable access to a great game is the best part of this package. In every way, it’s a stronger game than the original.
Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army will come to the Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on June 19, 2025.
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Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army
Undertake the case of the century in this must-play classic from ATLUS. The studio behind Shin Megami Tensei remasters “Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army” with revamped visuals, QOL updates, new VO, and an overhauled battle system! Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes.
Raidou Remastered is a way to experience a fun piece of SMT history, and it’s another example of Atlus going above and beyond for a remaster.