Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army Is Shaping Up to Be One of Atlus' Best Games

Atlus and Sega had quite a momentous 2024 with the release of big hits like Persona 3 Reload, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and Metaphor: ReFantazio. This year, Atlus is taking it a bit easy with its releases. Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is Atlus' first release in 2025. While it's not a new game, Atlus has gone the extra mile to make it feel like one.

I spent three hours playing the remaster's first two chapters, and it's shaping up to be one of Atlus' best games, especially from a combat angle. Aside from Persona 5 Strikers, Atlus is known for its turn-based combat, but Raidou takes the opposite route and has real-time action. It's a departure from what recent Atlus fans are used to, but it's a welcome one after years of creating turn-based games.

What I didn't expect was the enormous combat overhaul. There are a bunch of new changes that make the gameplay so much more modern. To use special skills, Raidou and his demonic allies must expend MAG. In the original game, an ally demon had separate MP bars to unleash attacks, and MP needed to be restored at inns for a price.

However, MAG has been drastically changed, and now Raidou and his allies share a single MAG bar while the individual demons' MP bars are gone. While that might seem restrictive, Raidou can now recover MAG by hitting enemies with his weak attacks, which is called the MAG Drain mechanic. It offers a level of freedom that was absent from the original game. I now don't have to go back and forth between inns to restore a Demon's MP. It's a huge change that improves the game's pacing.

Raidou's gun combat has been overhauled, too. In the original game, Raidou's revolver was incredibly finicky, and it felt like his bullets barely made an impact. A new Shooting Mode makes it much easier to aim in the remaster. It's a welcome change that encourages players to switch combat styles.

I'm also impressed by the game's visual enhancements. The graphics look sharper and cleaner. Atlus also took the time to add in some cinematic flair. For example, new attacks called Devil's Bane and Spirit Slash activate when stunning enemies. These attacks let Raidou enter a short cutscene similar to Persona's All-Out-Attacks and inflict massive damage. Trying to activate these attacks feels like I have a goal to work towards rather than simply winning the battle. The payoff feels immense.

Additionally, camera angles have also improved. When recruiting new demons, Raidou confines them like how a player would capture a Pokémon by holding down a button. In the original game, the camera always stayed at a fixed angle, showing the wider battlefield. Now, the camera zooms in on Raidou during the confinement process, making it feel like a special moment, like capturing a rare Pokémon.

Atlus' recent games have been known for their flashy battle results screens. In Persona and Metaphor: ReFantazio, the characters walk and run out of frame for dramatic effect while you read how much experience and currency you've earned from the battle. While this remaster isn't as flashy, Atlus put in effort to make it more visually appealing. The results screen is much brighter and is decorated with wispy cherry blossom trees to give it more personality than before.

I'm excited to see what the rest of Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army has in store for me. The opening hours were more than I could've imagined and were a huge improvement over the original game. Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army launches on June 19 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S.