Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army

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Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army
Single-player

Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army[a] is an action role-playing game developed by Atlus for the PlayStation 2. The game is the third in the Devil Summoner series, which is a part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. It was published by Atlus in Japan and North America in 2006, and in Europe the following year.

The game differs from the two previous Devil Summoner titles in having real-time battles and a named protagonist and is first in the entire franchise to be set in the past – specifically the year 1931, the fictional twentieth year of the

mythological figures. Though somewhat criticized for being the shortest of recent games in the franchise, it generally received favorable reception. In April 2014, the game was ported to the PlayStation 3 on the PlayStation Store. A sequel, Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon
, was released in 2008.

Gameplay

Unlike previous Megami Tensei games which used turn-based battle systems, the battle system used in Devil Summoner is real-time. The player character, Raidou Kuzunoha, can attack with either his close range sword or his long range gun. He can also summon a demon from his collection to assist him in battle. Battles themselves take place in small enclosed "arenas" and can generally be escaped from, though this takes a random amount of time. Battles take place against a variety of demons that the player will encounter randomly while exploring the map, with different demons appearing depending on where the player is. The player can capture these demons after weakening them, and then summon them in battle to fight on their side. Devil Summoner also allows fusion between demons. However, the demons must have loyalty towards Raidou; to increase the Loyalty, they must fight together through many battles. A high level of loyalty unlocks also a combined attack with the sword or the gun. Aside from the basic "two-for-one" fusion, a demon can also be fused into Raidou's sword, thus making the weapon more powerful.

Outside of combat, the player is free to explore multiple areas of

Taishō period Tokyo. Many real-life historical districts are represented here, like Tsukudo-cho, although usually under fictional names. The player can also travel the Shinoda Shrine (actually Hijiri Shrine) at Izumi, Osaka, which features prominently in the Kuzunoha
legend of whom Raidou shares a surname.

Plot

The game begins by introducing the player character, Raidou Kuzunoha XIV, a Japanese high school aged detective who is also a 'Devil Summoner'.Raidou and his cat Gouto-Douji work at the Narumi Detective Agency headed by lead detective Shohei Narumi. Raidou is there under the orders of the Yatagarasu, a mysterious organization dedicated to protecting the future of Japan from otherworldly threats. As the assigned protector of the Capital, Tokyo, it is Raidou's job to dispel any demonic or otherworldly threats to the city. During a routine investigation for the Agency, Raidou and Narumi meet with their client, a young high school girl named Kaya Daidōji. She mysteriously requests for the pair to kill her, but before Raidou and Narumi can enquire further, soldiers in red armour and capes appear, kidnap Kaya, and fight off Raidou. Just as quickly as they appeared, the soldiers vanish, along with Kaya, leaving Raidou and Narumi stunned. Narumi believes it is their responsibility to track down Kaya's whereabouts and solve the mystery of her request, as the Agency technically accepted the case and it is obvious to the pair that something strange is afoot.

This course of action leads Raidou searching across Tokyo for clues, all while demonic appearances across the city increase in frequency. He investigates a number of notable locations, including Kaya's family mansion, a strange 'Dark World' version of Tokyo, where no humans reside and demons roam freely, as well as multiple military bases where it is clear the army is planning something big. The case also leads him to meeting a variety of people in Tokyo, including Tae Asakura, a local journalist and friend of Narumi. He helps her get a breakthrough in a case of a demonic murder spree, and frequently helps Raidou by providing him with information. He also meets the historical figure Grigori Rasputin, despite the fact that he should be dead by this point in time. The two form somewhat of a rivalry throughout the game, as they're both powerful Devil Summoners. He is a recurring character in the story, and also makes appearances in the sequel, Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon.

Overall, the story follows Raidou through his investigation as he scours all of Tokyo for clues, while meeting various important people in the city and uncovering something greater than either Raidou or Narumi could ever have suspected.

Development

Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army is the third entry in the Devil Summoner series, which forms part of the larger Megami Tensei series developed and published by Atlus: as with other entries, its narrative takes the form of a modern-day detective story as opposed to the series' more prevalent post-apocalyptic settings.[3] The concept for Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army began in 2003, coming to producer Kazuyuki Yamai while he was feeling under pressure during the creation of the Maniax edition for Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. After the release and positive reception, the development team decided to move on to a project that would offer new challenges. During these discussions, multiple team members voiced their wish to create a new Devil Summoner.[4][5] The initial concept was for a small-scale, low-budgeted title for a portable system, which many felt fitted with the themes and gameplay mechanics of Devil Summoner. As the scale of their ideas increased, using a portable gaming device became impractical, and so they expanded the narrative to fit their grander vision.[5] One of the hardest parts of gameplay to perfecting the new systems, which required a lot of trial and error and multiple redrafts to the game's proposed elements.[6] The biggest change from previous Megami Tensei titles was that demons were visibly following the player around environments. The variety of demons, which took in multiple world mythologies, also fitted in with the game's chosen setting.[7] The music was composed by Shoji Meguro, a regular composer and sound director for the Megami Tensei series. Unlike many of his previous compositions, Meguro made heavy use of wind instrumentation and a jazzy accompaniment in tune with the game's setting. For his inspiration, Meguro drew on the soundtracks created for procedural crime dramas on television. For battle themes, he continued to use his signature guitar-heavy "MegaTen sound". Meguro also handled the recording of vocal effects for the demons. Despite being little more than odd sounds and gibberish, the sounds were recorded with professional voice actors.[8][9]

The basic concept for the story as visualized by Yamai was for a modern detective drama, which fitted in with the previous games' detective story style.

supersoldiers using then-existing technology with the aim of global expansion, a sentiment dominant in Japan at the time. Their red cloaks were influenced by the urban legend of the Aka Manto.[13]

Raicho Hiratsuka, a famous Japanese women's activist. They also wanted a writer-type character who could investigate the city's supernatural phenomena from a writer's perspective equivalent to the noted folklore writer Kunio Yanagita.[15] For the character designs for the game, the team tried to stay as true as possible to clothing of the time: for instance, Kuzunoha's outfit was based on the typical Japanese male high school uniform of the time. Many of the demons used in the game were carried over from previous games for the PlayStation 2 console, but they were given revamped textures so they looked distinct from their earlier counterparts.[8]

Release

Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army was first revealed in July 2005 in an issue of

Electronic Entertainment Expo.[18] The game's localization was handled by Atlus USA, and led by regular project leader Yu Namba. As with previous localization works, the team stayed as close as possible to the original text, although some adjustments needed to be made such as a Japanese song being changed to a more recognisable English one, and the removal of a mahjong minigame due to the total lack of a tutorial and its minor player benefits. Something unique to the localized version was the incorporation of 1920s slang into character dialogue.[8][19] In Europe, the game was published by Koei.[2] The two Raidou Kuzunoha titles received limited reprints in 2012 to commemorate the release of the 3DS port of Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers and give new players a chance to experience earlier entries in the Devil Summoner series. It was explained at the time that their release on PlayStation Network (PSN) was being delayed due to the software the Devil Summoner games were created for being incompatible with the then-current version of PSN.[20] Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army eventually released on PSN on April 1, 2014.[21]

Reception

Reception towards the game was generally positive. GameSpot rated it 7.3 out of 10, saying that it "definitely delivers on the unique storyline front, serving up a dark narrative filled with a variety of personable and powerful demons to recruit, control, and fuse." even though it was "not as polished as previous games in the series.".[22] IGN UK rated it 7.2 out of 10, pointing out that the only flaw is with the visuals and they were "rather unappealing, and the lack of a strong plot to begin with could easily turn some people away;" however, he did praise the use of multiple demons within the historical Japanese setting.[23]

On the other hand, the game received some high praises. For instance, Netjak rated it 9.1 out of 10. It praised the use of demons with the game's battle system and a good story.[24] digital entertainment news rated it 8.5 out of 10, removing points based on the uneven tone and lack of voice acting.[25]

Notes

  1. ^ Debiru Samanā: Kuzunoha Raidō tai Chōriki Heidan (Japanese: デビルサマナー 葛葉ライドウ対超力兵団)

References

  1. ^ a b Winkler, Chsi (October 19, 2006). "Devil Summoner Receives Budget Re-Release". RPGFan. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Purchese, Rob (February 26, 2007). "SMT: Devil Summoner for Europe". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2007.
  3. ^ Lada, Jenny (November 13, 2009). "Important Importables: Shin Megami Tensei". Technology Tell. Archived from the original on September 13, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Yamai, Kazuyuki (October 3, 2007). [山井一千] 【闇ぃ日記】 第1回. Atlus. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e :::デビルサマナー 葛葉ライドウ 対 超力兵団::: - 第二回（前編）. Atlus. July 22, 2005. Archived from the original on February 2, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  6. ^ a b :::デビルサマナー 葛葉ライドウ 対 超力兵団::: - 第二回（後編）. Atlus. August 5, 2005. Archived from the original on June 7, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  7. ^ :::デビルサマナー 葛葉ライドウ 対 超力兵団::: - 第八回. Atlus. 2005. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  8. ^
    ISBN 978-0761554479. Transcript Archived June 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ :::デビルサマナー 葛葉ライドウ 対 超力兵団::: - 第九回. Atlus. 2006. Archived from the original on April 10, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  10. ^ a b 金子一馬氏自らが『デビルサマナー』の最新作を語った！. Famitsu. March 2, 2006. Archived from the original on September 29, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  11. ^ a b :::デビルサマナー 葛葉ライドウ 対 超力兵団::: - 第六回. Atlus. 2005. Archived from the original on April 10, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  12. 1UP.com. Archived from the original
    on March 5, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  13. ^ :::デビルサマナー 葛葉ライドウ 対 超力兵団::: - 第七回. Atlus. 2005. Archived from the original on August 7, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  14. ^ a b :::デビルサマナー 葛葉ライドウ 対 超力兵団::: - 第一回. Atlus. July 8, 2005. Archived from the original on April 8, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  15. ^ :::デビルサマナー 葛葉ライドウ 対 超力兵団::: - 第三回（前編）. Atlus. August 19, 2005. Archived from the original on August 7, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  16. ^ IGN Staff (July 6, 2005). "New Devil Summoner Game".
  17. ^ :::デビルサマナー 葛葉ライドウ 対 超力兵団::: - 第五回. Atlus. 2005. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  18. ^ Alfonso, Andrew (May 10, 2006). "E3 2006: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner Hands-On".
  19. ^ "Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner Interview". Digital Devil Database. Archived from the original on February 11, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  20. ^ Sahdev, Ishaan (April 10, 2013). "Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers Interview On The Missing MegaTen Game". Siliconera. Archived from the original on August 17, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  21. ^ "Latest | Official PlayStation™Store US". store.playstation.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016.
  22. ^ Gamespot's SMT Devil Summoner review. Archived December 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on July 13, 2008.
  23. ^ Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner UK Review. Archived September 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on July 13, 2008.
  24. ^ Netjak's Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army review. Archived May 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on July 13, 2008.
  25. ^ Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner. Archived October 9, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on July 13, 2008.

External links

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