The genius of Atlus

Atlus has become one of the most reliable international developers and publishers of games.  Previously confined to the shores of Japan, their influence has grown in recent years by leaps and bounds.

Atlus is a unique entity in the gaming world.  Not only are they an accomplished developer, but they’re also a highly successful publisher.  When you buy a game that has an Atlus logo on it, you know what you’re getting: high artistic value, addictive gameplay, memorable music, and a certain personality unique to games they’ve played a role in bringing to the market.  Atlus’ Wikipedia entry dedicated to the games they’ve developed and published shows just how many well-respected titles they have in their stables.  Here are some examples of the well-regarded games that can be attributed to them.

As a developer

Characters from Persona 4, a Megami Tensei offshoot.

Megami Tensei is by far Atlus’ largest franchise, spanning more than two decades, multiple series offshots, and 17 different gaming platforms.  Once stuck in Japan, the series has found a highly devoted group of fans in hardcore gaming/otaku circles in countries around the world.  Megami Tensei games are not for the weak-hearted, due to their brutal difficulty and steep learning curves.  Still, if you’re an RPG fanatic, Megami Tensei titles deserve a spot on your gaming shelf.

While Megami Tensei is popular in Japan and amongst the hardcore in North America, it’s the Trauma Center series that has found huge success in the west.  Anthony Burch (of Hey Ash Watcha Playin? and Gearbox fame) said it best: Trauma Center is “a series of lateral thinking puzzles requiring lightning fast reflexes.”  The storyline is a bit out there, but the gameplay is intense, requiring you to maintain your focus under extreme circumstances.  Trauma Center games have only appeared on two platforms so far (the DS and the Wii), but it will inevitably make an appearance on the 3DS and the upcoming new Nintendo console.

Etrian Odyssey III wraps up the extremely popular dungeon-crawler series...for now.

Etrian Odyssey, another wildly popular Atlus series, has appeared exclusively on the DS.  Bringing back memories of first-person dungeon crawlers from yesteryear, Etrian Odyssey’s claim to fame is the need to manually create a map of the various dungeons you explore.  This twist on the common pen and paper maps that were necessary to navigate dungeon crawlers from the early 80′s, combined with Etrian Odyssey’s gorgeous art direction and unbridled difficulty, have granted it a special place in modern gamers’ hearts.

Radiant Historia, a recently released RPG epic for the Nintendo DS, has captured the fascination of gamers the world over.  With a soundtrack by legendary game composer Yoko Shimomura, a time-travel story filled with political intrigue, and a strong roster of characters, Radiant Historia is easily one of the better RPGs released in the past decade.  If you own a DS and even remotely enjoy RPGs, you absolutely have to pick up a copy.

As a publisher

Creating instant classics isn’t the only thing Atlus does well…they also have a hand in publishing some of the industry’s most beloved titles.  There are far too many for us to go over individually, so here’s a list of some of the better known games they’ve played a role in bringing to market, whether in the states or overseas:

• Tactics Ogre
• Guilty Gear
• Odin Sphere
• The Dark Spire
• Yggdra Union: We’ll Never Fight Alone
• R-Type Command
• Metal Slug XX
• Knights in the Nightmare
• Demon’s Souls
• 3D Dot Game Heroes

Developed by From Software and published in North America by Atlus, Demon's Souls will test the patience of any gamer.

Every one of those games provides hours of entertainment to the hardcore gamer, offering up challenges and experiences you simply won’t find anywhere else.  Take Demon’s Souls as an example: it’s arguably the hardest game to come out in a LONG time, yet it’s nearly impossible to stop playing.  Despite the near futility in trying, it creates a need to conquer that will consume your every waking moment.  It cares not for your sanity, as its only goal is the complete annihilation of any confidence you have in your gaming ability.  Playing Demon’s Soul is akin to playing Ninja Gaiden Black on Master Ninja: the goal isn’t to actually beat it, but rather to say that you came out of it alive.

The Dark Spire offers a challenge as well, but not in the same way as Demon’s Souls.  See, Demon’s Souls is, by all accounts, a modern game that’s insanely hard.  On the other hand, The Dark Spire is anything but a modern game: it’s a resurrection of a bygone era, when games offered you no quarter.  Your wits alone are not enough to brave the foul depths of its hellish halls, causing you to rely on caution, planning, and plain dumb luck.  The above list isn’t all soul-crushing difficulty though, as 3D Dot Game Heroes manages to pull inspiration from a variety of games while maintaining its own unique personality.  If you grew up on the NES-era Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy games, this is one you absolutely can’t miss.

Developed by Silicon Studio and distributed in North America by Atlus, 3D Dot Game Heroes is the epitome of a nostalgia trip.

Then you have games like Knights in the Nightmare and Odin Sphere, two titles that defy the ability to be shoehorned into a single genre, and demand their own thrones to sit on.  After all, when was the last time you heard someone say a game was just like Odin Sphere?  (Before you mention Princess Crown, it doesn’t count…Odin Sphere is its spiritual successor.)  As for Knights in the Nightmare, you need to look no further than Wikipedia’s description: a ”strategy-shooter role-playing game hybrid”, which sounds about as likely as a “post-punk emo hip-hop group”.

The future

Atlus will be publishing Trine 2 in North America.

Whether they are acting as developers or publishers, Atlus’ name has been consistently attached to games that appeal primarily to hardcore gamers. Despite concerns after their parent company Index Holdings revoked Atlus’ status as an autonomous entity, Atlus reassured their fans of their continued commitment to great games.  More releases in the Megami Tensei franchise are on tap, as are the hotly anticipated Catherine and upcoming sequel to Trine (which Atlus will be publishing.)  The future is looking bright for one of the best companies in the business, ensuring gamers have years of challenging and unique titles to look forward to.

What are your favourite Atlus games?