Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army released to a pretty respectable reception from critics and fans alike, with many praising its modernization of the 2006 action RPG classic from the PS2. While not quite as recognizable as recent Persona and Shin Megami Tensei offerings, the game offers fans an excellent remaster that is foolish to overlook.

Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army Director and Producer Yamai Kazuyuki answered a few of our burning questions about why the game was remastered, the challenges faced during development, and the fan feedback that helped shape this remastered release!

Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army Director Interview

Q: What motivated the decision to remaster Raidou: The Mystery of the Soulless Army, and how do you see it fitting into the current gaming landscape?

A: “RAIDOU is an IP that has a special place in my heart, so I had always hoped to revive it one day. However, due to various circumstances, it was never the right time to turn that dream into a reality. The success of Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster eventually paved the way for a RAIDOU revival, with Shin Megami Tensei III serving as a blueprint for a RAIDOU remaster.“

“As an additional point to note, the original game was developed during a time when Japan felt hopeless amid an economic slump and global turmoil. With that in mind, we created Raidou Kuzunoha as a hero who could restore hope to Everyone. That’s why I’m certain that RAIDOU’s resurgence will resonate with people even in our current climate.”

Q: What were the biggest technical or creative challenges your team faced during the remastering process, and how did you overcome them?

A: “Many of the mechanics in RAIDOU Remastered come from the original game’s sequel, King Abaddon. This became a huge and laborious undertaking, as we needed to fine-tune those mechanics and other features.“

“The biggest hurdle, though, had to be gearing up for a multiplatform release. Each platform has different capabilities, so optimizing the game’s performance and stability was a struggle right up to the very end. However, players can rest assured that the game offers the same experience across all platforms. It’s hard to believe now, but I remember feeling so close to throwing in the towel because development was rough even at the eleventh hour, haha.”

Q: How did you balance preserving the essence of the original game while implementing modern improvements in mechanics, visuals, and player experience?

A: “We’ve considerably developed the gameplay so players can experience more of the excitement you’d expect from an action game. In this remaster, there are no command menus that disrupt the flow of battle, and both Raidou and the bosses have been drastically improved.”

“Now, you only need a single button to perform basic maneuveres like using items or summoning and returning demons. In addition to a new set of abilities, Raidou can form relationships with demons to help him inside and outside of battle. Lastly, bosses now require more real-time reactions thanks to their new attacks and moves.”

Q: Were there any elements from the original game that you considered updating but ultimately chose to keep intact for nostalgic or artistic reasons?

A: “We worked hard to ensure that the camera on the game’s overworld, the character portraits during cutscenes, and the opening movie that plays when you boot up the game retained their original charm while getting a higher resolution graphic overhaul. When RAIDOU Remastered’s opening was revealed on social media, many players were happy that the opening went unchanged—so we’re glad that we didn’t fiddle with it.”

Q: What role did fan feedback play in shaping Raidou Remastered, and were there any specific requests that significantly impacted the final product?

A: “You might not expect this, but I do check social media and blogs to read feedback from fans, haha. Everyone’s opinions are valuable, no matter what they have to say.”

“Among the changes added in RAIDOU Remastered, the revamped combat was heavily influenced by the feedback we’ve received from our fans. After the second game in the series, King Abaddon, came out, we received comments from fans saying that they’d love to play a version of Soulless Army with the gameplay of King Abaddon. When the original Soulless Army came out, players expressed that they enjoyed Raidou’s characters, setting, and story, but felt its gameplay left something to be desired. So, we decided that if we were going to revive Soulless Army, we’d do it by thoroughly incorporating King Abaddon’s mechanics. As it turned out, fans were completely on board with the idea.”

“We were able to make that goal a reality while our new generation of developers focused on thoroughly improving the game’s mechanics and adding features to create an experience suitable for a modern audience. In that sense, everyone’s feedback is what ultimately made this game.”

Message to the SEA fans of Raidou Remastered

“RAIDOU Remastered is an experience that stands out among ATLUS’s RPGs. It is structured as a detective story, where your demon partners’ unique abilities are the key to solving the case. There’s nothing quite like it in either the Persona or SMT series.”

“It’s also an action RPG. Should you choose any difficulty above the lowest difficulty setting, you may find that, unlike other RPGs, leveling up isn’t enough to take down some bosses. I hope that you have fun taking down some of the game’s most powerful enemies, whether you choose to hone your real-time combat skills or follow a walkthrough.”

Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is now available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, Switch, Switch 2, and PC via Steam.