The best games written by Atlus

Key foods

• Atlus is a leader in JRPG production and delivers some of the best stories ever written in gaming.
• Atlus explores mature themes such as death, adultery, and racism in its games.
• Some notable games like Persona 5 focus on rebellion, while others like Catherine challenge social norms.

Since the release of Persona 3 in 2006, Atlus has been at the forefront of producing popular JRPGs. Atlus' game library is filled with some of the best stories ever written in gaming. Atlus games aren't afraid to take their time telling these stories, with many titles averaging close to 100 hours of gameplay.

Since the 90s, Atlus has explored controversial and mature themes in its games. Themes around death, reality, adultery, and racism appear throughout its video game library. Few game companies have produced as many quality stories as Atlus.

10 Catherine

Catherine stands out from most of Atlus' games in that it's primarily a puzzle game rather than an RPG, though it retains a rich story. Instead of focusing on saving the world or fighting demons, the story focuses on the issue of loyalty in relationships.

Catherine is one of Atlus' most controversial games, as it explores themes that challenge social norms — such as the morality of polygamy and whether one can truly care about one's partner while committing adultery.

The game's unique take on adult relationships and themes make it thought-provoking, although some of the characters' decisions may feel forced. Additionally, some of the comments on issues like misogyny may hit uncomfortably close to home for some players.

9 Persona 5

In Persona 5, you play as a group of thieves who infiltrate people's minds to steal their materialistic and greedy desires, aiming to reform their hearts and make them better people in real life.

The story differs from most Atlus games in that many events are told in the past tense, as they are recounted in interrogation.

Perhaps more than any other character, Persona 5 appeals more to teenagers and young adults. If Persona 3 is about death and Persona 4 is about truth, Persona 5 is about rebellion. Almost all the powerful people in Persona 5 abuse their prominent position to satisfy their own ambitions.

Most of the main characters have been abused by adults and seek to disrupt the social hierarchy of seniority equaling authority.

8 Radiation history

Often compared to Chrono Trigger, Radiant Historia uses time travel tricks to advance its story. To achieve the best result in a devastating war, Radiant Historia encourages players to replay the game and complete as many as possible to reach the perfect ending.

The protagonist, Stock, finds himself in the unique position of serving two different armies depending on the timeline. This dual perspective allows players to witness the war unfold from both sides, providing a different perspective on the contrasting philosophies and cultures of the two warring societies.

7 Persona 4

Atlus takes a page from Scooby-Doo by crafting a story about a group of teenage kids trying to solve a murder mystery. Persona 4 has quirky characters and leans more towards cleverness than realism, with a heartwarming story – at least on the surface.

While Persona 4 may not explore its themes as much as other Atlus games, or reach the same level of ambition, it quickly establishes its own identity and sticks to it. Persona 4 executes its story well, consistently providing cliffhangers to keep players engaged from chapter to chapter.

6 Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne

In Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne, it's too late to save the world. Instead, your role is to change the new shape. You are competing with other characters who each want to shape the world according to their vision. Along the way, you meet eerie characters and cult ideologies that add to the dark atmosphere.

Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne relies heavily on story and ambient atmosphere. The plot is minimalist and character development is not the main focus. Through its subtlety, Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne evokes deep emotions, constantly instilling a sense of dread and impending doom.

5 Shin Megami Tensei: A Strange Journey

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey follows a team of marines exploring Antarctica to uncover the secrets of an apocalyptic event known as the Schwarzsolt. Unlike most games in the Shin Megami Tensei series, which rely more on atmosphere and minimal storytelling, Strange Journey is full of cutscenes and dialogue.

Player choice is crucial, as you must choose between a world ruled by law or chaos. Throughout the game, you'll encounter debates over whether the world should follow the survival of the fittest mantra—where demons and humans compete for supremacy—or submit to a holy leader in complete unity, at the expense of free will.

4 Digital Devil Saga and Digital Devil Saga 2

The two Digital Devil Saga games must be played back-to-back to fully appreciate them. Digital Devil Saga offers a solid plot on its own, but with so many cliffhangers, you can't fully appreciate the brilliance of the first game without finishing the sequel.

The digital demon saga draws heavily from Hindu mythology with themes similar to the mythical Asuras. The characters are in a constant state of conflict and there is a massive war that seems to have no clear purpose. Digital Devil Saga is one of the more traditional RPGs in its storytelling, especially compared to the atmospheric narrative style of most Shin Megami Tensei games.

Many of the games in the Atlus library are set in dark, dystopian worlds. Metaphor: ReFantazio goes in the opposite direction, presenting an elaborate utopia while revealing the horrors of how a “perfect” world works in real life.

Metaphor: ReFantazio features the greatest antagonist in any Atlus game – Louis. Louie is the epitome of a loathsome person, a character you really love to hate and look forward to punishing during the many twists in the metaphor.

2 Persona 2: Innocent Guilt and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

One of the best duos of all time, Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment take place in a world where rumors become reality. Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is an alternate reality that has many “what if…?” Questions you might have thought about while playing Persona 2: Innocent Sin.

In Persona 2, the personalities of the characters represent their inner souls. Many of the characters struggle with their identities, and the antagonist, the Joker—a rumor-turned-being—challenges each character's inner demons.

1 Persona 3

Patience is greatly rewarded in Persona 3. It takes a while for the plot to settle in and by the end of the month the focus is more on things like how the characters deal with death. Persona 3 has a slow build, but the story builds up to a memorable climax in the game's final chapter.

Persona 3 also has the most mature social links of the Persona games. Rare interactions with Akinari, a man suffering from a terminal illness, are very moving. Later versions of Persona 3 introduce social bonds with your robot ally, Aigis, which explores her experience adjusting to humanity and hints at key moments in the endgame.

Persona 3 is not only the best game written by Atlus, but also one of the best written RPGs of all time.