The best Atlus games written

Key points

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

Since the launch of Persona 3 in 2006, Atlus has been a leader in producing popular JRPGs. Atlus' game library is filled with some of the best written gaming stories. Atlus games aren't afraid to take the time to tell these stories, with many titles averaging nearly 100 hours of gameplay.

Since the 1990s, Atlus has explored controversial and mature topics in its games. Themes revolving around death, reality, adultery, and racism appear throughout its video game library. Few companies in the video game industry have produced as many high-quality stories as Atlus.

10 Catherine

Catherine stands out from most Atlus games in that it is primarily a puzzle game rather than a role-playing game, although it retains a rich story. Rather than focusing on saving the world or fighting demons, the story centers on the question of faithfulness in relationships.

Catherine is one of Atlus' most controversial games, as it explores themes that challenge social norms, such as the ethics of polygamy and whether it's possible to truly care for a partner while committing adultery.

The game's unique approach to relationships and adult themes makes it challenging, even if some character decisions can feel forced. Additionally, some comments on issues such as misogyny may have an unpleasant resonance for some players.

9 Person 5

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

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

Perhaps more than any other Persona, Persona 5 appeals most to teenagers and young adults. If Persona 3 is about death and Persona 4 is about truth, Persona 5 is about rebellion. Almost all of the authority figures in Persona 5 use their position of prominence to satisfy their ambitions.

Most of the main cast have been mistreated by adults and are trying to upset the social hierarchy of seniority equating with authority.

8 Radiant history

Often compared to Chrono Trigger, Radiant Historia uses time travel clichés to advance its story. To achieve the best outcome in a devastating war, Radiant Historia encourages players to replay the game, completing as much as possible to reach the perfect ending.

The protagonist, Stocke, finds himself in a unique situation, serving two different armies depending on the timeline. This dual perspective allows players to witness the war unfold on both sides, offering a nuanced view of the conflicting philosophies and cultures of the two warring societies.

7 Person 4

Atlus takes cues from Scooby-Doo by creating a story around a gang of hip teenagers who set out to solve a murder mystery. Persona 4 features bizarre characters and leans more towards madness than realism, with a light-hearted story, at least on the surface.

While Persona 4 may not explore its themes as deeply as other Atlus games, or aim for the same level of ambition, it establishes its identity quickly and sticks to it. Persona 4 carries its story forward 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 is already too late to save the world; instead, your role is to reshape the new one. You're competing against other characters who want to shape the world according to their own vision. Along the way, you are introduced to disturbing characters and cult ideologies which add to the dark atmosphere.

Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne relies heavily on environmental storytelling and 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 fear and impending doom.

5 Shin Megami Tensei: A Strange Journey

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey follows a squad of marines as they explore Antarctica to uncover the secrets behind an apocalyptic event known as the Schwarzwelt. Unlike most games in the Shin Megami Tensei series, which rely more on atmosphere and minimal narrative, Strange Journey is packed with cutscenes and dialogue.

Player choice is crucial, as you must choose between a world ruled by law or chaos. Throughout the game, you encounter arguments about whether the world should follow the mantra of survival of the fittest – where demons and humans compete for supremacy – or submit to a holy leader in total 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 consecutively to fully appreciate them. Digital Devil Saga itself offers a solid plot, but with so many cliffhangers, you can't take in all the brilliance of the first game without finishing its sequel.

Digital Devil Saga is heavily inspired by Hindu tradition, with themes similar to the legendary Asura. The characters are in a constant state of conflict and there is a huge war that seems to have no clear purpose. Digital Devil Saga is one of the most traditional and plot-heavy RPGs in its narrative, especially when compared to the more 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 a detailed utopia while exposing the horrors of how a “perfect” world might work in real life.

Metaphor: ReFantazio features the greatest antagonist of any Atlus game: Louis. Louis is the embodiment of a despicable person, a character you truly love to hate and can't wait to punish through Metaphor's many twists and turns.

2 Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, one of the best duologies of all time, are set in a world where rumors become reality. Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is an alternate reality that answers many of the “What if…?” questions you may have thought about while playing Persona 2: Innocent Sin.

In Persona 2, characters' Personas represent their inner psyche. Many characters struggle with their identities and the antagonist, Joker, a voice who has transformed into a living being, criticizes each character's inner demons.​​​​​​​

1 Person 3

Patience is richly rewarded in Persona 3. It takes time for the game's plot to take hold, and until the final month, the focus is more on themes like how characters deal with death. Persona 3 has a slow build, but the story comes together with a memorable climax in the game's final chapter.

Persona 3 also features the most mature social connections of the Persona games. Rare interactions with Akinari, a terminally ill man, have a shocking impact. Later versions of Persona 3 introduce social links with your robot ally, Aigis, that explore her experience adapting to humanity and allude to significant moments in the game's ending.

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