Whether it's its quirky approach to the traditional RPG formula, or the consistency in quality of the titles it releases, Atlus has become one of the most popular and well-known developers in gaming. The recent sales success of Shin Megami Tensei 5 is evidence of this and it's only one of the many widely praised and beloved franchises the company owns.
Despite this, there was a time when Atlus was not as established of a name outside of Japan, but that didn’t stop it from making great games all throughout the 80s and into the 2000s. They may not be as well known as Persona or Dragons Crown, but these games still hold that endearing and unique flavor Atlus has come to be known for.
10 Double Dragon Advance
Although not an original Atlus IP, The Double Dragon series' first installment received a remaster for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. The game is a graphical upgrade of the 1987 beat 'em up classic, improving sprites and adding in detailed cutscenes between each level.
As strange as it may seem for Atlus to work on a game like Double Dragon, this remastered version is the same game that fans of the series came to love, just with some added graphical improvements and features. Using a link cable, you could even team up with a friend to take on the punishing levels and finish the relatively short game together.
9 Run Saber
If you enjoy classics like Ninja Gaiden or Strider, then Run Saber is right up your alley. Run Saber was a sci-fi themed action platformer released for the Super Nintendo back in 1993. A unique aspect that made the game stand out from others was its 2 player co-op mode.
A relatively short game with only five levels, Run Saber still presents a difficult challenge and is an underrated gem on the Super Nintendo. If it ever comes to the Switch’s online SNES collection, just look for the game with a 1980s sci-fi novel cover as its box art.
8 Revelations: The Demon Slayer
If Pokémon was the mainstream game that all the popular kids at school were playing, then Revelations: The Demon Slayer was the edgy, counter-culture game the kids hanging out under the bleachers were playing.
The Demon Slayer is a unique RPG that, similar to all of the Shin Megami Tensei games, allows you to recruit monsters you fight by talking with them. Uniquely, it also allowed you to trade monsters with other players using the Game Boy link cable.
7 Samurai Western
One of the things Atlus is best known for is thinking a little outside the box and trying something a bit different. Samurai Western demonstrates not only a premise that's a little outside the box, but is a game that gives the player a different experience than other run-of-the-mill hack and slash action games.
Samurai Western allows you to create and customize your samurai with weapons, accessories, clothes, abilities, and skill points unlike other games of its kind. The initial novelty of the game can start to wear off toward the end, but Samurai Western still provides a stylish experience with a variety of customizable aspects to help keep the game fresh and interesting.
6 Spud’s Adventure
It’s a shame that Atlus already claimed Jack Frost as a mascot, because having a potato instead would be the perfect way to sum up all we love about Atlus. A maze centered action-adventure game with all the quirky twists you'd expect from Atlus, Spud's Adventure captures the originality and inventiveness of Atlus perfectly.
The Game Boy title is a decently fun action-adventure game with some RPG staples sprinkled in. Perhaps the reason for its obscurity is the steep price an original cartridge fetches. Hopefully, Atlus brings the game onto newer consoles as part of a collection along with some of their other obscure titles worth playing.
5 Wacky Races
If you never had to watch old cartoon reruns on television in the 90s and early 2000s, you probably never got to experience the Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe. In essence, cartoon favorites like Scooby-Doo or Yogi Bear would come together and cross over on shows like Laff-A-Lympics, and Wacky Races.
Wacky Races featured the antagonist duo, Dastardly and Muttley, who try to win races by cheating. For whatever reason, Atlus was the sole publisher and developer of this lesser known NES game based on the show. It functions similarly in gameplay to the likes of Chip ‘n Dale or Darkwing Duck.
4 Power Instinct
Making a fighting game stand out back in the Super Nintendo era was almost impossible. Fighting games had an uphill battle against Street Fighter 2 or Mortal Kombat right out of the gate. For this reason, Power Instinct is less remembered, which is a shame because it at least had a dose of personality. Unlike most Street Fighter 2 clones, the fighting system was functional, and the story wasn't a rehashed end of the world plotline.
How many other fighting games are out there that include a karaoke mode? Yes, a karaoke mode! That's bold and inventive on a whole other level, and makes the game stand out from all other fighting games. Let's see Capcom have the gumption of Atlus and give us the karaoke version of Guile's Theme we've always wanted.
3 Shining Force: Resurrection Of The Dark Dragon
Atlus is a name synonymous with standard JRPGs, but they are just as highly regarded for their success with tactical RPGs. Shining Force: Resurrection of Dark Dragon, a remake of the original Sega Genesis classic, is one such strategy-based RPG Atlus published for the Gameboy Advance.
It balances battles and difficulty, has beautiful art, and adds a wealth of new content. The result is one of the best games for the Game Boy Advance and a perfect framework of how to craft a remake.
2 Wizardry: Tales Of The Forsaken Land
Wizardry is a name and game that most people’s first initial thoughts would go to the NES or even the Apple 2 computer, but it's a series that is still going strong today. Knowing all this, a spinoff title published by Atlus for the PS2, Tales Of The Forsaken Land, is one that even Wizardry experts may not readily recall.
Tales of The Forsaken Land is much like other Wizardry games with intricate dungeon crawling and plenty of characters to meet. The game was given average scores but still features some beautiful art reminiscent of Dragons Crown and a rich and engaging story.
1 Maken X
The Shin Megami Tensei series has more spinoffs and side series than even Atlus can probably keep track of, and whereas some of them aren’t all too worth remembering, there are others that showed a lot of promise.
Maken X is a first-person hack and slash game with a sentient sword guiding your character through a story as convoluted as Kingdom Hearts. If you enjoy the first person swordplay of games like Skyrim, Red Steel, or Shadow Warrior 2, Maken X is an early ancestor of such games that is worth trying out.