Atlus have proven time and time again that when it comes to makingtop-notch JRPGs, no one can do it with quite as much style and flare as they can, having released some of the genre’s most beloved games over the last few decades. While a lot of their games carry over the traditional core components of classic RPGs, such as turn-based combat and a party system, many of them also share the brutal difficulty which had become synonymous withrole-playing games back in the 90sand early 2000s.
Although Atlus have admittedly made somewhat of an attempt in recent years to dial down the difficulty of their games to make them a bit more accessible and easier to grasp, they still have a pretty substantial catalog of unforgiving titles under their belt which will provide a trust test of anyone who feels like they’ve mastered the genre. Therefore, for any RPG fans out there who are looking for a brand-new, challenging experience to jump into, look no further than these difficult Atlus games listed below.
7Revelations: Persona
Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 3.61
It’s clear when playing through the firstPersonagame that Atlus were still figuring out exactly what they wanted the series to be, and more specifically, how they could differentiate it from their other flagship series;Shin Megami Tensei. As a result, the game doesn’t include any of the mechanicsPersonawould eventually become known for, such as the Social Links, and although Persona were still available to use in battle, there are some who ended up being much more overpowered than others,with Gozu Tennoh and Urvashi being prime examples.
As a result of this, it means it’s all so easy to start using some of the weaker and less impressive Persona, only to run into a group of formidable enemies who will then wipe the floor with the entire party. So long as players take their time acquiring powerful Persona and aiming for the enemy’s weaknesses, the game is reasonably manageable, but it will still severely punish those who continue making mistakes both in and outside of combat.
6Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 3.62
AlthoughDevil Summoner: Soul Hackersplays very similarly to thePersonagames in its turn-based combat, it also places a much larger emphasis on collecting demons and using them in battle to help overcome the enemy. While it’s undoubtedly a ton of fun trying to collect as many demons as possible, it can still be fairly difficult actually managing them during an intense battle since they’re all drastically different in how they work, and what they excel at.
For example, demons who are classed as ‘friendly’ will prefer to use buffs and healing spells, so if the player were to order them to act more aggressively, there’s a high chance they will outright refuse the command altogether. Additionally,demons that have different personality traits will also struggle to work together, which can quickly cause a battle to go horribly wrong. Therefore, being fully prepared and knowing what demons to bring into a battle is crucially important inDevil Summoner, otherwise, each and every fight can end up being agonizingly difficult.
5Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2
Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 3.64
After witnessing how much trouble people were having trying to complete the firstDigital Devil Sagagame, Atlus decided to make the sequel a little more forgiving through introducing a few new mechanics, though this did only end up making it slightly easier in the end.Digital Devil Saga 2’score gameplay is centered around strengthening characters in their demon forms, eventually making them so absurdly powerful that they will be able to steamroll any enemies who get in their way. Actually getting to this point is a lot harder than it sounds though, especially since the enemies won’t just sit and wait around for the party to buff themselves up.
Because there’s also benefits to keeping the characters in their human forms though, such as being able to perform combos and use ammunition, it also means players will need to be strategic about how they use their characters, and when to use each form for an upcoming fight. It’s definitely a game witha pretty steep learning curve, but after getting used toDigital Devil Saga 2’stricky gameplay mechanics, it provides an incredibly satisfying experience which feels a lot more tactical than most other Atlus RPGs.
4Shin Megami Tensei 5
Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 3.69
After the enormous popularity ofPersona 5, a lot of new Atlus fans turned their attention towardsShin Megami Tensei 5which was released only a few years later. As a result of this game being a lot of people’s introduction to the series, longtime SMT fans were worried leading up to its release that the difficulty might end up being dialed down, but thankfully, this turned out to be far from the case. Just like its predecessors,Shin Megami Tensei 5’s battles can be quite brutal due to how fast and aggressive the enemies are, and if a battle starts off with them going first, they can easily wipe out numerous party members by landing a few lucky critical hits.
The game can be pretty unforgiving, but so long as players make use of every tool and mechanic that the game grants them, then these sorts of encounters do become a lot more manageable.The Magatsuhi Skillsfor example, can prove to be incredibly useful for taking down bosses, but because the bar for these abilities charges so slowly, it means relying on them to make it out of a fight alive isn’t exactly a great idea.
3Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga
The firstDevil Sagaplays more or less identical to the second, but with fewer combat mechanics, and much tougher boss battles, it’s often considered by fans to be the harder of the two. Not only does the game feature fewer characters, with Roland only becoming playable in the sequel, but there are also fewer ways to actually boost certain character’s stats, which isn’t as much of a problem inDevil Saga 2where Karma Rings can be used to help out anyone who might be lagging behind.
The firstDigital Devil Sagaalso contains what many consider to be not only the hardest boss Atlus has ever created, but even one ofthe most challenging boss enemies in RPG history, that being the Demi-Fiend. Not only is he capable of insta-killing a character with a single attack, but he’s also not shy about unleashing massive AOE attacks which can easily melt the party’s health, even if they’ve reached the maximum level. While not all the bosses reach this level of difficulty, they’re all still incredibly durable and will require plenty of de-buffs and hard-hitting attacks to take down for good.
2Shin Megami Tensei 4
Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 3.81
Shin Megami Tensei 4throws the player in the deep end from the moment they boot up the game,encouraging them to grind out as much EXP as possibleto have any hopes of making it through even the most basic of battles. Because a lot of the enemy types are designed to have a chance of killing party members with a single hit, especially if they get a pre-emptive strike, it means there’s always a 50/50 chance of a fight either going according to plan, or becoming a literal nightmare.
Players should get into the habit of saving their progress as much as possible, since the game makes it easy to encounter a Game Over screen, even when the party are fully geared up for an oncoming battle. The best way to survive these encounters is by acquiring as many powerful demons as possible, primarily those with elemental magic, from specific dungeons to then help out when the going gets tough in a battle later on. Considering the enemies in this game love nothing more than exploiting the party’s weaknesses, it’s also crucial to keep them protected to avoid being bested over and over again.
1Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne
Game FAQ Difficulty Rating: 4.03
WithShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturnebeing commonly touted as one ofthe hardest RPGs ever made, it’s easy to understand just how merciless it can be, with the game providing the ultimate test for anyone brave enough to take it on. InSMT3’scombat, if an enemy exploits a party member’s weakness, they will be granted an extra turn, and considering most random encounters include a large group of formidable enemies, this means they can easily decimate the entire party without any of them being able to react.
Additionally, because this also works for landing critical attacks, some of the mid to late game enemies can make quick work of multiple characters in a row if they manage to land even a single critical attack. As for the bosses, it’s more or less guaranteed that players will need to face them a handful of times before they can start to learn their attack patterns and weaknesses, making each of them quite long and excruciatingly hard to defeat. Pair this with a few smaller mechanics which add to the difficulty, such as how demons can’t revive the player, and grinding being more or less nonexistent, and it’s not hard to understand whyShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturneis regarded as being so brutal among RPG fans.
