Kyoji Kuzunoha investigates the paranormal in 1930s Tokyo, demons to recruit included. Atlus delivers a founding Devil Summoner, a dark and mysterious atmosphere; fascinating to discover today despite its geographic exclusivity.
Your verdict
Category
RPG1 player16+
Description
Paranormal detective Kyoji Kuzunoha summons demons to solve mysterious cases in 1930s Japan in this foundational entry. Published by Atlus, released in Japan and Asia in November 2005. Turn-based battles with recruitable demons, isometric investigation view, dark and mysterious storyline. Available in Japanese and Asian editions.
Shin Megami Tensei - Devil Summoner review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
1930s Japan provides the visual material: trams, gas lamps, double-breasted jackets and dark wood interiors make up a documentary setting the demons come to disturb without ever blending into it. The isometric view holds the streets at a distance, like a city plan drawn up by an investigator.
The accompaniment mixes two memories: on one side the dance-hall jazz of the period, muted trumpet and syncopated piano, on the other bells, gongs and stifled voices signalling the presence of the supernatural. Moving from one to the other is enough to indicate that an investigation has just left the human realm.
Kuzunoha practises an ordinary trade in a world that is not: he is handed cases of disappearance or blackmail, and it is by pulling on those mundane threads that he stumbles into the occult. Entering through the news item gives the supernatural an unusual coldness, treated as one item in the file among others.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"Mild"
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Solving demon-related cases in a modern city unfolds a dense urban RPG, rich in exploration, negotiation and creature fusion. Running the investigation, recruiting your demons and completing your collection fills long hours. That depth, an Atlus signature, offers a lifespan JRPG fans savour.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
Japan and Asia pressing of the PSP port of Atlus's Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner, a dark RPG casting you as a demon-summoning detective in a contemporary Japan tinged with the occult. This Asian edition keeps the Japanese dressing of a valued title in the Megami Tensei galaxy, a franchise with a tenacious cult. Desirability rests on that regional scarcity and the Atlus imprint, a publisher whose RPGs are systematically collected and sought.
Is Shin Megami Tensei - Devil Summoner still worth playing in 2026?
An Atlus RPG spun off from Shin Megami Tensei, Devil Summoner stages the paranormal detective Kyoji Kuzunoha summoning demons to solve mysterious cases in 1930s Japan. The singular retro-occult mood, the demon negotiation and fusion and the mature writing make it a strong-identity dungeon RPG, faithful to the studio's demand. The dungeon structure and the pace ask for investment. A gem for fans of dark JRPG and the Megami Tensei universe on PSP.
