Best Written Atlus Games

Key Takeaways

• Atlus leads in producing JRPGs, offering some of the best-written stories in gaming.
• Atlus explores mature topics like death, adultery, and racism in their games.
• Some standout games like Persona 5 focus on rebellion, while others like Catherine challenge social norms.

Ever since the launch of Persona 3 in 2006, Atlus has led in producing popular JRPGs. Atlus’s game library is filled with some of the best-written stories in gaming. Games by Atlus aren’t afraid to take their time to tell these stories, with many titles averaging nearly 100 hours of gameplay.

Since the ’90s, 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 gaming have produced as many high-quality stories as Atlus.

10 Catherine

Catherine stands out from most of Atlus’ games as it’s primarily a puzzle game rather than an RPG, though it retains a rich story. Rather than focusing on saving the world or battling 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 about a partner while committing adultery.

The game’s unique take on relationships and adult themes makes it thought-provoking, though some character decisions can feel forced. Additionally, certain commentary on issues like misogyny may resonate uncomfortably close to home for some players.

9 Persona 5

In Persona 5, you play as a band 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 past tense, as they’re being recounted during an interrogation.

Perhaps more than any of the other Personas, Persona 5 appeals most to teenagers and young adults. If Persona 3 is about death and Persona 4 is about truth, then Persona 5 is about rebellion. Nearly every authority figure in Persona 5 is exploiting their prominent position to satisfy their ambitions.

Most of the main cast has been mistreated by adults, and are looking to upset the social hierarchy of seniority equating to authority.

8 Radiant Historia

Often compared to Chrono Trigger, Radiant Historia uses time travel tropes 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 militaries depending on the timeline. This dual perspective allows players to witness the development of the war from both sides, offering a nuanced view of the clashing philosophies and cultures of the two warring societies.

7 Persona 4

Atlus takes a page from Scooby-Doo by crafting a story around a gang of hip teenage kids who set out to solve a murder mystery. Persona 4 features quirky characters and leans more toward zaniness than realism, with a lighthearted 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 quickly establishes its 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 already too late to save the world; instead, your role is to reshape the new one. You’re racing against other characters who each want to mold the world according to their own vision. Along the way, you’re introduced to eerie characters and cult-like ideologies that add to the dark atmosphere.

Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne relies heavily on environmental storytelling and mood. The plot is minimalist, and character development isn’t a primary focus. Through its subtlety, Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne evokes deep emotions, consistently instilling a sense of fear 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 behind an apocalyptic event known as the Schwarzwelt. Unlike most games in the Shin Megami Tensei series, which rely more on atmosphere and minimal storytelling, Strange Journey is rich with cutscenes and dialogue.

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

4 Digital Devil Saga And Digital Devil Saga 2

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

Digital Devil Saga draws heavily from Hindu lore, with themes similar to the legendary Asura. 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 plot-heavy and traditional RPGs in its storytelling, especially compared to the more atmospheric narrative style of most Shin Megami Tensei games.

Many of the games in Atlus’ library take place 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 function in real life.

Metaphor: ReFantazio features the greatest antagonist in any Atlus game—Louis. Louis is the embodiment of a despicable person, a character you truly love to hate and eagerly anticipate punishing throughout the many twists in Metaphor.

2 Persona 2: Innocent Sin And Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

One of the best duologies 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 answers many of the “What if…?” questions you might have thought of while playing Persona 2: Innocent Sin.

In Persona 2, the characters’ Personas represent their inner psyche. Many of the characters struggle with their identities, and the antagonist, Joker—a rumor that transformed into a being—criticizes each character’s inner demons.​​​​​​​

1 Persona 3

Patience is heavily 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 such as how the characters deal with death. Persona 3 has a slow build, but the story comes together for a memorable climax in the final chapter of the game.

Persona 3 also features the most mature social links of the Persona games. The rare interactions with Akinari, a man who is terminally ill, are gut-wrenchingly impactful. Later versions of Persona 3 introduce social links with your robot ally, Aigis, which explore her experience adapting to humanity and allude to significant moments in the game’s finale.

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