Summary
Atluswas founded in Japan in 1986. Fans know them now as one of the biggest RPG companies in the world, right up alongsideo Square Enix, thanks totheirPersonaandShin Megami Tenseifranchisesi. Some may forget how eclectic their library used to be, from self-made titles to AAA-published ones.
Eventually, they settled on RPGs as their bread and butter, but before that, Atlus dabbled in too many genres to count. These are just a few of their forgotten franchises, but whether they should remain dead is up to them (or Sega since they bought Atlus in 2013).
6Power Instinct
Atlus' Lost Fighting Game
Atlus has been known to produce afew fighting gameshere and there, but most fans may only think aboutPersona 4 Arenaand its ports as the sole examples. Way before that spinoff game, Atlus co-developed and published many of thePower Instinctgames. In Japan, the series is known asGoketsuji Ichizoku,and most entries in the franchise are still exclusive to that region.
The first game did come out in the West via theArcade Edition, along with ports for the SNES and Sega Genesis consoles. Other entries includePower Instinct 2,Goketsuji Legends,Groove on Fight,Matrimelee, andGoketsuji Ichizoku: Senzo Kuyo. That last game was released in Japanese arcades in 2009, and that has been it for the series since. The franchise had a small following in Japan, and while it would get those diehards hyped if a new one was announced today, a newPersonafighting game would probably do better for Atlus financially.
5Puzzle Boy
From Box Pusher To RPG
Puzzle Boyis the name of this Atlus-developed franchise in Japan, but the West never got a consistent name. The first game was calledPuzzle Boy, andit was released in 1989 in Japan for the Game Boy. It was a basic box puzzle game where players had to move boxes or other materials around a maze to escape, and the hero was a potato. When the game was localized in the West asKwirkin 1990, they changed the hero into a tomato for whatever reason.
The next game,Spud’s Adventure, was released in both regions in 1991 for the Game Boy, and turned the series intoa dungeon crawler, complete with leveling up. The star of that, naturally, was a potato. Last but not least, there wasPuzzle Boy 2,which was also released in 1991 in Japan, while the West got it asAmazing Taterin 1992. It was a return to form as a box-based maze puzzle game for the Game Boy.
4Radiant Historia
A Time Traveling RPG
Radiant Historiaskirts the line between whether or not it should be considered a franchise. Atlus co-developed it with Headlock, and published the game on the DS in 2011 in the West. It starred a soldier named Stocke who witnesses a horrific battle. Afterward, he is given a magic book to rewind time and change the past.
It was like amodern time-traveling RPGtake onChrono Trigger,complete with a timeline that could be changed by the player’s decisions. Atlus later enhanced it for the 3DS in 2018, but that was it. This was a year after the Switch launched, which may be why it didn’t do as well in sales despite its good reviews. It seemed like, with this port, Atlus was really trying to makeRadiant Historiaa thing, and it just didn’t catch on.
3Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
A Tactical Take For The Series
There have been many spinoffs in theShin Megami Tenseifranchisethat burned hot for a while before slowly retreating into the background. Of the many,Personaseems like the only one with any true staying power. Of the many forgotten ones,Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivorstands out.
It had typical tropes of the franchise, such as giving teens a way to summon demons into the real world. It was a tactical RPG though, which was an interesting choice, albeit not Atlus’ first. It spawned a sequel,ShinMegami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2, also for the DS, and then both of these games received enhanced 3DS ports later on. After that, the spinoff’s ideas seemingly dried up. Other abandonedShin Megami Tenseispinoffs includeMajin TenseiandLast Bible.
2Snowboard Kids
A Super Chibi Sports Series
Power Instinctis not theonly sports-related gameAtlus had a hand in. They also publishedSnowboard Kidsfor the developer Racdym. Most N64 owners probably owned or at least playedSnowboard Kidsin the late 90s. It was a decent, more-cartoony alternative to1080° Snowboarding,also on the N64.Snowboard Kidseventually received an enhanced port on the PS1, but this was only released in Japan.
There was a proper sequel,Snowboard Kids 2, and it was also on the N64. The last game in the series came in 2005 via the DS spinoff,SBK: Snowboard Kids. The models were still anime-inspired, but they no longer had the chibi-like designs of the original.
1Trauma Center: Under The Knife
A Visual Novel With Surgical Mini-Games
Trauma Center: Under the Knifeis the first game in this series, which was a huge franchise for at least five years. There was this first game in 2005 for the DS, followed by four more games spread between the DS and the Wii. These games includeTrauma Center: Second Opinion,Trauma Center: New Blood,Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2, andTrauma Team.
Trauma Teamwas a Wii game released in 2010, and around this time, there was even a pilot produced for a live-action TV adaptation. That’s howpopular this visual novel/surgeon simulator series was, but that pilot never got picked up for a full season, and both it and the game series slowly faded from the spotlight. The pilot episode is still out there online if fans care to seek it out.
