DEVIL SUMMONER IS READY TO BRING YOU UNDER ITS SPELL

KOEI brings the renowned Japanese RPG to the UK in April 2007

News by GamesIndustry.biz Contributor

Published on Feb. 26, 2007

Hertfordshire, UK- February 26, 2007 - KOEI today announced that they have entered into a partnership with ATLUS USA to bring SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: DEVIL SUMMONER - RAIDOU KUZUNOHA VS. THE SOULLESS ARMY to Europe in 2007. The latest RPG from the hugely popular Shin Megami Tensei series will be available for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system on April 27, 2007.

About Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner - Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army

The Shin Megami Tensei series has been incredibly well received throughout a number of releases in Japan. Devil Summoner heralds an exciting departure for the series with a much more action orientated gaming experience. Featuring a brand new 3rd person viewpoint and a stunning new historical setting, this latest installment pulls out all the stops to provide gamers with an intriguingly dark and incredibly involving RPG adventure.

Set within a stunningly realized early 1900's Japan, Devil Summoner exudes class and style through incredible settings, remarkable characters and an overall atmosphere that will evoke a sense of early Victorian locales and Sherlock Holmes style detective work. At the heart of this unique experience lies a simple kidnapping investigation that is so much more than it would at first seem. It is up to the player to take on the role of Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th, and try to get to the bottom of a case that is much darker, more sinister and far more unpredictable than many RPGs that have reached these shores.

Devil Summoner combines the best of both turn based and real-time RPGs to offer gamers a battle system where holding your nerve to make the right decision under pressure and your ability to juggle spells and special attacks are just as important as your dexterity and quick reactions. Raidou can unleash attacks in true arcade style, stringing together combos with his sword or gun, while also possessing an incredible array of true RPG style magic attacks, special abilities and item menus that are available at the mere touch of a button.

One of the most appealing and addicting features of this game is Raidou's ability to stun demons and capture them. After containment, Raidou will be able to summon them to fight alongside him in future battles. The allure of capturing increasingly more powerful demons in battle and bolstering Raidou's fighting party is equally as appealing as the desire to uncover more of the plot and get to the bottom of a twisting tale that explodes into totally new directions in spectacular fashion.

With a captivating detective story that veers from the delightfully traditional to the terrifyingly dark, a truly remarkable sense of style and visual excess, a life devouringly deep battle system and a compulsive demon collecting element coupled with thrilling real time action, Devil Summoner is a refreshingly original adventure that no RPG fan should miss.

Commenting on the release of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner - Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army on PS2, Naoki Katashima, Senior Vice President of KOEI Europe, said, "I am delighted to be working with Atlus and to be able to bring such a well respected title to European gamers. Games as impressive as this one deserve to reach a wide audience across the globe and this only serves to strengthen our position as a leading publisher of first-rate RPGs in Europe."

Shinichi Suzuki, President/CEO of Atlus USA, added, "We are equally excited about working with Koei. Their enthusiasm for Devil Summoner will surely help us to expand our fan base across the Atlantic. Not only will European gamers have the opportunity to play the first action-RPG in the SMT series, but they will also enjoy the top-notch localization that Atlus prides itself on."

Having already received widespread critical acclaim for releases such as Disgaea 2, Atelier Iris and Phantom Brave, KOEI have now bolstered their line up of RPGs even further with this latest release and are fast becoming one of the foremost European publishers of quality Japanese RPGs. Already renowned as the leading name in the tactical action arena with their Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series having sold over 10 million worldwide, KOEI continues to look for opportunities to bring many more diverse titles to European gamers and add to the success of titles such as Colosseum: Road to Freedom, Makai Kingdom and the hugely popular G1 Jockey series.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner - Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army is the latest installment from Atlus in the Megami Tensei series that has entertained gamers in Japan for many years. The previous three Persona games have sold over 1 million units in Japan. The various games throughout the series have taken gamers from present day Japan to unique periods in history, and have given players incredible abilities and remarkable moments of excitement, shock and breathtaking entertainment.

About Atlus

Located in Irvine, California and founded in 1991, Atlus U.S.A., Inc. is a publisher of compelling video games for a variety of platforms, including the Nintendo DSTM, Game Boy® Advance, WiiTM , Xbox 360TM, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. Atlus USA's library of critically acclaimed video games includes Trauma Center: Under the Knife, Magna Carta: Tears of Blood, and the award-winning Shin Megami Tensei series. For more information, visit http://www.atlus.com.

About Koei Ltd.

KOEI Ltd. is a subsidiary of Japanese company KOEI Co., Ltd. and has had offices in Hertfordshire, UK since 2003. KOEI maintains operations in Japan, the US, UK, Canada, China, Korea, France, Taiwan, Singapore, and Lithuania. KOEI employs over 900 people worldwide with sales exceeding $250 million. The company constantly seeks to achieve a fine balance between entertainment, technology, art and education and provides games that will mesmerize gamers globally.

The KOEI logo is a registered trademark of KOEI Co., Ltd. ®2007 KOEI Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. "PlayStation" and the "PS" family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

Mikey Foley

PR & Marketing Manager

KOEI Ltd

Unit 209a The Spirella Building

Bridge Road

Letchworth Garden City

Hertfordshire

SG6 4ET

Tel: +44(0) 1462 476132

Mob: +44(0) 7917 784923

Fax: +44(0) 1462 476135

Read this next