Atlus

Atlus Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer and publisher based in Setagaya, Tokyo. The company originated in 1986 as a simple developer, and converted to both a developer and a publisher in 1989. Two years later, in 1991, the North American branch, Atlus USA, was founded, serving as the company's publishing branch in the West. In 2010, the company was bought by Index Corporation, which re-branded themselves as Atlus. Three years later, Index Corporation was acquired by Sega, which re-branded it as Sega Dream Corporation, which is still operating today.

In 2017, the company also opened its first European branch, which is handled via the London-based Sega of Europe Division. Starting from 2016, Atlus has a partnership with mh:crappygames:Deep Silver, which published most of their games in Europe, starting with Persona 5.

Atlus' most well-known series are Shin Megami Tensei (including the Persona spin-off series), Etrian Odyssey and Trauma Center. Their North American branch is also responsible for publishing a number of well-known titles, including Demon's Souls and the Guilty Gear series.

Good Qualities

 * 1) Their flagship series, Megami Tensei, which began in 1987, revolutionized console RPGs and went on to influence several franchises, such as Pokèmon.
 * 2) Their Shin Megami Tensei series represented a huge breakthrough in the history of JRPGs, being among the first series to feature dark stories, heavy use of religious imagery, an active role of the protagonist in the story, and grey morality. This helped refreshing the genre, which suffered from heavily formulaic and recycled stories and settings at the time.
 * 3) They were among the first companies to provide accurate English localizations for their games.
 * 4) Almost all of their games are very challenging, though they're easy to get into.
 * 5) Their games push consoles to their limits thanks to their advanced graphics and complex gameplay mechanics (such as with the first two Shin Megami Tensei games).
 * 6) Many of their games have unique or innovative mechanics, which does a good job to differentiate their gameplay.
 * 7) Their games have great, memorable and unique soundtracks.
 * 8) They created many hardcore games, like Shin Megami Tensei or Luminous Arc.
 * 9) Their characters have very distinct, unique and recognizable designs, courtesy of legendary artists Shigenori Soejima and Kazuma Kaneko.
 * 10) They even supported failed consoles like the Virtual Boy.

Bad Qualities
To see bad qualities, click here.