As a long-time fan of Atlus and its rich gaming history, I can’t help but feel both excited and disappointed when I reflect on the company’s unique yet underappreciated title, “Maken X.” Having grown up with the Shin Megami Tensei series shaping my love for JRPGs, I fondly remember the days spent exploring the dark and intricate worlds Atlus created. However, one game from their past has always eluded me – “Maken X,” a cult classic that, despite its unique premise and development team ties to Atlus’ flagship franchises, remains largely inaccessible to many outside of Japan.
Atlas, a Japanese game developer founded in 1986, boasts an impressive collection of games spanning decades. Initially known for creating niche RPGs and movie adaptation titles for consoles such as NES and Game Boy, the company later expanded into publishing and released a diverse range of genres like turn-based strategies, racing games, 2D fighters, visual novels, and sports games. Regrettably, most Atlas classics from the past are still confined to retro gaming platforms.
More recently, Atlus, the renowned Japanese game developer, has been making some of its older hits accessible on contemporary gaming systems, focusing mainly on titles from the “Shin Megami Tensei” and “Persona” series. The revival started with the high-definition remaster of “Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne,” launched in 2021. Since then, several other games have been moved to current-gen consoles from 2022 to 2023, such as “Persona 3 Portable,” “Persona 4 Golden,” “Persona 4 Arena Ultimax,” and “Persona 5 Royal.” It’s wonderful that Atlus has brought these cherished games back, but it would also be fantastic if they could look into unearthing some of their lesser-known gems, like “Maken X,” for modern platforms.
Atlus Has Recently Brought Some of Its Older Games to Modern Platforms
If you’re not familiar with it, “Maken X” was a unique first-person hack-and-slash game that combined elements of fighting games and role-playing games. Released in Japan for the SEGA Dreamcast in 1999 and later globally in 2000, this title is one of just two games Atlus produced for the underappreciated console, with the other being the equally elusive Japanese horror game “deSPIRIA.”
As a dedicated gamer, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing the evolution of “Maken X” into “Maken Shao: Demon Sword.” At first, this action-packed title was exclusive to the Dreamcast console. However, Atlus decided to enhance it further for the PS2 platform. Similar to other revamped games like “Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance” and “Persona 5 Royal,” the upgraded version of “Maken X” underwent significant transformations.
Maken X Was a Noteworthy Release for Atlus
The intriguing background of its launch notwithstanding, the initial version of “Maken X” stood out in Atlus’ catalog for several reasons. Firstly, it was Atlus’ inaugural game to feature fully-3D graphics, marking a significant departure from their previous 2D titles. Moreover, it was the first Atlus production to include full voice acting. Furthermore, this release represented the directorial debut of Katsura Hashino, who went on to lead the development teams for “Persona” and “Metaphor: ReFantasio,” and has since played a crucial role within Atlus following his employment with the company.
Maken X Was One of Atlus’s Strangest Video Games
It’s unexpected for a title as prestigious as Atlus’s “Maken X” to be as unusual as it is, given its standing among the company’s other unconventional games. The gameplay of this first-person hack-and-slash stands out uniquely, but so does its plot. In this game, players follow the story of a sentient sword named Maken, which can take over the minds of those who wield it. Though humans are controlled by the player in the game, the true protagonist is this living sword.
In the intriguing storyline of “Maken X,” the foundation for the chaos is not limited to just the plot, as the game unfolds on a future Earth ravaged by frequent natural disasters, heightened US-China political conflict, and the dissolution of the European Union. Amidst this turmoil are two opposing groups: the Blademasters and Sangokai, fueling the anarchy.
The first character is dedicated to preserving global peace at any expense, while the second one is determined to decrease the human population, regardless of the means. The primary adversary of the game and Maken’s greatest foe is led by a sentient worm-like being dwelling inside a black sword named Mr. Meteor within Sangokai organization. In simpler terms, this Atlus-developed game’s storyline primarily focuses on the clash between two intelligent swords, which might seem bizarre.
Maken X Shares Some Things in Common With Shin Megami Tensei
Maken X is certainly a unique game, but it does share a fair number of similarities with Atlus’ Megami Tensei franchise, from its soundtrack and art style all the way to its nonlinear plot and use of multiple endings. Considering the fact that many SMT and Persona developers worked on this project, it’s no wonder that this Dreamcast game contains some of the DNA of Atlus’ flagship franchises. For instance, Shoji Meguro, the composer best known for his work on the recent mainline Persona games, made some music for Maken X. The artist Kazuma Kaneko, who worked on the demon and character designs in titles like Shin Megami Tensei 4, Persona 5, and Devil Survivor, was involved with the development of this Atlus game as well.
Atlus Should Let More People Experience Maken X on Modern Platforms
Although Maken X achieved some level of success in Japan and its enhanced PS2 version was released, unfortunately sales were lackluster globally. As many individuals missed out on playing it, Atlus might think about porting the game to more recent platforms. The title may not resonate with a large demographic, but it would offer an intriguing alternative within their current collection of games. Considering that Atlus mainly focuses on JRPGs these days, introducing a first/third-person game featuring hack-and-slash combat would be an invigorating new addition to their library.
In simple terms, fans of “Maken X” would be thrilled if Atlus upgraded the game and included its improved PS2 version as a bonus. This could be achieved through better graphics and user-friendly improvements. However, an all-new remake similar to “Persona 3 Reload” is a long shot since it requires significant investment from Atlus.
Read More
- SOL PREDICTION. SOL cryptocurrency
- BTC PREDICTION. BTC cryptocurrency
- LUNC PREDICTION. LUNC cryptocurrency
- USD ZAR PREDICTION
- ENA PREDICTION. ENA cryptocurrency
- USD PHP PREDICTION
- WIF PREDICTION. WIF cryptocurrency
- EUR CLP PREDICTION
- USD COP PREDICTION
- HYDRA PREDICTION. HYDRA cryptocurrency
2024-07-21 18:05