While Atlus has brought over a couple of titles from the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series to PC, there are still several critical entries that PC only players are missing out on. As the Persona franchise continues to expand its audience, the demand for earlier titles to be released on PC grows larger as well.
There are currently only two Persona games available on Steam, and one of them is a spin-off. Fans of the Shin Megami Tensei games are in for an even bigger disappointment right now as none of the games are on PC. Fortunately, the Shin Megami Tensei 3 Nocturne HD Remaster will make its way to PC later this year, but there are plenty of other games that need to make the jump as well.
Persona 3
Persona 3 made a name for itself when it landed on the PlayStation 2 back in 2007. Not only did it change the course of the series towards what many know and love it as today, but it inspired a number of JRPGs to blend life simulation elements into their gameplay. As important as this game is to the Persona series as a whole, it's almost baffling that it has only ever been ported to the PlayStation Portable and not to PC.
A Persona 3 PC port could end up being the ultimate version of the game. While the PlayStation Portable port added several new major features to the game, it was forced to scale back in other areas due to console limitations. A PC version of Persona 3 could not only restore everything that the portable version lost, but it could give the game a fresh coat of paint to catch up with its successors.
The Devil Summoner Series
This subseries of the Shin Megami Tensei line has a bit of a scattered release history in the west. The first game in the series, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, was skipped over and still has yet to be officially released outside of the Japan. The third and fourth entries, however, were the first two to be localized as the Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha games on the PlayStation 2. It wasn't until 2012 when fans would be able to experience the series' second entry, Soul Hackers, on the Nintendo 3DS.
A PC collection of these games would definitely be appreciated by fans of the Shin Megami Tensei series. The Raidou Kuzunoha titles offer some of the most unique gameplay in the entire Shin Megami Tensei franchise and the subseries deserves more love in general. With how hard it can be to track some of these games down though, it would be impossible for a lot of fans to get into this expanded part of the Shin Megami Tensei universe, not even counting the Japan exclusive first entry.
Persona 5 Royal
With how big Persona 5 has gotten over the last few years, it's almost amazing that the game is still exclusive to Sony consoles. The game has proven to be a massive success in the JRPG market and with its predecessor already on PC, there's seemingly no reason why Persona 5 shouldn't be available as well. Now that Persona 5 Strikers is on PC though, it seems silly to imagine that PC players won't eventually gain access to the mainline entry.
If a PC port is going to happen, it would make the most sense for it to be based on Persona 5 Royal rather than the vanilla version of Persona 5. Most fans would agree that Persona 5 Royal is the definitive version of the game with all of its extra content and it would be a shame if first-time PC players were forced to miss out on the experience.
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2
The Digital Devil Saga titles are another pair of games that Shin Megami Tensei fans would love to see on PC one day. Together, the games tell one of the more unique stories in the franchise and a PC release would be a great chance for players to discover it for themselves. The games bear a similar style to Shin Megami Tensei 3 Nocturne, featuring the press turn battle system that makes that game such a joy, but has a far more direct narrative.
The Digital Devil Saga games have never really received any attention since their initial releases on the PlayStation 2. Porting the games to PC could allow for an HD remaster, hopefully with some additional content as well. Seeing as the first game ends on a major cliffhanger, it would be a huge relief to be able to immediately continue with the second game. Either way, a re-release of these hidden gems is long past due.
The Persona 2 Duology
Some Persona fans would make the claim that the stories told in Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment are the strongest in the Persona series. The plots felt especially dark, edging closer to the mainline Shin Megami Tensei games than later Persona entries.
Although the games have been ported before, a PC port could bring out the best in these earlier titles. Combining the two into one package would be a major win, as Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is the sole Persona entry that has never received a re-release in the west. The Persona 2 games would certainly offer a different experience than what some modern Persona fans are used to, but it could be an extremely enjoyable one.
While it might be a while before all the games make their way to PC, Atlus does seem intent on bringing more Shin Megami Tensei games to PC in the future, giving fans a lot to look forward to.
Shin Megami Tensei 3 Nocturne HD Remaster will release on PC on May 25, 2021.