is a series of
role-playing video game
Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...
s, mixed with elements of a
visual novel
A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustratio ...
based
dating sim
Dating sims, also known as dating simulation games, are a video game subgenre of simulation games with romantic elements. While resembling the visual novel genre in presentation, true dating sims utilize an additional statistical and time manage ...
. The series is primarily developed by
Flight-Plan, published by
Banpresto
(formerly Coreland Technology Inc.) was a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It had a branch in Hong Kong named Banpresto H.K., which was headquartered in the New Territories. Ba ...
, and owned by
Bandai Namco Entertainment
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game video game publisher, publisher, and the video game branch of the wider Bandai Namco Holdings group. Founded in 2006 as it is the successor to Namco's home and arcade video game ...
. The character designs are by
Izuka Takeshi. The series has had six main line entries, and seven spin-off entries, spanning the
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
,
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
,
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
,
PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...
,
PlayStation Vita
The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...
,
Game Boy Advance
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...
and
Nintendo DS
The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
video game consoles.
Until 2015, no main entries to the series had been released outside of Japan. The only titles
localized into English were the spinoff games ''
Summon Night: Twin Age'', ''
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story'' and its sequel, ''
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2''.
In April 2015, it was announced that
Gaijinworks would translate and publish the latest entry in the series, ''
Summon Night 5'', in North America and Europe. On December 15, 2015, it was released in North America but a European release never came to fruition. The game was considered a success in North America, with its sales being enough to warrant Gaijinworks to translate its sequel ''
Summon Night 6'', which was released in both North America and Europe in late 2017. The ''Summon Night'' series has sold a total of 1.904 million copies.
Games
Main series
The games from the main series are all
strategy RPGs. They take place in the same world and same continuity, but the stories between games are mostly unrelated.
*''Summon Night'' (January 6, 2000)
Released for the
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
/remade for
Nintendo DS
The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
.
*''Summon Night 2'' (August 2, 2001)
Released for the PlayStation/remade for Nintendo DS.
*''
Summon Night 3'' (August 7, 2003)
Released for the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
/Remake for the
PSP was released on October 4, 2012.
*''Summon Night 4'' (November 30, 2006)
Released for the PlayStation 2/Remake for the PSP was released on November 15, 2012.
*''
Summon Night 5'' (May 16, 2013)
Released for the PSP.
*''
Summon Night 6: Lost Borders'' (2016)
Released for PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4.
Spin-offs
The following games are action-RPGs in the style of ''
Ys'' or ''
Seiken Densetsu''.
*''Summon Night EX-These: Yoake no Tsubasa'' (August 4, 2005)
Released for the PlayStation 2.
*''
Summon Night Twin Age: Seireitachi no Kyoumei (Koe)'' (August 30, 2007; USA: June 3, 2008)
Released for the Nintendo DS, localized by
Atlus
is a Japanese video game developer, video game publisher, publisher, Arcade game, arcade manufacturer and distribution company based in Tokyo. A subsidiary of Sega, the company is known for the ''Megami Tensei'', ''Persona (series), Persona'' ...
in the US as ''Summon Night: Twin Age''.
*''Summon Night Gran-These: Horobi no Tsurugi to Yakusoku no Kishi'' (March 11, 2010)
Released for the PlayStation 2.
The following three games are ''Summon Night'' games in the action-RPG genre.
*''
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story'' (Japan: April 25, 2003; USA: July 26, 2006)
Released for the
Game Boy Advance
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...
, localized by
Atlus
is a Japanese video game developer, video game publisher, publisher, Arcade game, arcade manufacturer and distribution company based in Tokyo. A subsidiary of Sega, the company is known for the ''Megami Tensei'', ''Persona (series), Persona'' ...
in the USA.
*''
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2'' (Japan: August 20, 2004; USA: October 17, 2006)
Released for the Game Boy Advance; also localized by Atlus.
*''
Summon Night Swordcraft Story 3: Stone of Beginnings'' (December 8, 2005)
Released for the Game Boy Advance.
The following game is an RPG with turn-based battles in the style of the ''
Final Fantasy
is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...
'' series.
*''
Summon Night X: Tears Crown'' (November 5, 2009)
Released for the Nintendo DS.
Setting
All of the ''Summon Night'' games take place in Lyndbaum,
[Nintendo Power Magazine, Nintendo of America] a world similar to medieval Europe with the inclusion of modern factories and railroads, placing ''Summon Night'' in a
steampunk
Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...
setting. Lyndbaum is surrounded by four other worlds: Loreilal, the land from where mechanical creatures come; Silturn, the land of
yokai; Sapureth, where angels and demons live; and Maetropa, from where half-humans, magical beasts, fairies and other mythical creatures hail. Besides those four there are also countless other worlds, including our world (the "real" world) where the main characters of the first game are transported from. Certain boundaries separate the worlds from each other, making the various summoning techniques the only way to transport things between them.
References
External links
Summon Night Series Official Site (Japanese)
Summon Night 5 Official Site(Japanese)
{{Ufotable
Production I.G
Action role-playing video games
Bandai Namco Entertainment franchises
Banpresto games
Tactical role-playing video games
Video game franchises
Video game franchises introduced in 2000