Summon Night

A Japanese tactical role-playing and action RPG video game series originally developed by Flight-Plan.

Games

2000–2016

Years

Platforms

$15.76

Ø CIB

-41.6%

24M change

About

The Summon Night series debuted in 2000 with the titular PlayStation game, which was later ported to the Nintendo DS in 2008 alongside Summon Night 2. The franchise features mainline tactical RPGs like Summon Night 3 (2003) and Summon Night 4 (2006), as well as the action RPG spin-off trilogy Craft Sword Monogatari released between 2003 and 2005. The games are known for their fantasy setting of Lyndbaum and their focus on summoning mechanics.

Flight-Plan developed the core entries of this franchise, establishing a distinct visual style featuring character designs by illustrator Shinichiro Otsuka. The narrative structure relies heavily on visual novel elements, where players choose a male or female protagonist and engage in "Night Conversations" to build relationships with allies, directly influencing the story's ending.

While the mainline entries like Summon Night (2000), Summon Night 3 (2003), and Summon Night 4 (2006) utilize grid-based tactical battles, the franchise diversified its gameplay loop with Game Boy Advance spin-offs. Summon Night: Craft Sword Monogatari (2003), Summon Night: Craft Sword Monogatari 2 (2004), and Summon Night: Craft Sword Monogatari Hajimari no Ishi (2005) introduced real-time side-scrolling combat and a heavy emphasis on weapon forging. In these action-oriented titles, players gather materials to craft and repair various weapon types alongside their Summon Beast partners. The original PlayStation titles later reached broader audiences through enhanced Nintendo DS remakes, specifically Summon Night (2008) and Summon Night 2 (2008), which updated the dual-screen interface and integrated gameplay refinements from the later mainline sequels.