Soul Hackers 2 is lots like Shin Megami Tensei and its more and more well-liked spin-off sequence Persona. It has the pleasurable turn-based fight, demons we have all come to know and love, and huge dungeons to discover. It additionally tells a reasonably entertaining story full with a spin on social hyperlinks, character interactions, and hangout spots. The drawback is Soul Hackers 2 does just about all of this worse. It’s a very good sport, however it could possibly’t maintain a candle to the Atlus greats.

As an entry in a sequence with only one different instalment from the Nineties — which was remade for simply the Nintendo 3DS in 2013 — the quantity two on the finish of the sport’s title could understandably have some individuals anxious. After all, you are not going to discover a GameStop shelf packed stuffed with Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers copies within the 12 months 2022.

However, you needn’t fret as a result of Soul Hackers 2 assumes no prior data in any respect. Maybe you will miss out on one or two minor references (we have not performed the unique sport both), however it is a standalone story that introduces itself as if it is a new IP the place everyone seems to be a newcomer.

That narrative focuses on Ringo and Figue, two humanoids created by an AI named Aion. This synthetic intelligence is designed to watch humanity from afar, besides it should intervene when it learns the top of the world is nigh. Something often known as the Great One is being known as upon, and the twosome should put a cease to it by stopping objects of energy known as Covenants from falling into the unsuitable arms.

While you begin the journey alone, you’ll shortly assemble a celebration of 4, stuffed with oddballs and contrasting personalities. Much of the story is character-focused, detailing how the varied Devil Summoner factions relate to at least one one other and crafting plot twists round them. The motivations of the antagonist are compelling too, with cool character design making them an actual point of interest for the plot because it unfolds. It’s a neat story typical of a JRPG, but it surely’s unlikely to go down as a very memorable one.

Cutscenes stay partaking all through and the story does sufficient to maintain issues attention-grabbing. However, they lack the intrigue of a Persona 5 plot level or the gripping nature of a Shin Megami Tensei twist. Although the narrative has its moments, it is abundantly clear Soul Hackers 2 wasn’t afforded the identical type of funds as Atlus’ premier RPGs. The story suffers considerably because of this.

So too do the areas you are capable of discover exterior of dungeons. During downtime, outlets might be rummaged by to supply new objects and tools, aspect quests might be accomplished for bonus loot and cash, and a bar might be visited to enhance your Soul Level with social gathering members. These shops and points of interest are located on extremely quick and slender streets that go away completely no room for exploration exterior of the random townsfolk you possibly can chat to.

It’s nearly as if the sport recognises there’s little level to the cobblestones exterior: you possibly can quick journey straight to each retailer and enterprise as soon as you have found them. There’s little to do exterior of fight; the one characters you possibly can create any type of bond with are your core social gathering members. And even then, they’re restricted to easy Soul Levels that enhance by dialogue responses.

Once you do get right into a dungeon and tough some demons up, although, Soul Hackers 2 takes a way more constructive flip. Its turn-based fight system is lots like different Atlus RPGs: it is actually enjoyable to have interaction with, tremendous fashionable, and addictive to the purpose the place you are actively looking for battles. It’s all very acquainted when you’ve performed current titles from the developer, but it surely has a formulation that works.

The ordinary choice of magical talents and bodily assaults are at your disposal. So too are objects, utilizing your flip to dam, and making an attempt to flee the scene. Exploiting enemy weaknesses is the important thing to successful fights, that are found by experimenting and studying into the type of expertise they throw again at you. While not fairly as troublesome as a Shin Megami Tensei V, various difficult encounters await — notably boss fights with distinctive talents.

Something the sport does otherwise from the remainder is a brand new mechanic known as Stacking. Instead of gaining an additional flip after focusing on an enemy’s Achilles heel, you will construct up stacks that type one almighty assault as soon as your social gathering members have had their go. This provides a brand new layer of technique to the expertise whereby you possibly can nick stacks off a stronger enemy — even when it hardly does any injury — so as to drain the HP of each demon in entrance of you. Reach a excessive Stacking depend and it is doable to wipe a full lineup of foes in a single go.

With added depth, the fight system does not really feel like a rehash of prior Atlus efforts. While it might look nearly indistinguishable from the skin, Soul Hackers 2 creates its personal little nook that rewards aggression and experimentation with stronger assaults down the road. Throw in some enemies that may change their elemental flaws on the fly and you have got a demonic pressure that retains you in your toes.

All of these encounters happen in dungeons, which characterize far and away the worst factor concerning the JRPG. Some of probably the most uninspired, lifeless, boring areas await with recycled corridors and hallways offering an extremely uninteresting backdrop for the battles at hand. These areas aren’t like your stylised Persona 5 Palaces; they’re primary procuring malls and transport districts with out even a touch of character.

Some new mechanics are launched partway by so as to add a small trace of complexity, however all they actually do is make you wander the repetitive and mind-numbing passageways of the dungeons some extra. It can’t be overstated how genuinely crap they’re. It’s nearly as if Atlus forgot about them till the final minute after which hurriedly slapped collectively some belongings. But, after all, that is not truly the case. They had been all designed like this proper from the off.

Even the map used to navigate the dungeons is garbage. Its labyrinthine nature scrawls everywhere in the display and manages to get in your means regardless of being pretty translucent on-screen. For as pleasurable fight is inside dungeons, the rest you do in them exterior of the story is as uninteresting as dishwater.

It’s fairly a weird distinction, actually, as a result of Soul Hackers 2 retains that fashionable, vibrant nature of an Atlus sport in its menus and just about anyplace exterior of a dungeon. The streets — as small as they’re — are alive with exercise and vibes. Stylish transitions seamlessly change you between cutscenes and gameplay, and the menus in-between are stylish and hip. It’s a very cool sport to take a look at in the appropriate areas, and fantastic character artwork makes dialogue pop.

Background scenes are the true stars of the present, although. Pay a go to to any one of many shops stocking fight provides and you will be greeted by a flat however fashionable picture full with a shopkeeper simply as funky. Atlus is aware of what it excels at within the artwork division, and its newest lives as much as these expectations more often than not. Why this trendy strategy wasn’t carried into the dungeons will without end stay a thriller.

Conclusion

Soul Hackers 2 is a reliable Atlus JRPG that can tick quite a lot of bins for followers of the style, but it surely falls properly in need of being that subsequent breakout star from Japan. With terrible dungeon design and little else to do exterior of them, it falls upon the partaking fight system and attention-grabbing sufficient narrative to select up the items. It’s on no account the subsequent must-play JRPG, however there’s simply sufficient to Soul Hackers 2 that warrants a playthrough.