Soul Hackers 2 Review 2022.I’m a straightforward guy, so when I see a Shin Megami Tensei game, I’m intrigued. Soul Hackers 2, a sequel to the 1997 original and the first Devil Summoner game in about 14 years. produced by Atlus despite the subseries’ inconsistent rhythm.
Jumping Jack Frost
That Devil Summoner doesn’t miss is a wonderful thing.Soul Hackers 2 Review 2022.
Soul Hackers 2 unusually open and forthright with its narrative concept. Despite choosing a setting that in some other works may viewed as confounding.
Your responsibility as an organic avatar named Ringo is to preserve humanity at the whim of the AI Aion. You are one of two crucial individuals who Aion needs to survive in order to stop a looming terrible calamity. You can prevent death from occurring by saving a bit of someone’s soul using a demi-godlike skill known as a “soul hack.”Soul Hackers 2 Review 2022. The worst part is that doing this too frequently can distort reality itself. Once more, the speech is natural and easy to understand, and there is even plot text that serves. As a reminder on loading screens (as well as chat logs. In case you accidentally skipped a cutscene or forgot what just happened).
While Soul Hackers 2 takes some time to get underway in earnest. You quickly become reunited with new summoners who end up being important party members. Along with your friends, you gradually discover more about Aion’s objectives and the actual world. Including the challenge of having to find covenants (powers that, when gathered, can cause destruction). The atmosphere is still very much occult (with plenty of demons) and cyberpunk. But the daily happenings on the critical path also have a hint of mystery and espionage. It helps that the cast plays themselves lightly in classic SMT style. There are times of stoic heroism, but there are also humorous and laid-back moments, all supported by excellent (dual audio) voice acting.
Another character is the neon-lit city (which can viewed in a performance-based 60 FPS or 4K visual toggle). Everything you’ve come to expect from an Atlus RPG is present, including bars, stores, task givers, and demon fusion locations. As you learn more about the city, all of it gradually becomes clearer, which complements the narrative’s crescendoing structure. That you are learning with Ringo and her crew. From there, you may decide whether you want to start doing side quests — typically in places you’ve already been, with a strong emphasis on going back. To previously explored dungeons — or continue with the main mission.
Speaking of dungeons, most of them are simple, however some do blur together. The player’s decision often boils down to “enter the door. You need to go into/walk to the dead-end and receive an item,” and it unmistakably “hallway-based.” Although this is not unique to Soul Hackers 2, it didn’t feel good to enter two “underground” spots almost simultaneously.
The “Soul Matrix” dungeons add to this sensation by letting you discover more about each party member and delve deeper. Into their psyches while earning rewards and moving along in the game. Although the setting largely looks the same, you can travel further and do more things the further the tale advances. There are teleport waypoints in every dungeon, so they aren’t really difficult per per, but time-consuming. There is also an early-access spell that allows you to swiftly escape a dungeon.
A character moment would appear in the middle of a dungeon and lift my spirits if I was feeling low. Alternately, I might pull off a very great manoeuvre in combat or devise a fresh strategy, then persevere. The cast, a mainstay of Atlus games, plays a big role in the game’s foundation, especially in how they interact at the bar. Where most of the game’s emotional moments take place.
Demon recon, a fun little exploring mechanic, lets you send demons into the map when you enter it. Finding them could result in a health boost, an item as a gift, or an encounter that enables you possibly recruit a new demon. It can become monotonous after a while. But I appreciate the effort to change things up, and adding new demons to the party is always fun.
In menu-based combat, teams (often the player first) take full turns acting. After which the opposing team receives a full turn. You need to prepare for it, be aware of your synergies and vulnerabilities, and heal, protect, and buff yourself appropriately. Because it might result in some severe dogpiling either way.
The weakness system in Soul Hackers 2 identical to that in prior SMT games. But this time your bonus connected to a super-like Sabbath ability that activated by repeated weakness strikes per turn. When the Sabbath unleashed, more vulnerability hits result in more harm. In other words, for your regular party of four, if you hit any adversary with any vulnerability four times, you will receive a Sabbath rating of four, which deals extra area-of-effect (AOE) damage after your turn ends. When you take into account tactical play. Such as keeping an adversary low without eliminating them entirely and letting the Sabbath take care of it for you, it’s entertaining to attempt and run the numbers up. You can skip the Sabbath animation.
Soul Hackers 2 often asks players to pay attention to their loadouts, so that is something to keep in mind. Not only does your elemental kit matter (entering a battle without knowing an enemy’s vulnerability might fatal), but your gear in general should kept up to date (like boosting the element of choice for that summoner). It’s best to max out a demon first, then, after it maxed, acquire a gift, and finally, try something new. It’s a really straightforward and efficient loop where you may gradually improve and test out new mechanics, capped off by purchasing and demon fusing. If you underleveled and poorly equipped, even on standard mode, things might get hazardous.
I once spent about 20 minutes in various stores improving my stats and skills and fusing demons after realising my party wasn’t as strong as I’d liked. Fusing made a noticeable difference because it gave me access to more area-of-effect spells that could quickly dispatch large groups of opponents while also giving me access to additional weaknesses for boss battles. After about 10 hours, you’ll be able to use “commander abilities,” which are essentially rare supers that Ringo can activate for the group. It’s quite satisfying to watch all of these tiny jigsaw pieces come together, and in typical SMT style, there is a tonne of personalization required.
But unlike many previous games, getting stuck doesn’t necessarily mean doom, and you shouldn’t ever feel the need to give up in annoyance (I’m looking at you, vintage Nocturne gamers). It is possible to toggle on easy mode at any moment, which is highly forgiving to the extent that you can restart fights indefinitely without seeing a game over screen. The major aspects of quality of life are standard, along with saving anywhere and quick transit.
I stumbled into Soul Hackers 2 hoping for an overall sense of excellence from Atlus but found myself completely engrossed in its environment. While dungeon design can occasionally feel repetitive, it isn’t enough to overshadow the game’s overall flashiness. It was enjoyable to hang out with this team and observe how things developed. As always, Atlus absolutely nails the subtleties.
