Soul Hackers 2 closely resembles the Persona of Shin Megami Tensei and its increasingly popular spin-off series. There’s fun turn-based combat, demons we all know and love, and vast dungeons to explore. It also tells a pretty interesting story, interwoven with social his links, character interactions, hangout spots, and more. The problem is that Soul Hackers 2 effectively makes all of this worse. It’s a good game, but it’s no match for the Atlas greats.
As a series entry in one separate installment from the 1990s (which was remade for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013), the number 2 at the end of the game’s title understandably worries some people. There is a possibility. After all, you can’t find a full GameStop shelf. Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner Soul Hackers Copy in 2022.
But don’t worry, Soul Hackers 2 assumes zero prior knowledge. 1 or he might miss 2 minor references (didn’t even play the original game) but this introduces himself like it’s a new IP where everyone is a newcomer It’s a standalone story.
Its story focuses on Ringo and Figue, two humanoids created by an AI named Aion. This artificial intelligence is designed to observe humanity from afar, but must intervene when it learns that the end of the world is near. , the duo must stop it by preventing objects of power called the Covenant from falling into the wrong hands.
When you start your journey alone, you soon find yourself with a party of four with quirky and contrasting personalities. Much of the story focuses on the characters, detailing how the various devils and his summoner factions relate to each other, as well as the crafting plots surrounding them. The motives of the enemies are also compelling and the cool character designs make them a real focal point of the unfolding plot. It’s a decent JRPG story, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be a particularly memorable one.
The cutscenes are engaging throughout, and the story is good enough to keep things interesting. Yes, but it’s clear that Soul Hackers 2 wasn’t given the same budget as Atlus’ best RPG. As a result, the story suffers somewhat.
The same goes for places that can be explored outside the dungeon. During his downtime, he can comb shops for new items and gear, complete his side quests for bonus loot and money, or head to the bar to party with his members. You can raise his level to Soul. These outlets and attractions are located on incredibly short and narrow streets, leaving absolutely no room to explore outside of random townspeople you can chat with.
It’s as if the game knows that the cobblestones outside mean little. Once you’ve found them, you can fast travel directly to any store or business. I don’t do much outside of combat. The only characters you can form bonds of any kind with are your core party members.
However, once you enter a dungeon and start ravaging some demons, Soul Hackers 2 gets a lot more positive.The turn-based combat system is a lot like other Atlus RPGs. Great fun, very stylish, and so addictive that you’re actively looking for combat. It’s all very familiar if you’ve played any of the recent titles from the developers, but there’s a formula that works.
The normal selection of magical abilities and physical attacks are at your disposal. Same goes for items that use your turn to block and try to escape the scene. Exploiting your enemy’s weaknesses is the key to winning battles. This is discovered by experimenting and reading the types of skills the enemy throws back. not as difficult as Shin Megami Tensei Vmany challenging encounters await—especially boss battles with unique abilities.
What makes this game different from others is a new mechanic called stacking. Instead of getting an extra turn after targeting an enemy’s Achilles Heel, party builds stacks that form one all-purpose attack once his members start attacking. This adds a new layer of strategy to the experience, allowing him to detach stacks from stronger foes, even if doing little damage, to drain his HP of every demon in sight. . High stacking numbers can wipe out entire enemy lineups at once.
With all the added depth, the combat system doesn’t feel like a rehash of previous Atlas efforts. Create a small corner and reward experimentation with aggression and stronger attacks. Throw in a few enemies that can change basic flaws on the fly, and you’ve got demonic powers to keep you on your toes.
All of these encounters take place in dungeons, which is the worst part of JRPGs. Some of the most uninspiring, lifeless, and boring locations await with recycled corridors and corridors that provide an incredibly boring backdrop to the battle at hand. It’s different from Persona 5’s Palace. They’re basic shopping malls and shipping districts without even a hint of individuality.
A few new mechanics are introduced along the way that add a little hint of complexity, but really just make you roam the dungeon’s repetitive and daunting passages a little more. How crap can’t be overstated. It’s as if Atlus forgot about them at the last minute and put together some assets in a hurry, but of course that’s not really the case. They were all designed this way from the beginning.
Even the map used to navigate the dungeon is garbage. Its maze-like nature scribbles across the screen and manages to get in the way despite being fairly translucent onscreen. Everything you do inside is as boring as water in your dish.
Soul Hackers 2 is actually a very strange contrast, as it retains the stylish and colorful nature of Atlus games almost everywhere except in menus and dungeons. increase. Stylish transitions seamlessly switch between cutscenes and gameplay, and the menus in between are trendy and hip. It’s a really cool game when you look at the right parts, a great character and his art makes the dialogue pop.
However, the background scenes are the true star of the show. A flat stylish image with a funky shopkeeper greets you when you visit any of the combat gear stores. Atlus knows what’s good in the art department, and its latest edition most of the time lives up to that expectation. Why this fashionable approach was never taken into dungeons will forever remain a mystery.
Conclusion
Soul Hackers 2 is a capable Atlus JRPG that ticks a lot of boxes for fans of the genre, but it’s far from being the next breakout star from Japan. Few things drop down to an engaging combat system and a story interesting enough to pick up the pieces. There are sufficient elements of
