Shin Megami Tensei is now finest recognized for its Persona sequence of Japanese role-playing video games, however Atlus’ franchise has a wealthy historical past of various spin-offs. Whereas 1997’s Satan Summoner: Soul Hackers lately acquired a second probability at glory on account of a Nintendo 3DS port in 2013, a sequel appeared unlikely given it wasn’t some of the beloved titles (being launched on the Sega Saturn will do this). Nonetheless, the sci-fi setting that separates it from the extra grounded installments is tantalizing and winds up being the right framework for Soul Hackers 2, which is a comforting entry with satisfying fight and first rate social components that doesn’t require taking part in the primary sport.
The unique Soul Hackers was a first-person dungeon crawler, however the sequel takes place in a extra trendy third-person perspective. Though the digicam is tightly positioned behind the sport’s protagonist right here, which limits the sector of view fairly a bit and provides extra technique with regards to basic motion as enemies can cover behind corners and shock gamers. Like many components of the sport, presenting dungeons like it is a good combination of recent and retro components, particularly with the glitched-out aesthetic that matches its themes. It even borrows some welcome depth within the overworld from the Persona sequence as gamers can whack enemies with a sword to subdue them, permitting them to both keep away from fight altogether or acquire a bonus by damaging the foe initially.
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Later dungeons additionally function a little bit of puzzle fixing, be it turning the facility on for elevators or determining tips on how to get previous obstacles. Whereas the fight towards demons and different summoners is often the spotlight, the dungeon exploration at all times has sufficient occurring to remain intriguing. Throw in all kinds of aspect missions that may be picked up and accomplished at any time, plus a useful quantity of quick journey icons, and also you’ve acquired dungeons which can be at all times fulfilling to undergo whether or not it’s your first or twentieth journey — though it might’ve been extra streamlined if considerably weaker enemies had been simply robotically killed by your strikes.
Soul Hackers 2 has fairly customary Shin Megami Tensei fight, however some extra layers hold it feeling recent. Customers equip demons with the intention to use acquainted spells, akin to Bufu and Agilao, whereas focusing on the fundamental weaknesses of every enemy. The fight shines afterward, as new talents for the principle character and social gathering members start to unlock. Concentrating on weak factors grant gamers a robust assault on the finish of a flip that inflicts harm on all enemies, so fastidiously utilizing these abilities and equipping talents that add extra perks like poison to those blows can change the tide of battle. It’s a splendidly thought-out battle system with so many variables that’s extremely gratifying to experiment inside.
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There are additionally character-specific dungeons that gamers traverse to unlock new abilities for his or her companions, which ties into the social component of the sport that lets you bond together with your social gathering over drinks. The forged is sort of likable, though the script is overly wordy in a really particular JRPG method the place it goes on for about 10 traces too lengthy after the purpose dialog has been established. Fortunately, a fast-forward button is on the correct bumper and the dialog log assist parse among the dense dialogue. It is a downside in another SMT video games as nicely, however the characters aren’t fairly as memorable as Satan Survivor‘s forged, so there’s not an excessive amount of incentive to absorb each line up dialogue right here.
Whereas the unique went in a extra conventional cyberpunk path with its world, Soul Hackers 2 goes extra near-futuristic with its setting and includes gamers controlling an A.I. creation that has taken bodily kind to avoid wasting the world from extinction (there are robots that make pizza, so it’s actually a world price saving). It’s an fascinating setup, and gamers wind up bringing the lately deceased again to life by the titular soul hacking, however the story merely winds up being serviceable reasonably than a standout. There’s a stable quantity of recycled materials and themes right here, significantly when in comparison with different Japanese video games about tech and A.I., however there are sufficient compelling character moments to maintain gamers eager to see the story to an finish, even when it isn’t one of many strongest SMT narratives.
That is basically consolation meals for sequence veterans as many different options which can be customary fare in SMT seem right here as nicely, like fusing demons, recruiting them with bribes, and coming into contact with loads of acquainted faces like Jack Frost and different signature demons. There’s not a ton of innovation on supply, because it’s extra about refinement, however Soul Hackers 2 doesn’t disappoint with its stellar fight that rewards experimentation and evolving dungeons filled with bonus content material.
SCORE: 8.5/10
As ComingSoon’s evaluate coverage explains, a rating of 8.5 equates to “Nice.” Whereas there are just a few minor points, this rating implies that the artwork succeeds at its objective and leaves a memorable influence.
