Soul Hackers 2 hands-on PS5 preview. The Shin Megami Tensei franchise has taken a shape of its own. Thanks to Persona, the series’ most popular spin-off, Atlus has successfully taken and translated all of their titles from this massive franchise. Soul Hackers 2 is another spin-off of the popular series that combines a digital and scientific approach with religion to bring a simplified Shin Megami Tensei game to the PS4 and PS5.

Soul Hackers 2 hands-on PS5 preview

Another spin-off, another fun time

Soul Hackers 2 tells the story of Ringo and Figue, constructs created by an advanced AI called Aion. Aion can foresee human behavior using data it has collected about them for years and calculated that the world will end when two specific people die. Aion creates Ringo and Figue to save these two people and prevent Armageddon.

There’s a lot more to the story, but because of the NDA I can’t go into detail. However, one of the most satisfying aspects of the story is how it combines supernatural and scientific elements. Your party consists of Devil Summoners; people with the unique ability to see, deal with, and negotiate contracts with demons. This pact allows them to harness their powers and even summon them to aid them in battle.

Those familiar with the Shin Megami Tensei franchise will recognize these demons. From Jack Frost to Pixi, all demons return in Soul Hackers 2. As you progress through the story, you can recruit more demons through negotiation, but it’s not as complicated as other games in the franchise.

The recruiting and fusing of demons is a recurring staple in Soul Hackers 2.

To recruit new demons, you may encounter them in dungeons, and they will ask you to give them something in return for their services. None of this is demanding, and usually they ask for a basic item or part of your HP or MP.

Another way to recruit demons is to merge two other demons to get a new demon. This is the best and most effective way to get some of the more powerful companions in the game. The system is very user-friendly and provides you with all the necessary information.

Not only does it give a preview of what demon you get from fusion, but if you don’t have a specific demon, it gives you a hint and silhouette of what the demon looks like to give you an idea of ​​what demon to find or merge to get your favorite demon.

Your group can equip any demons they want, but each member has a greater affinity for specific elemental demons. For example, Arrow has a greater affinity for Ice, and equipping demons that specialize in ice skills gives him an advantage.

This benefit comes in Mystique; an item you can equip that increases your damage with specific elements, although some characters can’t equip specific Mystique.

While you can equip any demon you want on any character, there are specific benefits to equipping demons that provide the best benefits for each party member.

Simple but rewarding battles can get repetitive

Combat is turn based and the key to fighting is finding each enemy’s weakness. The game offers seven weaknesses for each enemy and party member. Slashing, Piercing, Fire, Ice, Lighting, Power and Ruin. Every encounter is a mystery; you have to try different attacks to find the enemy’s weakness, which can be one or more of the seven. Enemies will also resist some attacks, while specific attacks can heal others.

Every time you hit an enemy weakness, you deal extra damage to the enemy and get a stack. Hit the enemy with enough weak point attacks, you will get more stacks. At the end of all your group’s turns, those stacks will turn into a group attack performed by your summoned demons to hit all enemies on the field for massive damage.

It’s a simple system, but it gets repetitive, especially when you’re fighting many of the same enemies in a dungeon. Speaking of dungeons, this is where the game hurts the most. The dungeons are completely boring and uninspired. You’ll explore real-world areas like an abandoned subway, but there’s nothing to see. Usually you run through hallways and enter rooms that have nothing in them.

Uninspired dungeons and boring exploration

The other key location is the Axis, a virtual world you can explore to unlock your party’s memories and unique passive abilities. The Axis is a space of code that you explore. It’s hard to describe, but trust me when I say, it’s as boring as a location can get. The skills you can unlock in the Axis range from adding extra stacks through hitting enemy weaknesses and getting extra items from your demons.

Ringo sends all the demons in your inventory into the dungeon when you enter one. You can find them scattered around the dungeon, giving you multiple gifts. This includes items, money, you heal in the dungeon, and unique items that unlock hangout events for your party members, and most importantly, find new demons to recruit.

Your demons act as treasure chests, eliminating the need to explore a dungeon. This also adds randomness to the dungeons, which I wasn’t a fan of. You can go through an entire dungeon without finding new demons to recruit, or you can get five in the first ten minutes. You also have to traverse a dungeon for a while to find a demon that will give you the unique item you need to progress. It’s all random.

Great aesthetic and fun soundtrack

I love the visual style of Soul Hackers 2. The anime character design mixed with a neon Tokyo makes it look punchy, while Ringo himself walks around wearing a light up jacket, which looks awesome. The few locations you can visit in town have solid aesthetics, and again, the demon designs are imaginative.

The soundtrack isn’t as pop-oriented as Persona, but I enjoyed the mix of jazz and classical music that the game offers. I thought I would get more techno and electronic music, but I was pleasantly surprised by the different directions.

So far, there’s a lot to like about Soul Hackers 2. It’s a simplified Shin Megami Tensei title that might be more for the fans who might not have enjoyed Persona’s school segments or the extreme difficulty of the core Shin Megami Tensei- franchise.

I hope the dungeons improve as I play more, but so far this is the only thing stopping the game from becoming another big entry in the franchise.

Soul Hackers 2 launches on PS4 and PS5 on August 25, 2022.