Pre-order Soul Hackers 2
Soul Hackers 2 is set in a weird retro-future version of Japan, where the 90s cyberpunk aesthetic has remained for many years. This means everything is neon and flashy, smartphones don’t exist and the world is a depressing dystopia. You play as Ringo, who is technically part of an all-powerful computer program called Aion. The program’s calculations have suggested that the world is fast moving towards doomsday, and the only hope of avoiding this lies with independent agents. Thus, Ringo and her fellow program-turned-human Figue are sent to a futuristic version of the… Soul Hackers world, where demons exist and people capture them and fight with them using COMPs.
Unusual for the franchise, Soul Hackers 2 focuses on a series of characters. Ringo is the main character. She is joined by Arrow, a demon summoner who works for the organization Yatagarasu; Milady, who used to be part of a doomsday cult until they betrayed her; and Saizo, a mercenary who works for both sides. All three have been rescued from some disaster by Ringo, and now the unlikely foursome must find out Why the world is about to end and stop it before it happens.
Perhaps the most unusual thing about Soul Hacker 2‘s fight is that it is the first SMT spin-off I can think of that has no variation on the Press Turn Combat System where you can earn extra attacks by hitting enemy weaknesses or lose them by hitting defenses. Instead of, Soul Hacker 2The combat is much more in line with what you would expect from a JRPG combat system. Your team takes turns attacking, and then the enemy takes a turn to attack.
Even summoning demons is unusual and works more like Persona. Any demon you recruit or merge will join your party and can be equipped with any of your four characters. This gives them access to the demon’s abilities and elemental affinity. unlike Persona, you cannot change it freely. A character’s demon is theirs for battle, but you can unlock an ability that allows you to change one of your group’s demons per turn. This means you need to be more careful with your builds.
One twist is that there is no traditional Demon Negotiation in the game. When you enter a dungeon, any demons you have will be sent to scout. You’ll find them scattered throughout the dungeon, where they take the place of healing spots, treasure chests, and various other things. They give you items, money, and health, but most importantly, they can also find demons to join your party. When you talk to someone, they introduce the demon, and then he will give you a request. Fulfill the request (usually an item) and the demon immediately joins; refuse, and it leaves. It’s a much more streamlined version of demon negotiation than any other game in the series.
Each of the four characters has their own specialties. Ringo and Milady have instant physical attacks, while Arrow and Saizo have guns. Regular attacks are much more powerful than usual, so it’s important to have access to different elements of attacks. Each character also has their own custom COMP, which allows them to excel at different things. Any character can equip any demon, but some are better than others. For example, Milady is a strong physical attacker with an affinity for fire. That means that when she upgrades her COMP, she naturally gains abilities that make physical attacks stronger or cost less MP. All characters can equip Mystiques, which boost the powers or lower the cost of certain elemental attacks, but the strength of the Mystiques depends on their affinities.
There’s a new mechanic called the Sabbath, which is a kind of boosted all-out attack. Every time you hit an enemy’s weakness, you’ll get a stack and one of your demons will appear on the field in a ghostly spiritual form. At the end of your turn, you unleash a special attack that hits any enemy on the field, with higher stacks dealing more damage. Certain demons have special Sabbath abilities, which can be activated during a Sabbath. Elemental damage is still extreme important, but not for the same reasons.
In addition to COMP and demons, each character can explore a Soul Matrix, which resembles a Memento or Tartarus-style dungeon, but is not random. Each of the non-Ringo characters has their own, and when you explore it, you can find new enemies and gear that you can’t find anywhere else. Progressing in the Soul Matrix reveals more backstories and histories of the character, and then you can choose from a few different bonuses, including stat boosts, permanent passive abilities, and the ability to earn Sabbath stacks. The dungeons seem simple, but I have a feeling they’re getting more complex quickly.
Your progress in the Soul Matrix is determined by your Soul Affinity, which is Ringo’s friendship with characters. This may sound like Social Links, but it’s not quite. During cutscenes, your reactions spark one of the character’s respective friendships. In a rather nice move you get to see which choice improves which character’s friendship and by how much. You can also go to the bar to have casual chats with your friends for extra points, but it’s not like a full Social Link.
Soul Hackers 2 is going to be a damn interesting take on the SMT formula. It’s a bit more old-school than Personabut it is not as old fashioned as a traditional one Shin Megami Tensei title. The unusual neon-colored aesthetic gives it an interesting style and the core concept and cast seem interesting. It’s nice to see a protagonist who is a real character rather than an avatar for the player, and the group dynamics look nice. Hopefully the full version of Soul Hackers 2due out later this month (August 2022), lives up to our strong first impressions.
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