Shin Megami Tensei, Atlus’ JRPG packed with main titles and a plethora of spin-offs, has gone through many changes over the course of its three-decade long history. While Persona is the most well-known spin-off series from the franchise today, another spin-off, Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, has somehow remained memorable despite only having two entries to its name, with a minor name change between titles.
While the first game in the series was only available in Japan for a little over a decade, the second got a worldwide launch. As such, there are probably a lot of things fans didn’t know about the series.
7 Second title in the Devil Summoner series
While Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers is the first title in the Soul Hackers series, it is also the second title in the Devil Summoner series. The first game in the series, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, was launched for the Sega Saturn in Japan in 1995 and also had a port on the PlayStation Portable a decade later in 2005, with no version ever having an official release outside of Japan. seen.
Devil Summoner also received a 1997 live-action television drama adaptation by Tsuburaya Entertainment, the studio behind the Ultraman franchise, and is the only game in the franchise to receive one. The series itself was also adapted into three novels by Bugi Toumon.
6 Japan-exclusive Sega Saturn debut
Like its predecessor Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, the original Soul Hackers title, Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, was launched exclusively for the Sega Saturn in Japan in 1997. A handful of Atlus games unrelated to the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, launched on the Sega Saturn as well, with the two Devil Summoner titles being the only Shin Megami Tensei-related games released on the platform.
Although composer Shoji Meguro has composed music for many Shin Megami Tensei games and spin-offs, he claimed during an interview with RocketBaby that he had created fifty tracks for Soul Hackers, but also jokingly stated that he cannot remember having any of them. because of repressed memories of the experience.
5 There was originally a separate Demon Compendium CD
Like its predecessor, the original Sega Saturn version of Soul Hackers had a Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers Demon Compendium Second Collection CD. This Demon Compendium contains all the demons that appeared in Soul Hackers and shows them in higher resolution, with additional commentary on each demon.
While this demon playback mode is the main feature of the Demon Compendium, it also includes a mode to listen to the Soul Hackers soundtrack. However, something unique about this Demon Compendium that the previous one didn’t have was a decent novel; basically an audiobook describing how the Spookies hacker group came to be.
4 First improved version was on PlayStation
In 1999, due to the popularity of Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, an enhanced version was launched for PlayStation, but it remained exclusive to Japan. New features included new story events, the Paradigm X Casino, bonus dungeons and more.
The PlayStation port was re-released just a year later as part of Sony’s The Best budget series, the Asian equivalent of the Greatest Hits and Essentials brandings in North America and Europe respectively. While there was an attempt to officially localize and release both versions of the game outside of Japan, it unfortunately never succeeded. Fortunately, Soul Hackers didn’t remain a Japan-exclusive title forever.
3 New Nintendo 3DS Remake Features
An enhanced remake of Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, which still retains the original game’s title, was launched for Nintendo 3DS more than a decade after the original game’s launch and marked the first time the game was released outside of Japan. in Japan in 2012 and 2013 in North America, Europe and Australia.
New features in the Nintendo 3DS remake included an animated opening film, voice acting, updated artwork including a new demon designed by Masayuki Doi, refined combat and new gameplay elements that take advantage of Nintendo 3DS features such as Streetpass and Nintendo 3DS Play Coins.
2 Two Japan-exclusive mobile titles
In 2008, two mobile games related to Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers were released exclusively in Japan, Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers Intruder and Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers New Generation. Intruder is a strategy JRPG that takes place approximately six months after the events of the first game, specifically after the end of the New Game+ route.
The second mobile game, Soul Hackers New Generation, is seemingly not set at a specific time but is more of a monster battle game where summoners have their demons fight each other and raise them in Free Battle mode so they can reach the master rank in the Challenge Battle mode.
Soul Hackers 2 is available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. While Atlus games have been on all of these platforms before, Soul Hackers 2 is Atlus’ first game and the first Shin Megami Tensei franchise title to be released on an Xbox console since Persona 4 Arena Ultimax for Xbox 360 in 2014.
Before the first Persona 4 Arena title, the only Shin Megami Tensei game available on Xbox was Shin Megami Tensei: NINE, which never launched on any other console besides the original Xbox and has never been officially available outside of Japan.
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