Soul hackers overall is a good game with some flaws that hold it back. The atmosphere and music are amazing, but the story suffers from being too fast-paced which limits screen time for many characters. This is the first time i wanted a game to last longer with more story segments, as the story is constantly pushing you forward with little time for most of the main cast outside of Nemissa. The dungeons are fun, all but one didn't feel like a drag to play through and each dungeon's theme was interesting. Since the game takes place in the city, most dungeons are office buildings and other places you'd find in a big city. It makes the game feel more grounded in the city and keeps you connected to Amami city. The times where it's not grounded are even better though, as the devs definitely took advantage of the few dungeons that weren't based on real locations to create atmospheric dungeon settings that break up the pacing and keep the game feeling fresh. The combat system is ok, demon loyalty is a system that holds the game back in my opinion since it forces you to use whatever skills the demon prefers which limits decision making and team composition until you've grinded your demons to max loyalty. The combat system itself is fine and serviceable, not nearly as engaging as the press-turn system found in mainline games but since most battles don't last long it doesn't bother me as much as a lot of other jrpg battle systems. If the story was longer with more time going into each of the Spookies, and the combat system removed the loyalty system I'd recommend the game more than I do now, but I do think if you enjoy the SMT series you should give Soul hackers a shot.

Absolutely fantastic game. So much attention to detail in everything from enemy placement to lore details to characters, just like the other Miyazaki games. The increased healing items and rally mechanic let the player play much more aggressive and loose than dark souls, and lets the bosses themselves be more vicious and faster than other souls bosses. Not every boss is a winner, but the vast majority of them are well designed. They feel like dances between the Hunter and the boss in the best boss fights.