As far as I’m concerned, it always feels like a special occasion when an Atlus JRPG comes out on PC as I really like their Megami Tensei franchise. With that said, I’ve never had the chance to play any of the titles in the Devil Summoner line, so basically Soul Hackers 2 was kind of an entry point for me.
In general, I wasn’t disappointed, although I couldn't give more than three and a half stars. The whole time it felt like I was somewhere halfway between the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei games I’ve had the chance to play so far, in a sense that the story, the characters and the art style was closer to the former, whereas the dungeons and actual gameplay reminded me of the latter. The turn-based battle system is more or less as you would expect if you’re familiar with any of the aforementioned series, focusing on using demons and exploiting element weaknesses. It’s fun, but still, I would have loved a bit more innovation here to shake things up sometimes, at least during boss fights. Also, be prepared for a loooot of running around in similar-looking, monotonous corridors and subway tunnels… Unfortunately, there’s not much variety when it comes to level designs, which is a shame.
What I genuinely loved, however, were the characters, especially the protagonist, who is not a mute, blank slate that requires others to communicate for her, which is quite often the case in these games. Between battles and cutscenes you also have a chance to get to know your party members better, but don’t expect as much social interaction between them as in Persona. And, of course, we also have the Demon Compendium, the absolute essential part of any title in the franchise, so catch and fuse ‘em all, if you can, I guess.
All in all, I didn’t regret the time I spent with Soul Hackers 2, even if its content feels much lighter than what I expected. There’s just not enough of anything, but what we have is OK. Nothing to write home about, though.
In general, I wasn’t disappointed, although I couldn't give more than three and a half stars. The whole time it felt like I was somewhere halfway between the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei games I’ve had the chance to play so far, in a sense that the story, the characters and the art style was closer to the former, whereas the dungeons and actual gameplay reminded me of the latter. The turn-based battle system is more or less as you would expect if you’re familiar with any of the aforementioned series, focusing on using demons and exploiting element weaknesses. It’s fun, but still, I would have loved a bit more innovation here to shake things up sometimes, at least during boss fights. Also, be prepared for a loooot of running around in similar-looking, monotonous corridors and subway tunnels… Unfortunately, there’s not much variety when it comes to level designs, which is a shame.
What I genuinely loved, however, were the characters, especially the protagonist, who is not a mute, blank slate that requires others to communicate for her, which is quite often the case in these games. Between battles and cutscenes you also have a chance to get to know your party members better, but don’t expect as much social interaction between them as in Persona. And, of course, we also have the Demon Compendium, the absolute essential part of any title in the franchise, so catch and fuse ‘em all, if you can, I guess.
All in all, I didn’t regret the time I spent with Soul Hackers 2, even if its content feels much lighter than what I expected. There’s just not enough of anything, but what we have is OK. Nothing to write home about, though.