Everything about this game just feels so misleading. The title of Soul Hackers 2 would make one think this is a sequel, when it has next to no relation to Soul Hackers. A bright and color cast alongside a cyberpunk world catches your eye at first glance, just for all the main dungeons outside of one to be a boring underground tunnel or railway system (they reused one of these for some reason ???). A somewhat interesting concept just turns into one of the most generic plots you can see coming from a mile away. It's all just very disappointing, as I had interest in this game prior to release. Gameplay wise, it's an absolute slog. I love turn based, but there really is nothing to unique or well put together with this combat. The main gimmick is the stack mechanic and Sabbath ability, which lack any real depth or interesting factors. Hit weaknesses, build up a number, and watch a cutscene where you deal damage at the end of the turn in correlation to said number. That's it really. They try to add abilities and healing within a Sabbath attack, but that doesn't stop it from feeling so unimpactful still. Character wise it falls apart again, having a lackluster cast with extra character bits hidden behind some of the worst optional dungeons you'll ever see (required for the true ending!). You can tell just what kind of character writing they're going for when you see them force a "sad" death for Arrow within the first few hours. This game feels very apparent it was done by the Atlus B team, which just makes this much more frustrating that they'd have a misleading title for the game.

A legendary game that more than earns its reputation. One of the best written stories and cast in gaming, using themes of environmentalism, life and death, search for identity, and acceptance all in creative ways that play off of the gameplay itself. Whether it be lack of control over Cloud in crucial moments to showcase the identity crisis he faces, exploring the subconscious and memories using Tifa, or even showing off Sepiroth's strength through the normal turn based battles, the game uses creative story telling mixed with gameplay brilliantly. As mentioned previously, the cast is fantastic, and avoids issues I feel some JRPGS really suffer from. These characters tie so heavily into the idea of identity and acceptance, and continue doing so even after their main arcs have concluded. While some members like Cait Sith and Cid may have had too little (remake please fix lol), it more than makes up for it with the cast you have in Midgar. They steal the show and leave such lasting impacts on the story and narrative, even through death. Sephiroth is another big character given the role of antagonist, and they absolutely nail it here as well. So much mystery and mystique around him, as they slowly drip feed you the information that leads to only more and more intrigue. He has such a large presence in this game and they handle it perfectly. I love this story and these characters immensely, but that's not the only factor that helps this game stand the test of time. This game is old and some parts have dated, but for its time, and even now, aspects of this game are absolutely insane. A scale that rivals some modern games, immense creativity and fun side content hidden in every single corner, a battle system filled with so much flexibility that lets you go about it in numerous ways, etc. This game covers every basis, which is insane given its a PS1 game. So much more could be dived into regarding this game, as it feels like I've only scratched the surface. Cant wait for rebirth : )))