Board 8 > Soul Hackers 2 Review Zone

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://opencritic.com/game/13556/soul-hackers-2

A 76 on OC and 77 on MC so far through 29 reviews. Beyond the character designs I actually know nothing about this game other than Atlus wants to get the most out of their SMT5 engine so they decided to make another game using it.

The game seems to deliver on a mature storyline and characters, but it seems to be fairly short by SMT standards with a reduced demon count, simpler battle mechanics and sometimes repetitive dungeons.

Digitally Downloaded 9/10

Soul Hackers 2 is a smart, evocative, and classically dark game from the Shin Megami Tensei tradition. Its not going to turn heads like Persona 5 and SMT V did, but the developers seem to have realised this and taken the opportunity to deliver a harder-hitting and more thought-provoking narrative. To me, thats Atlus getting back to its core vision for the broad and extended SMT property. Thats what I want from this series.

Noisy Pixel 9/10

Regardless of potential differences in taste, I can confidently assert that Soul Hackers 2 weaves a magnificent tale of sincere humane understanding where strife, love, and belief wondrously coalesce. It isnt afraid to agonize its cast to produce respective, varying levels of catharsis, ultimately crafting a courageous title at the apex of Atlus catalog.

Destructoid 8.5/10

I wandered into Soul Hackers 2 expecting a general sense of quality from Atlus, and ended up getting sucked into its world. While dungeon design can feel samey at times, its not enough to distract from the flashiness of the game as a whole. As usual, Atlus really nails the details; it was fun to hang out with this crew and see where things went.

RPGamer 8/10

Soul Hackers 2 is a great spin-off. It isnt as long or ambitious as other Shin Megami Tensei titles, but its clearly made with the same quality. While the reduced number of demons and the simpler mechanics can be a negative for veterans, Soul Hackers 2 proves to be a much friendlier starting point for newcomers. Fans of the franchise will likely enjoy this installment, even if it lacks the complexity of other titles in the series.

Game Rant 8/10

Soul Hackers 2 is a great new entry to the SMT franchise, offering enough differences from its comrades that it doesn't feel like the exact same game. With its wonderful cast of characters, Soul Hackers 2 delivers a story that shows plenty of heart as well as heartbreak, with a theme that resonates with todays world. Despite the bland dungeons, the combat is more than satisfying enough to make up for it, and the music is just a bonus to an already stylish game. If theres an itch to play an SMT game, Soul Hackers 2 is sure to scratch it.

RPG Fan 7.3/10

My opinion of Soul Hackers 2 was in constant flux during my playthrough. I never especially disliked the game, but I often flipped between enjoyment and disappointment within mere minutes. That feeling of disappointment is what remains in the end. I am not sure if Soul Hackers 2 is exciting enough to hold new fans through to the end, and it isnt mechanically competent enough to fully grab the attention of a series veteran like myself. But there is still the visual flair, musical swagger, plethora of rad demons, and bonds of friendship you forge along the way to make it an enticing package.

Gamespot 7/10

Taken as a whole, however, Soul Hackers 2 is a mostly satisfying experience. The character interactions and stylish art help it stand out from the pack, and the smooth-flowing, fast-paced combat makes even some of the more annoying dungeons (I don't want to see another abandoned subway for a very long time) feel like less of a drag. Soul Hackers, as a series, has a lot of potential to further grow into its own unique experience the way Persona has. Soul Hackers 2, despite its flaws, is a very promising start.

Ouch, guess it's a downgrade from Tokyo Mirage Sessions and SMT5?

SMT5 is so good it would be hard to top anyway

On the other hand look at this melon frost

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/7/3/AAB6RfAADlC9.jpg

One more week hee-ho. Must send my Gamefly back to ensure a copy ho. If the game is shorter, that's fine. Persona 5 clocked in at 100-120 hours, with SMTV probably 60-80. That's still some massive wiggle room for a long enough game. Strikers was still 50 after all.

I'm perfectly content not selling my soul for an entire month to any game for once, even Atlus.

Strife2 posted...

Strikers was still 50 after all.

50 hours? Nice. I'm 7 hours in (just finished the first jail) and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. It plays like the poor man's Ys, and any excuse to hang out with the P5 crew is good with me.

Preload is up but it's not automatic, have to manually download.

I could see myself getting this if it's a tight 20-30 hours, especially if the story continues to get high praise.

Strife2 posted...

One more week hee-ho. Must send my Gamefly back to ensure a copy ho. If the game is shorter, that's fine. Persona 5 clocked in at 100-120 hours, with SMTV probably 60-80. That's still some massive wiggle room for a long enough game. Strikers was still 50 after all.

I'm perfectly content not selling my soul for an entire month to any game for once, even Atlus.

Wait, gamefly is still a thing?

Yes

Strife2 posted...

Yes

Do you also still get Netflix dvds?

Gamefly is a good source of buying used games that are in great condition at pretty low prices

Aecioo posted...

Do you also still get Netflix dvds?

No, but I'm sure they still offer them. Gamefly nets me an extra game or two a month without fretting over $70 going to a game I don't necessarily like. If it's something I know I do (like an SMT game), I can get a guaranteed copy if I send a different game disc back with the week of release.

Two hours in, initial thoughts

• Game is flashy as fuck. It's got its own vibe that sets it apart. Ringo and Figue are greatly designed characters. It does so much more with the visual flair than SH1 could ever dream of.
• Some cool new ideas for exploration at play: Demon's explore dungeons, acting as treasure chests, rest stops, and even getting demons for you to contract with in battle. Pretty neat.
• Sabbaths being "All Out Attacks," but every turn is pretty neat.

I don't know enough yet to completely go apeshit, but this is up to par with Atlus goodness so far.

haven't gotten a shipping notification from amazon yet. hmmm

MAJOR recommendations here for your settings.

Set Ringo to Center and maximize camera distance.

And CHANGE LOAD SCREEN PROGRESSION FROM AUTO TO BUTTON PRESS. Actual load times are near instantaneous, but when set to auto it gives you 10ish seconds to read the tool tip.

What if I like reading tool tips

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

What if I like reading tool tips

Do you like reading the same tool tip over and over?

if I forget it, maybe

13 hours in.

Liking the game a lot so far, but totally understand the reviews in theory, though their conclusions are too harsh.

Heard some people comparing Mimi to Navi. I can see that, but given the ambush mechanic, I am ok with it.

The Paste review, and hearing that it's shorter, I think are selling me on this game. I didn't finish SMTV - a great game that I loved - because the prospect of the endgame grind and doing the whole thing again for the true ending was too intimidating. 30-60 hours is a nice palatte cleanser and some SMT-ass SMT dungeons might be nice.

Saizo is so great. I wish he was in a game where he could get more fleshed out!

was looking at this for fun

https://www.reddit.com/r/Megaten/comments/t3v0zg/megami_tensei_timeline_redux_update_featuring/

Based on initial impressions, I'm either gonna really love Ringo or be completely annoyed by her.

Ringo is great. She's kinda snarky for a "super AI from on high". She balances out Figue being super nice and supportive by kinda taking no shit. It's always refreshing to have a main character with a spine and willing to not sugarcoat or hide away from character drama and bullshit. She also does it with a sort of distance, rather than being, "OOH life fucking sucks donkey dick, buzz off" llike Milady does.

Ringo became the best SMT protag the second she rapped.

"Maybe it's some sort of bear or something."

...dammit, Ringo.

Between this game and Somnium Files 2, I feel awkward hearing Billy Kametz again posthumously after he passed away. It shows just how much VA stuff he was still doing (even bit parts) up until his diagnosis.

Fucking hell. Still not fun thinking about. He was so damn good.

this might be the last project he and erica lindbeck worked on together then. that's extremely sad.

Oh who did he voice?

Also I was absolutely convinced Arrow was voiced by Yuri Lowenthal.

I looked up the cast list.

Ringo (Megan Taylor Harvey; Sophia from P5S)
Arrow (Zack Aguilar; Ota from Somnium Files)
Milady (Erica Lindbeck; Futaba, Jessie, Miriam, Magilou; enter 50 million recent roles)
Saizo (Griffin Puatu; Dohalim from Arise)
Figue (Erica Mendez; Raphtalia, Megumin, Eleanor from Berseria)

As far as Kametz, I believe he is Archangel. Because of that, I'm going to guess he's other random characters here and there.

Milady's portrait is doing things to me..
.https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/1/4/AAAxOoAADonu.jpg

I just found a demon named Turbo Granny.

There goes sleeping ever again.

TheRock1525 posted...

I just found a demon named Turbo Granny.

There goes sleeping ever again.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/6/4/AAeolZAADNYw.jpg

No wonder she's called Turbo

Paxuzu'Miasma that does double damage per turn he's left on screen. Fucking hell. Glad I survived that.

Anyway, game is starting to pick up story wise. Ringo continues being awesome. Imagine that, an SMT game is better with an actual talking, wisecracking character instead of a silent protagonist. Using her as a full fledged healer to balance out the party. Helps in fights like above.

Game beated; 45 hours or so. Anyone worried about the length shouldn't be.

Final boss can be a bit tricky, but decent demon setups and enough items is good enough to deal with it.

I'm struggling to continue this one. Started out promising, but something about the gameplay loop just feels weirdly unsatisfying. Combat without the press turn system just feels wrong. Might bump it up to hard and see if that fixes anything for me. The story isn't all that interesting either.

https://www.escapistmagazine.com/soul-hackers-2-zero-punctuation/

I did not expect a ZP about this but since he was somehow into Persona 5 maybe that's why?

I'm wondering if Yahtzee kept bringing up P5 because he wanted to, or if his fanbase really wouldn't shut the fuck up about it, so called them out for being assholes about it.

It's weird how I was genuinely enjoying this game, stopped for a bit and just can't muster the strength to continue.

Maybe too much other stuff out right now?

TheRock1525 posted...

It's weird how I was genuinely enjoying this game, stopped for a bit and just can't muster the strength to continue.

Maybe too much other stuff out right now?

It's the core loop not being challenging, I've determined.

On paper this should be just like the older SMT related spinoffs, but in making this more casual they've lost the grindy aspects that made those games fun. They made the game completely straightforward and transparent, which means there isn't really anything to "figure out." Being able to save anywhere, multiple dungeon checkpoints, free healing... this might work in Persona where you're "punished" for leaving a dungeon with losing a day, but here it takes away any drive to level your demons/upgrade your material.

It's a shame because I think the characters are generally pretty good and the engine itself is really nice. I also generally like the affinity system, though I think they could do a lot more with it. The DLC adds a lot (in terms of likeable NPC's and challenging bosses) but it's also Day One DLC that absolutely should've been part of the game but whatever, it's 2022.

All this being said, if this were portable then I'd be more into it. Seems like a perfect Steam Deck game to play while multi-tasking.