Soul Hackers 2 Why Shin Megami Tensei Fans Should Revisit the First Game

Soul Hackers 2: Why Shin Megami Tensei Fans Should Revisit the First Game

With Soul Hackers 2 on the horizon, Shin Megami Tensei fans should revisit the zany, ’90s-cyberpunk world of the original Soul Hackers.

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Soul Hackers 2 Why Shin Megami Tensei Fans Should Revisit the First Game

Atlus rocked the Shin Megami Tensei fandom to its core with the announcement of Soul Hackers 2, a sequel to the 2013 cult classic. As the Shin Megami Tensei franchise expands its audience, mostly thanks to critically acclaimed titles like Persona 5 and Shin Megami Tensei V, newcomers should give the original Soul Hackers a chance, for it provides an incredibly unique experience that no other game in the vast Shin Megami Tensei library can truly replicate.

First released to western audiences in 2013 as a Nintendo 3DS remake, the original Soul Hackers (fully titled, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers) is a first-person RPG and the second title in the Devil Summoner subseries. While the game is a sequel to the original Devil Summoner (a 1995 Sega Saturn title never officially released outside of Japan), Soul Hackers’ narrative does not require any background knowledge. The story follows a silent protagonist who, alongside a demonic-amnesiac known as Nemissa, seeks to uncover the mystery behind The Phantom Society and the strange soul-stealing phenomenon plaguing the technological metropolis, Amami City.

Soul Hackers 2 Why Shin Megami Tensei Fans Should Revisit the First Game

Soul Hackers’ gameplay is more in-line with classic Shin Megami Tensei games, utilizing mechanics pervasive throughout earlier titles such as first-person dungeon crawling and Magnetite, a currency used to summon demons from the stock to the main party. Unlike modern SMT games, where a full party is essentially required at all times, Soul Hackers forces the player to only summon demons in dire situations (such as boss battles), due to the fact that demons equipped to the main party will further decrease the player’s Magnetite for every step taken within a dungeon.

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Keeping to its classical roots, Soul Hackers does not derive its combat from the modern Press Turn Battle System pioneered by Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. Instead, Soul Hackers specializes in grid-based combat, a battle system focused on placing party members in specific formations to optimize offensive skills and mitigate enemy attacks. This system requires intricate strategy on the part of the player, for every demon has an ideal spot in the party’s grid formation based off their skill-set and stat distribution.

Despite the excessive strategy that goes into crafting the perfect party formation, Soul Hackers strikes a delicate balance between micromanagement and laissez-faire with its incorporation of the demon loyalty system, a gameplay mechanic ubiquitous to the Devil Summoner subseries. Every demon in Soul Hackers has a distinct personality type that determines which type of skills it likes to use in battle. To maximize a demon’s loyalty, the player must allow them to act freely in battle and only command the demon to perform skills that are indicative of its personality. Failure to do so will result in disobedience or abandonment, making each demon feel like an individual character with agency.

This sense of individualism from Soul Hackers’ gameplay can also be found within its presentation. Amami City maintains a sleek, modern design that’s indicative of its technological prosperity. Furthermore, the main cast sports an unforgettable aesthetic with a splash of ’90s fashion alongside hints of cyberpunk tech wear.

This unique aesthetic translates to a series of memorable dungeons, each complete with their own signature puzzles and visuals. Notable examples include the Astro Museum which tests the players’ knowledge of the zodiac constellations, as well as the Primate Intelligence Lab, a side-quest that requires the player to answer four consecutive riddles before challenging the dungeon’s boss. Players will also visit Paradigm X, a virtual city, home to some of the more surreal dungeons such as the VR Haunted House and the VR Art Museum.

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Soul Hackers further envelops the player with its incredible soundtrack. Dungeon themes, such as “VR Art Museum (Lobby),” are incredibly atmospheric and always distill a sense of uneasiness within the player. Furthermore, all the battle themes are incredibly energetic, and certainly live up to franchise’s quality standard. Most notable is “2D Field,” the main theme of Amami City, which boasts an incredibly vibrant melody, immersing the player within the futuristic town and all its grandeur.

Soul Hackers is truly one of a kind. With a combat system and aesthetic reminiscent of a past era, the game challenges the status quo of modern Shin Megami Tensei and delivers an experience unlike any other game in the franchise. The easiest (and cheapest) way to purchase the game is through the Nintendo eShop. However, time is of the essence, since the eShop will close by March 2023. With Soul Hackers 2 releasing in August, Atlus should ensure that its predecessor, the original Soul Hackers, lives on well into the future.

Link Source : https://www.cbr.com/soul-hackers-2-revisit-first-smt/

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