Sega and Atlus’ sequel to the classic dungeon crawler has a massive glow up and is virtually a new game.

Did you know tho the original Soul Hackers actually came out in 1997 and was part of the Devil Saga series? It’s first appearance was on the console that showcased some of the best RPGs, the Sega Saturn, then later ported to Playstation in 1999 and then to the 3DS in 2012! As a Sega Saturn fan, I can see fitting in nicely in the catalogue of games it had as it reminisced the style of Shining the Holy Ark which both equally creeped me out.

10 years later we a sequel that removes itself from the Devil Saga vibe and has a total revamp. A turn based jrpg made in the unity system to create a gorgeous game with all your favourite Persona demons in 3D. Soul Hackers 2 received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its presentation, combat system, and story, but criticised the dungeon design as it felt like more of a open world game but still following the dungeon crawler play style. DLC was added however not as dynamic as expected.

From my point of view I was enticed to play as a fan of the original which was shrouded in mystery and as a seasoned dungeon crawler player I was ready for whatever SH2 threw at me. The plot followed ominicient beings of AI manifested into the humanoid forms of Ringo and Figue. Aion, the ultimate being sends it’s tanjible counterparts into the human world to recruit Devil Summoners to prevent an approaching apocalypse. Gameplay is a mix between roaming different locations similar to that of Persona 3 side scrolling and then in also exploring dungeon environments within a futuristic city, and fighting enemies in turn-based combat with your demons. All the Persona fusing and creation options are included and also a few variations of the demons were added as part of free DLC. Which was worth it to be able to have Neko Samurai in my rooster. The way in which you encounter your own demons you send on reconnaissance is handy to find you extra items, heal and even replenish your MP at random generated areas is a welcome feature.

I especially like that you can customise your demon attacks and choose with moves to learn or forget. When they are fused you can make the most OP of demons to be strong, great at offense or healers. You are only allowed one of each class true to previous games. SO no armies of Jack Frosts! Tho you can have an army of different element Frosts instead.

An addition to the game is the use of the COMP shop where a demon can then be equipped to COMPs, changing each party member’s accessible skills. You can also swap certain moves in and out depending on the battles provided you have the resources requested. Some items are limited in numbers in the game so choose wisely.