Atlus may only have revealed Soul Hackers 2 recently, but it has released a lot of important details about the game since then. It has provided fans with major spotlights on all the game's central characters, ranging from protagonist Ringo and her fellow Devil Summoners to the mysterious antagonist Iron Mask. Soul Hackers 2 have also gotten a look at the game's mechanics, which combine demon management in the style of Shin Megami Tensei with social elements from Persona. Even though the broader Devil Summoner franchise stands on its own two feet in the Atlus RPG family, Soul Hackers 2 still seems like an interesting bridge between SMT and Persona.
Its Persona influences are particularly notable because of how Soul Hackers 2 could affect Persona's future. Soul Hackers 2 trailers strongly suggest that the game will be far darker than recent Persona games overall, and while that isn't inherently surprising, it does feel significant when paired with the game's potential appeal to Persona fans. Atlus may intentionally be trying to warm Persona fans up for future titles that involve a lot more graphic violence and other dark themes than the Persona 5 suite of games involved. Persona 6 could be tapping into the franchise's darker past.
Soul Hackers 2 as a Persona Warmup
Trailers for Soul Hackers 2 haven't pulled punches in terms of violence. As a Soul Hacker, Ringo has the power to bring people back from the dead, meaning there'll be several sequences where she brings supporting characters like Arrow back to life while they're still lying in their own blood; Soul Hackers 2 trailers have already shown off some of these sequences. Another Soul Hackers 2 trailer has shown Iron Mask blasting Ringo in the leg with a shotgun, leaving her with serious wounds. Aside from this graphic violence, Soul Hackers 2 seems to have a pretty heavy tone overall, based on the game's impending apocalypse and the distrust that some of its protagonists have for each other.
Nevertheless, Soul Hackers 2 is clearly trying to tap into the growing Persona fanbase with its social sim elements, focus on human teammates, and All-Out Attack twin, Sabbath. Even though Persona deals with plenty of mature subjects, it's rarely as dark as Soul Hackers 2 seems to be, so intersecting the two so heavily seems a little strange. The decision may make more sense if Persona 6 intends to be a little darker than recent games, involving more intense violence and direr circumstances than recent games.
Bringing Back Persona's Dark Side
Persona 5 certainly has some grim moments, like the deaths caused by mental shutdowns, but on the whole, it's defined by the Phantom Thieves' optimism and determination in their mission to fix society. Because of this, it's a bit lighter in tone than the likes of Persona 4, where players grapple with a murderer's schemes and even come close to killing another person, or Persona 3, in which death is a central theme. It's possible that Persona 6 will try to recapture the essence of these Persona 5 predecessors by introducing even more menacing enemies and giving players cause to fear for characters' lives.
Atlus has yet to confirm or deny much about Persona 6, and Persona has definitely been trending toward lighter stories on the whole, but it's still possible that Persona 6 will work with some heavy themes. If nothing else, Soul Hackers 2 can at least be taken as a sign of Atlus' interest in telling mature stories with high stakes. The inclusion of Persona mechanics certainly implies that Atlus wants Soul Hackers 2 to have a relationship with Persona, so there's a real chance that Soul Hackers 2 will define future Persona experiences. Until Persona 6 rears its head, fans will just have to keep their eyes on Soul Hackers 2 and its possible implications.
Soul Hackers 2 releases August 26, 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.