Soul Hackers 2 is the latest game from popular JRPG developer Atlus. A sequel to the 1997 game Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, it follows a brand-new story focusing on two supernatural entities known as "Aions." These Aions, Ringo and Figue, enter the human world during the 21st century to investigate and avert a catastrophic event that threatens to destroy the planet. Soul Hackers 2 borrows elements from both Shin Megami Tensei and Persona, while attempting to carve out its own identity.
The Megami Tensei franchise is vast, beginning with Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei in 1987. Since then the franchise has spawned several series of games and spin-offs. Within all of these titles, there are inevitably some elements that cross over, making the world of Megami Tensei complex and even daunting to untangle the web and understand how each game fits into the overarching world. Soul Hackers 2 shares various similarities with other Megami Tensei games, though it is not linked with any of them directly.
Soul Hackers 2 Borrows Heavily from Persona
While it is technically a sequel, Soul Hackers 2 doesn't have much in common with its 25-year-old predecessor - even choosing to drop Devil Summoner from the title. It is much closer in look and feel to the more recent titles in the overall franchise, Shin Megami Tensei 5 and Persona 5. In fact, fans will probably only need to spend an hour or so with Soul Hackers 2 to feel Persona's influence in its catchy, upbeat music and stylish, vibrant visuals.
There are also social elements that allow the player to bond with their party members. While it doesn't have anywhere near the same level of depth as the social elements in a Persona game, Soul Hackers 2 is much more aligned with Persona in this aspect than a Shin Megami Tensei game, which is usually a solitary affair by contrast.
The combat retains a form of the popular "Press Turn" system from the mainline Shin Megami Tensei games, albeit putting a fresh spin on things. The system is fun, engaging, and varied, which is important since the bulk of the player's time in Soul Hackers 2 will involve dungeon crawling and large amounts of combat encounters. Fans of the Megami Tensei franchise will recognize familiar elements such as demon summoning, as well as some returning monsters. These elements act as an invisible needle and thread, weaving this series into the overarching franchise.
Where The Megami Tensei Franchise Could Go Next
With Shin Megami Tensei 5 having only just released in 2021, it is safe to assume fans won't be seeing Shin Megami Tensei 6 soon. Soul Hackers had to wait 25 years for a sequel, but whether it will need to wait another quarter-century for Soul Hackers 3 remains to be seen. The safe assumption is that Megami Tensei's next new title will be a Persona game.
While Persona 6 has yet to be officially confirmed, given the incredible success of Persona 5, it seems like an inevitability. Atlus has teased that there is something in the pipeline, but fans are eagerly awaiting official confirmation. Soul Hackers 2 is the latest example of the Megami Tensei franchise going from strength to strength, and garnering an increasing popularity with western audiences, so the future looks bright for Atlus.
Soul Hackers 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.