Soul Hackers 2 Review – Bland Sabbath

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Reviewed on:
PlayStation 5

Platform:
PlayStation 5, Xbox Collection X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

Writer:
Atlus

Developer:
Atlus

Launch:
August 26, 2022

Ranking:
Mature

The group of bounty hunters gathers of their favourite bar as soon as extra. For the primary time, protagonist Ringo pays consideration to the luxurious cherry blossom ornament over the rooftop. Her buddies say the true ones are much more stunning and chuckle on the concept of a bunch of Satan Summoners having a picnic and watching the flowers. The pleasant mockery results in a humorous but endearing message: “I believe we oughta present Ringo the enjoyable facet of being human, don’t you?” Sadly, Soul Hackers 2 doesn’t appear to agree with the sentiment.

Soul Hackers 2 is the sequel to 1997’s Satan Summoner: Soul Hackers, an RPG spun from the Shin Megami Tensei collection. 25 years later, after video games like Persona 5 put the SMT universe within the highlight, the panorama couldn’t be extra completely different.

Set within the twenty first century, two clans of Satan Summoners combat for an historical energy. Because of this, Aion, a extremely developed synthetic intelligence far nearer to actuality than I’m snug with, predicts that doomsday is forthcoming. The one ones able to stopping it are Ringo and Figue, two personifications of Aion within the flesh. Each can hack folks’s souls to convey them again to life and provides them a second likelihood whereas serving as key items to stop doom.

The premise is fascinating, and though the villains do not carry sufficient weight to face out, I used to be invested within the story. Naturally, the pasts of the three characters becoming a member of Ringo on her quest intertwine with the bigger narrative. There are glimpses concerning the that means of mortality round Ringo’s present, in addition to how the soul-hacked select to behave when allowed to settle a long-standing rating or recuperate a bond with a companion. However probably the most fascinating plot factors really feel rushed with out sufficient room to create significant stakes or emotional tolls. Because of this, the few moments that stand out really feel unearned.

Gameplaywise, Soul Hackers 2 doesn’t supply an incentive to stray off the principle path and spend extra time in its in any other case fascinating world. Aspect quests are unremarkable and based mostly round revisiting areas that aren’t fascinating to discover. The fight is extra on par with Persona 5 than Shin Megami Tensei V, providing many upgrades and expertise to tailor your expertise. Solely that it’s much more streamlined, missing the engaging press-turn mechanic from the mainline video games that add turns once you exploit an enemy’s weak point. As a substitute, doing so provides a stack to the Sabbath, which acts as an all-out-attack on the finish of your flip. It makes for a fairly spectacle as the sector is slowly engulfed in a colourful aura the extra assaults you’ll be able to stack. Nevertheless it additionally makes for unnecessarily lengthy encounters with out a lot danger. Enemies can’t exploit your celebration’s weaknesses, both, so you’ll be able to at all times simply heal up afterward.

All through the 30 hours it took to hit credit, I stored attempting to latch onto the weather that work. Soul Hackers 2’s saving grace lies in its fundamental characters, every with a definite persona that usually clashes with the remainder. Witnessing the group’s development by placing their variations apart and opening themselves as much as camaraderie was a pleasure. I beloved their conversations about freelancing as Satan Summoners as a lot because the powerful chats concerning the folks they misplaced over a meal or a drink. However there’s not a seat on the desk for the participant to take all of it in.

Throughout that night time on the bar, the group questioned in the event that they’d nonetheless be alive by the point the flowers bloomed once more. And I do know that they are going to as a result of I put within the effort to make that occur. I simply want I used to be rewarded with a bit extra humanity and that means to my struggles by seeing them create that reminiscence for themselves.

Rating:
6.5

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