Soul Hackers 2 Analysis

Too much information can lead to problems as deep as it happens in Soul Hackers 2

What would happen if an excess of information threatened human existence itself? Can an Artificial Intelligence make its own decisions for its own benefit? Would you be able to recreate human physiology and behavior? Could he even program a person’s soul? All these metaphysical questions and many more are found in Soul Hackers 2, where a colorful cyberpunk world intersects with a dark future for mankind.

Fault detected in behavior logic system

Soul Hackers 2 is about a turn-based role-playing game which would consist of a classic combat system if there were not several particularities. It should be mentioned that behind this project hides Atlus and its good work with J-RPGs. For this reason, we are forced to make comparisons with Persona saga or Shin Megami Tenseiwith whom he shares several concepts.

Part of these similarities can be found in the creatures that will help us in each fight, conversations with our team members or in the exploration of dungeons. Even to a lesser extent, for a distribution of orders in each encounter that reminds us of the visual impact that Persona 5 offered us. And despite all these coincidences, there are specific elements that make this new work stand out from its most direct competitors.

A thousand times better than the human race

Aion is the great entity that rejects all limitations that define the individual. For this very reason, to carry out this mission of restructuring in the human world, he does not hesitate to send Ringo and Figue. These two protagonists are temporary manifestations of Aion himself to roam the underworld and find out what’s going on. We will control Ringo, and although at first he does not feel much affinity for people, we will see how little by little he understands the mentality and nature of each human being.

We have said it before and we emphasize it: metaphysics and the problem of the power of future AIs will be recurrent in Soul Hackers 2. This does not mean that we have more “mundane” approaches with our teammates, each human being with a direct relationship to the end of the world.

In order to learn more about this impending apocalypse, we will have to move through a city full of light and with a clear futuristic atmosphere. Although in the first opus everything had a gray and decadent character, the studio opted for the opposite in this sequel. Outside our lair, we can visit all kinds of neighborhoods full of secondary missions, shops and centers which will improve the statistics of our characters for the hardest moments: the dungeons.

Cutting-edge technology in a pocket watch

Combat in Soul Hackers 2 is easy to understand, although there are many variations depending on the creature we equip. Fundamentally, Everything works like a classic JRPG, where we can attack physically or using elemental damage. The latter will be possible thanks to a kind of demons that we are going to collect, each of them with different attributes depending on the type.

For instance, if our companion has the gift of throwing lightning, we can use this virtue in combat. As if it were a Pokémon (yes, comparisons…), as they level up they will acquire new facets, so it is better to have these beings with a high regard and experience.

Meet your friends to beat enemies

This will not be all, far from it. It will be of vital importance to have a balanced group for the continuation that I will tell. If we attack an opponent with a power that is their weakness, a shadow will be cast behind the enemy ranks. Once our turn is up, it’s time to run the Sabbat, the coordinated attack of the demons. Or of those shadows that I described before, leave. According “debilitating attacks” we did previously, we will cause more or less damage. And I assure you that it will be in your interest to cause as much damage as possible.

That said, the basic combat mechanics will boil down to taking advantage of all of the demons’ abilities. Recruit as many creatures as possible for a wider range of elemental attacks

and knowing each rival’s strengths and weaknesses will be our bread in every dungeon. And it wouldn’t hurt if it wasn’t for the big problem of the game: the dungeons themselves.

The virtual vertigo of Soul Hackers 2

I can (to some extent) raise my hand to the beat of the fights. Even the number of clashes we will have to play. I can look away when I see so many messaging side quests, which I don’t like at all and is very present. But I expected something more in the development of the characters, in their playable facet and in the visual impact of each scenario. With a meaning, a life of its own and an abandonment. Unfortunately, we found little of that.

Going back to the comparisons, Soul Hackers 2 reminds me to some extent Astral chain, and you’ll wonder why. The Platinum Games game had a good level outside of the action phases. The dialogues, the animated scenes, the common areas… it was really hard. But when you entered the astral plane, everything was diluted because of the simplicity of the worlds. Without any real contribution to the story and everything being relegated to a combat arena painted red. Well, something similar is happening here. We are seeing a big technical and pacing slowdown when entering one of these dungeons. What should be an enjoyable part, a great experience, ends up being a punishment. A repetition of tasks on the astral plane.

Those who have played Shin Megami Tensei might not see anything wrong with this. And I respect it, well Soul Hackers 2 is partly a spiritual heir to that franchise.

But a company so experienced with Atlus should know how to control the pace of action, the pace of encounters and do a more elaborate level design. And if instead of 60 hours, the game lasted 30, there would be no problem.

Two ways to see Japanese culture

In the technical aspect of the game, users who have a X-Series They will be able to choose between two different visual modes. The classic performance mode, where the game runs at 60 fps or in graphics mode, with 4K resolution. Both ways of playing are valid, although I would opt for the performance mode, as the game also lacks flashy visual effects.

At least, in dubbing, you can choose voices in English or in Japanese. And whatever option you choose, the texts will be in our language. A gesture of thanks since these niche titles are not always translated… nor with a physical version as distributed Plaion on our territory. A compelling reason to support the market of our country and the distributors who are likely to meet the expectations of each territory.

Conclusion of Soul Hackers 2

Atlus is already a veteran of making good J-RPGs, and it makes no secret of its intentions when showcasing this work. With clear references to Shin Megami Tensei (and not forgetting the Persona saga) they have made a title that is easy to pick up, but complex to configure when you have been playing for a certain number of hours.

Your idea of ​​bringing in the evil companions sounds good to me. Choosing the type of adventure partner according to their qualities requires organization and a certain strategic vision on our part. Too bad everything is diluted by the type of dungeons we will face, quite repetitive and without visual prompts that invite us to continue exploring them. If you are avid fans of the company or this combat system, you will surely raise your hands on this issue and enjoy every moment that Soul Hackers 2 offers. But if this is your first encounter with a JRPG… just arm yourself with patience until you get used to the rhythm that the game imposes.