Devilish fun
Soul Hackers 2 pits an artificial female protagonist against hordes of demons
As the impossibly stylish Ringo, an artificial being hot off the press, you’re tasked with averting the end of the world in this Shin Megami Tensei spin-off. This neon-tinged turn-based JRPG bears more than just a family resemblance to sister series Persona.
Ringo’s joined by another artificial intelligence, created at the same time as her, known as Figue. This ‘sister’ boasts an equal passion for fashion but does not get directly involved in combat, instead providing support from the sidelines. Ringo doesn’t just have her fashionable fringe to ward off demonic advances with though; she’s accompanied into battle by a party of Devil Summoners. The fact they’re fighting together doesn’t mean they’re all on the same team, however. In this technologically advanced world, the tension between two opposing Devil Summoner factions is so thick you could slice through it with a glowing neon butter knife.
Arrow is a collected young man and member of the Yatagarasu faction. He fights at Ringo’s side after she brings him back from the dead. Rather than being bewildered by resurrection, what often challenges Arrow’s cool is Milady, another party member similarly revived, who hails from the opposing Phantom Society. The pair are chalk and cheese, with Milady more likely to charge in than to follow Arrow’s calmer example. Finally, there’s the sharp-toothed, sharp-witted Saizo. Belonging to neither faction, he often settles in-party fights. Together, they could save the world – but will their opposing ideals jeopardise everything? If Persona is anything to go by, they’re heroes we’ll grow to love as they assemble their own squad of demons through battles, fusions, and negotiations. You’ll recognise many returning demonic designs from Persona 5, from the fiery
Hell Rider to the adorable Jack Frost.
GETTING THE LOWDOWN
The original Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers made the jump to PlayStation from Sega Saturn in ’99, only arriving in English in 2013.
History lesson aside, it’s all change for Soul Hackers 2. The sequel ditches its predecessor’s maze of subtitles and follows an all-new cast onto PlayStation. The main threads carried forward are the cyberpunk sensibilities and the threat presented by the Phantom Society. Pulling strings from the shadows in the first game, this time around they’ll stop at nothing but the end of the world.