Perhaps best known in the West forPersona, Atlus is also historically the development studio behindMegami Tensei, the demon-collecting seriesPersonaspun off from. More recently, it garnered acclaim forMetaphor: ReFantazio, an original RPG with a political thriller plot andan excellent Metacritic rating. But Atlus has its fair share of other properties, includingone that’s been overlooked for far too long- and you may play its most recent entry on PS Plus today.
Soul Hackers 2 Is Free With PS Plus Extra
What It Is & How To Play
Soul Hackers 2is quite a bit likeShin Megami Tensei,Persona, andMetaphor, at least on the surface:after all, it is technically anSMTspinoff, part of theDevil Summonersubseries. That means you’ll explore dungeons, collect demons, and fight bosses in turn-based battles that prioritize hitting enemy weaknesses. But it does a lot to set itself apart, and if you’re a fan of Atlus' other output, you’ll certainly find a lot to like here.
Why You Should Play Soul Hackers 2
A Unique Twist On The Atlus Formula
Again,Soul Hackers 2is a pretty standard Atlus RPG, but witha couple of unique twiststhat help it stand out. For one thing,SMT’s Press Turn system andPersona’s All-Out Attack are replaced by the similar, but distinct Stack system. Each time you exploit an enemy’s weakness, it’ll add to your Sabbath Stack, which’ll be depleted for a massive all-demon attack at the end of the turn. It’s as satisfying as an All-Out Attack, but the strategy of getting there is a little different.
You don’t need to playSoul Hackers 1before playing the sequel; like individual games in thePersonaseries, there are only minor connections between the two.
Another cool function of yourSoul Hackersdemons is the ability tosend them out to scout a dungeon for you. They’ll bring back various intel about the enemies, items, and recruitable demons contained inside. As usual, you can also negotiate with new demons to add them to your party, or fuse them together to create more powerful allies.
You’ll get lost in its neon-lit city and its demon-summoning technology.
Besides that,Soul Hackersalso has a unique, futuristic, semi-cyberpunk aesthetic. You’ll get lost in its neon-lit city and its demon-summoning technology. you may get to know your party members with a simplifiedPersona-style relationship system.
It’s not Atlus' best RPG:Screen Rant’s review called it a “promising but flawed start” to the series' revival. That said,it has a lot going for it: visually and musically, it’s pitch perfect. Its classicSMTcombat boasts a couple of exciting new twists.
