Soul Hackers 2 Reviews
Soul Hackers 2's only saving grace is its visual design. The characters look cool, the town is interesting, and the UI is somewhat stylish, but that's it. It's not broken or anything, just incredibly uninteresting. There's absolutely no substance to the story, characters, battle system, or level design. It's such a shame, because that style is very appealing, but there's absolutely no reason to play the game otherwise.
A frustrating mix of the best and worst of Persona results in a disappointing Shin Megami Tensei spin-off that prioritises streamlined gameplay over innovation.
A solid JRPG with an intriguing story and some great combat hindered by some underwhelming dungeons.
Outside of its wonderful characters, Soul Hackers 2 is mostly just competent. There's fun to be had, but it ultimately feels plain.
Soul Hackers 2 is a light journey into the vast Shin Megami world with vibrant characters and a new story, though it is a little transparent for long-time fans wanting a deep JRPG.
The mystery at the core of Soul Hackers 2 is promising and its combat is solid, but repetitive dungeons combined with serious pacing issues make it tough to actually enjoy. The music and art direction are, as typical for Atlus games, stellar, but behind that style, there, unfortunately, isn't as much substance as one might hope that is worth the time invested.
Soul Hackers 2 is a great game for those who are looking for a good Atlus JRPG that’s less complex, more streamlined and has some quality-of-life improvements, as well as one that’s shorter and respects your time (for a JRPG, that is). All the good stuff makes it easier to forgive the game’s faults, like cut corners (bland dungeon designs and lack of demons during battle), an abundance of loading screens, a generic story and a JRPG that’s more of the same and overly familiar.
Soul Hackers 2 is not a bad game at all, but it failed to add anything new to plate when it comes to the genre. The good combat alone was not enough to elevate the game enough to meet the standards Atlus set with Shin Megami V and Persona 5
Review in Arabic | Read full review
While its unclear whether Soul Hackers 2 was an attempt to make a more inviting Shin Megami Tensei game for newcomers, the end result is a disappointingly streamlined RPG that both newcomers and long-time fans will inevitably bounce off of. It's a perfectly fine RPG, but so much of what makes SMT special is sorely lacking here in a palpable way.
Soul Hackers 2 is a decent Japanese role-playing game in the Megami Tensei meta-series, but decent isn't enough when you're competing against titans in your own family.
Soul Hackers 2 innovates when it comes to RPG gameplay, but its story is a step down compared to Atlus' recent hits.
Soul Hackers 2 is a familiar but great entry in the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, gifting players with one of Atlus's best-styled games to date.
Is that bad? Not necessarily. The story is interesting, the characters are likeable, and the voice acting is good. If you enjoy the core game loop for the SMT games, you are getting exactly that. Just don’t expect a huge new experience with a lot of new gameplay concepts.
Soul Hackers 2 turned out quite pleasant a game, yet I'm also fully aware it's one that will be completely forgotten once other, similar game appear.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Soul Hackers 2 is a game that compares unfavorably to the recently released SMT V which I consider one of the series best. However, even when viewed on its own merits and nothing else, it falls far short of excellence due to its poor pacing, simplistic combat and endlessly dull dungeon crawling.
Throughout the 30 hours it took to hit credits, I kept trying to latch onto the elements that work. Soul Hackers 2’s saving grace lies in its main characters, each with a distinct personality that often clashes with the rest. Witnessing the group’s growth by putting their differences aside and opening themselves up to camaraderie was a joy.
Soul Hackers 2 offers a contrast of colourful and lively towns and characters with dull and dark dungeons that seem to go on forever. Optimizing your party can be quite enjoyable but the inconsistent demon recruiting system takes away from the fun of the grind. Overall, Soul Hackers 2 failed to keep my attention but it definitely has some noteworthy qualities.
Soul Hackers 2 takes inspiration from both the Persona and the mainline Shin Megami Tensei series while including new things into the mix to varying degrees of success. As a result, it is best to not compare it to any other title in the franchise.
The market for a shorter Persona experience is there; Not everyone has the time to sink so much time into a single game. Even for fans of the franchise, the idea of experiencing everything Persona offers in the span of a couple of weekends sounds like heaven in a world where an array of games demand our attention. But Soul Hackers 2’s attempt to deliver a palatable streamlined experience for anyone and everyone should have taken more time to do some soul searching.
Soul Hackers 2 is an approachable and fun game overall, but far from fulfilling its potential. A beautiful visual experience and well-designed characters are not enough to make the weird pacing of the main story and its shallowness go unseen.