Atlus has casually unleashed a mountain of new Soul Hackers 2 story and gameplay details, in addition to many beautiful screenshots. And suffice to say, if you already love Shin Megami Tensei and/or Persona but never played Devil Summoner, you should put this on your radar anyway.
We now know that the story of Soul Hackers 2 takes place 25 years after Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, in the mid-21st century. Ringo, an agent of Aion, will partner with Devil Summoners to prevent the end of the world, and devices called “COMPs” will let summoners summon demons. You can modify COMPs and fuse demons at facilities in secret city districts called Realms. You can also strengthen bonds with allies at a bar or at their hideout, as well as retrace past memories of summoners through “vision quests.”
More Soul Hackers 2 Story Details and Characters
The aforementioned Aion is a “sentient data collective born beyond the periphery of technology as an entity transcending human intelligence.” It detects on its own that the end of the world is nearing, setting the story of Soul Hackers 2 into action. Ringo was only just created by Aion to save the world, and she is curious to learn more about human culture and emotions. She will be accompanied by another Aion agent, Figue, who acts like a thoughtful older sister. Figue supports the team from “behind the scenes.”
Other important characters you will encounter in Soul Hackers 2 include the Devil Summoners Arrow, Milady, and Saizo. Arrow is from the Yatagarasu Devil Summoner faction, and he was apparently murdered during an undercover investigation as part of the plot to end the world. However, Ringo revives him with soul hacking. Arrow is a gentle but passionate man with strong convictions who butts heads with Milady.
Milady belongs to the Phantom Society faction and takes a logical, almost callous perspective on matters. She too was murdered and gets subsequently revived by Ringo. However, Milady was murdered by her own people — and now she wants to find out why that happened.
Lastly, Saizo is a freelance Devil Summoner who (you guessed it) is murdered and then revived by Ringo. He is a “romantic at heart” that keeps the peace between Arrow and Milady, but he has an objective of his own he is pursuing as well. Taken altogether, these characters will offer plenty of mystery for the story of Soul Hackers 2.
Exploit Weaknesses to Unleash Sabbath on Enemies
Atlus provided a few new Soul Hackers 2 gameplay details as well. You use the COMPs to make contracts with demons in what sounds like the typical SMT manner. Combat will involve exploiting enemy weaknesses as usual as well. However, when you exploit weaknesses well in this game, you will be able to summon a “mob of demon allies” for an attack called “Sabbath,” which pummels all enemies for big damage. Basically, it sounds like the All-Out Attacks from Persona.
Finally, in addition to all the new Soul Hackers 2 story and gameplay details, there are a ton of new screenshots that flirt with the slick style of Persona 5. It’s nice stuff, and if the announcement trailer didn’t sell you on the game, everything you’ve learned today might. Soul Hackers 2 launches August 26, 2022 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, and PC with English and Japanese voice options.
