VIDEO GAME: SMT: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers

ATLUS releases yet another JRPG classic that wasn't originally released in the States.
By April 30, 2013

 

ATLUS has been making real good on giving titles that never got to see western lands a chance to get the attention they deserve. Titles like Growlancer: Wayfarer of Time and Persona 2: Innocent Sin have found new life and new audiences with a western release, and seeing a company give these titles such chances with not just a straight port, but even some neat upgrades, is a rarity seen in game companies these days.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers is the latest in this trend, which was originally released for the Sega Saturn way back in 1997 in Japan. Now, the title is finally getting some love in NA in 2013, courtesy of Nintendo and the 3DS.

In Soul Hackers, you play as a member of an elite hacker group, called the Spookies, who are rebelling against the city they live in, which has been transformed into a mechanical megalopolis and advertised as a type of technological utopia. When a new online social service called Paradigm X is released, weird things start happening in the city, including the appearance of demons, as well as a gun-type PC that can summon said demons. Things get even more complicated when talking spirit animals start to get your attention, and your childhood female friend ends up getting possessed by a snarky demon named Nemissa. Your group also finds themselves being involved with a mysterious shadow network that exists in the city, called the Phantom Society, and has been working in secret to fulfill dark ambitions utilizing demon summoners. All of these things are linked together somehow, and it’s up to you and your fellow hackers to find out what exactly.

Obviously there’s a lot to keep track of in this game in regards to the story, and it can be a bit tricky to follow what’s going on. Thankfully, there is a Digest mode in the game which allows you to replay previous events and help you get caught up with the plot, or remind yourself where you need to go next if you haven’t played in a while.

Like other games with the Shin Megami Tensei title, Soul Hackers shares various similarities with entries that came before, and those that came after it as well. The ability to fuse demons and summon them in combat is still the central game mechanic, and demons in the game are all based off of various mythologies from around the world. Players can also negotiate with demons in combat, either to get free items, or to recruit them to their own team. Demons that are obtained via fusion or recruitment are then added to the Demon Compendium, where you can repurchase them later for a fairly expensive fee.

Demons also have a loyalty stat that increases based on how you treat them. Demons with low loyalty are more likely to disobey orders that don’t coincide with their personalities, while demons with high loyalty will listen to your commands without question. Thankfully a demon’s loyalty is easily raised by giving them orders they’re likely to respond to or by giving them gifts, and even at low loyalty your demons tend to be fairly smart, as they sometimes place the survival of you and your party as a high priority; which is good, since if your main character falls in battle, then it’s an automatic game over.

Soul Hackers also uses a secondary currency that should be familiar to series fans, called magnetite, which is used for summoning and maintaining demons in the human world. In This game, magnetite is drained when traversing through dungeons, and running out of it will cause your demons to take regular damage until you either return them to your COMP or they die outright. You can gain more magnetite by winning random battles, finding it in chests in dungeons, or by purchasing it at a special store.

Of course, Soul Hackers also has some more unique twists to the tried and true formula that help it to stand out in the franchise. For example, your COMP can be outfitted with software that grant special effects. The software you can acquire range from incredibly useful, like allowing you to save the game anytime you want instead of just at terminals, to cosmetic, such as changing the character portraits in battle to that of a Black Frost. You can also fuse demons using your COMP in the field, though it’s not as effective early in the game as doing so at the actual demon fusing station, though it does help to create space to recruit more demons if you need it.

While it takes a bit of time to adjust in absorbing all of the information you need, it does provide a sense of enjoyment for hardcore fans. The use of magnetite and loyalty especially adds a certain level of micromanagement that’s not normally seen in RPGs, and while more casual gamers should be able to progress without knowing too much of the specifics, there’s also enough material for players willing to devote the time to explore it. Despite being more than a decade old, Soul Hackers still has a unique charm to it that not many modern games can compare to.

Then again, it is also because of the original game’s age that we can more easily see some aspects that feel less refined compared to later titles. For example, dungeons are traversed in a first person perspective using tank controls, which can be disorienting at first. Battles also progress at a fast speed, which is good in that they tend to go quick, and bad because it’s hard to see what’s happening without lowering the battle speed. Players also have the ability to allocate the stats of their main character anywhere they want, though unlike other SMT games where you can completely customize your character’s stats and abilities, you’re essentially forced to plug your points into strength related stats in this case.

The other thing to keep in mind is that this game is fairly challenging. Not just taking the management of your magnetite and demon loyalty into account, battles also require a high level of attention. True to SMT fashion, battles rely on your ability to take advantage of the weaknesses of your enemies, while covering your own. Even so, you’ll still encounter your fair share of cheap deaths early on, and you’ll find that the best way to approach a battle is to take your time and focus on what you need to do, rather than just trying to plow through everything in your path.

When looked at objectively, the above bits are fairly minor gripes in the grand scheme of things. Once you figure out how the mechanics work, how to carefully traverse dungeons, and how to utilize your demons, the game becomes a worthy challenge, with an engaging story that employs a clever mix of cyberpunk and horror themes, an engaging cast of characters, and some rewarding old school combat for those willing to go deeper than what’s presented on the surface.

The 3DS version also brings some changes and updates, making it a bit more than just a straight port. A new intro video and theme music, full voice acting, more demons to summon, load times being almost removed completely, and improved controls help to spruce it up a bit. The 3DS’s bottom screen can also be used as a map, as well as for COMP hacking, which allows players to mess with options that can make the game easier or more difficult on the fly. Beating the game also opens up a special dungeon, where players encounter the famous Raidou Kuzunoha from the Playstation 2 Devil Summoner games, a real treat for series fans.

Soul Hackers is pretty much a must have for any fan of the SMT series, and even newcomers and fans of old school RPGs can find a lot to enjoy. It can feel like you’re being bombarded with information overload sometimes, but once everything starts to come together, you’ll find a rewarding experience that shows why Shin Megami Tensei has become synonymous with quality games.

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by Michael Revis