Soul Hackers 2 is a great sign for fans of Shin Megami Tensei. In recent years, Persona 5 Royal and Shin Megami Tensei V have propelled the series back to the forefront of the JRPG scene. Sega and Atlus seem to be taking advantage of their current high-profile status to resurrect SMT‘s other spinoffs, some of which have been dormant for over a decade. With the release of Soul Hackers 2, Atlus could be entering a second golden age, akin to what followed during its PS2 years starting with the release of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne.
Recently ported to PS4, Switch, and Steam, SMT: Nocturne is still a stand-out title in the crowded JRPG scene years later. Though famous for its difficulty, Nocturne’s character design, world aesthetic, and gritty soundtrack offer an experience that feels completely original even twenty years after its release. Encouraged by Nocturne’s reception and likely eager to make use of their new library of 3D demon assets, Atlus entered a PS2 golden age. Led visually by Persona character designer Shigenori Soejima and SMT veteran Kazuma Kaneko, and musically spearheaded by Persona composer Shoji Meguro, many of the games released during this period would go on to become both franchise and genre classics. Persona 3 and 4, the Raidou Kuzunoha games with their action-based gameplay, and the ever-underrated Digital Devil Saga duology showed Atlus at their best and most experimental.
Building on the recent successes of SMT and Persona, the release of Soul Hackers 2 could be the start of another golden age for the franchise. Even in SMT’s lineup of stylish RPGs, Soul Hackers 2 has a vibrant neon aesthetic all its own and feels like a breath of fresh air within the larger franchise. Manga artist Shiro Miwa has designed an electrifying cast of characters, including Ai-ho, the newest and possibly the cutest take on Atlus’ Jack Frost mascot. The soundtrack is also composed by Keiichi Okabe, the legendary composer behind NieR Automata.
Soul Hackers 2 Opens The Door For Digital Devil Saga & Other Spinoffs To Return
The jump to both a new illustrator and composer is a good sign of Atlus’ faith in the brand. With few exceptions, Atlus games for the last several years have relied exclusively on the same in-house team. The last prominent Megami Tensei game to feature outside artists and composers was Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, rereleased for Switch in 2020, which was intended to be a crossover between Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei. Atlus experienced a rough period in the late ’00s and early ’10s, resulting in a refocus on their tent pole franchises led by core staff members. With Soul Hackers’ revival after 25 years, led by a fresh creative team at that, Atlus is clearly confident enough with SMT’s position in the industry to begin experimenting with the formula once again.
What series could be getting the revival treatment next is difficult to say, but with Soul Hackers 2 receiving generally positive reviews, Atlus likely will continue to flesh out the SMT brand with new entries and spinoffs for years to come. Atlus has recently recognized fan interest in Raidou Kuzunoha, Digital Devil Saga, and Persona 2 & 3 remakes in their player survey. Though Atlus is keeping their current projects under wraps, given that Soul Hackers 2 was only announced 6 months before its release, hopefully it won’t be too long before players see where the franchise is headed next.
