I finished Soul Hackers 2 today at 53 hours. Tbh I didn't attempt to go for a 100% run since I didn't enjoy the gameplay outside of combat too much, especially the dungeons. But I've completed all requests including the main DLC ones and completed everyone's soul matrix up to 4F, which led me to the good ending of the game.
I say this is a pretty solid game that I didn't really understand the hate for when it was released. The story is definitely the main highlight here. The plot is well-paced enough and never overstays its welcome and despite there being only just 4 playable characters (which is one of the smallest party RPGs I've played in terms of playable characters), they have so much personality and depth (quite litterally actually since a huge point of the game is diving deeper into thier soul).
The vast number of hangout events, food reviews when you eat a new meal at the hideout, and even quick comments when you receive a new ability just flesh them out so well on top of how everyone is related to the main plot just flesh them out so well. It's definitely a quality-over-quantity value with the overall character writing. Even the other characters receive a surprising amount of development toward the end that plays well into the cybernetic themes of human development and what consists of a soul. My expectations were certainly surpassed by the overall story.
As much as I like the story, unfortunately, it has so many hiccups with the gameplay and I think the small budget hurts it a lot. The combat is very typical to Megami Tensei with using demons to battle other demons and summoners and I think that's solid for the most part. I believe other games in the series handle combat better (like the series' staple press turn is missing and I suppose it's replaced by commander skills) but it's serviceable enough for the most part.
But nearly all of the dungeons are either boring, repetitive, and empty or confusing to travel. Not to mention there is a lot of backtracking even for the main plot, let alone side quests when you would be backtracking far more often due to there aren't a lot of open areas to travel. There are even only just a few places to travel in the city hub despite thier colorful and eye-candy visuals.
In the end, if you can handle the drab and lackluster gameplay and dungeon exploring, then I believe Soul Hackers 2 is a worthy game to play for the story alone. It's by far a masterpiece by any means but I personally think it's enjoyable enough at the end of the day and it definitely doesn't overstay its welcome if you don't engage in the gameplay elements for too long.
I say this is a pretty solid game that I didn't really understand the hate for when it was released. The story is definitely the main highlight here. The plot is well-paced enough and never overstays its welcome and despite there being only just 4 playable characters (which is one of the smallest party RPGs I've played in terms of playable characters), they have so much personality and depth (quite litterally actually since a huge point of the game is diving deeper into thier soul).
The vast number of hangout events, food reviews when you eat a new meal at the hideout, and even quick comments when you receive a new ability just flesh them out so well on top of how everyone is related to the main plot just flesh them out so well. It's definitely a quality-over-quantity value with the overall character writing. Even the other characters receive a surprising amount of development toward the end that plays well into the cybernetic themes of human development and what consists of a soul. My expectations were certainly surpassed by the overall story.
As much as I like the story, unfortunately, it has so many hiccups with the gameplay and I think the small budget hurts it a lot. The combat is very typical to Megami Tensei with using demons to battle other demons and summoners and I think that's solid for the most part. I believe other games in the series handle combat better (like the series' staple press turn is missing and I suppose it's replaced by commander skills) but it's serviceable enough for the most part.
But nearly all of the dungeons are either boring, repetitive, and empty or confusing to travel. Not to mention there is a lot of backtracking even for the main plot, let alone side quests when you would be backtracking far more often due to there aren't a lot of open areas to travel. There are even only just a few places to travel in the city hub despite thier colorful and eye-candy visuals.
In the end, if you can handle the drab and lackluster gameplay and dungeon exploring, then I believe Soul Hackers 2 is a worthy game to play for the story alone. It's by far a masterpiece by any means but I personally think it's enjoyable enough at the end of the day and it definitely doesn't overstay its welcome if you don't engage in the gameplay elements for too long.