Developer Atlus has announced that its next RPG will be a sequel to its 1990 cult hit Soul Hackers. The sequel, aptly titled Soul Hackers 2, is expected to hit consoles on August 26.
An announcement trailer offers players a taste of what to expect in this upcoming follow-up. Alongside the trailer, Atlus shared a short synopsis for Soul Hackers 2: “In a war between devil summoners, it is up to Ringo and her team to decrypt destiny and save the world from apocalypse”. Players will need to “hack” into this new story to prevent the destruction of the world.
Produced and directed by Eiji Ishida and Mitsuru Hirata, Soul Hackers 2 will make its way to next-gen consoles as well as the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. However, no Nintendo Switch version of the game was mentioned in the announcement. A surprising move, considering its predecessor was eventually ported to the Nintendo 3DS. Alongside Ishida and Hirata, the RPG will feature music composed by MONACA, and character designs from Shirow Miwa.
The original, Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, was released in Japan in 1996. While that title never made its way overseas, a follow-up called Soul Hackers was eventually ported to Nintendo handhelds in 2013. The game saw players navigating dungeons and solving puzzles. A turn-based battle system let them take on enemy demons and save the world. The original Devil Summoner formed part of the world that would later be explored in the Shin Megami Tensei series.
This new entry will attempt to capture the essence of the original while also evolving the series. A revamped art style, tweaks to gameplay, and a new story following new characters will make Soul Hackers 2 the perfect entry point for new players to the series. Atlus is known for its series of award-winning RPGs. Most recently, the developer received a DICE award nomination for “Best RPG” for its Persona 5 Royal title. With this upcoming title Sega looks to be bringing back a cult favourite while expanding their range and it has a renowned developer at the helm.