Soul Hackers - The Cyberpunk Game You've Never Played

[@NamsCompendium]

The first 1,000 people to use the link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/namscompendium06221

[@dachking6657]

I just beat the game recently, and my extremely short review is: Nemissa is awesome, gameplay is ok, monkey insulted my mother and was praised by a scientist for it

[@mistershablagoo]

Great review

[@andrewmanchiraju8005]

This is probably the MegaTen game that means the most to me as it was my first and the one that brought me into the franchise.

[@samnosce1080]

Words right outa my mouth there. I'll never forget the 2-D Field theme.

[@Chelaxim]

Same here, I love the OST.

[@mammothplant]

Same

[@goldenaries0860]

Same. My sister picked it up at a GameStop back in the early 2000s and didn’t want to play it. Passed it to me and everything sorta clicked - after about twenty minutes of GameFaqs guides anyway.

[@jackmesrel4933]

Good choice for your first, as this one is one of the most if not the most fair of the MegaTen games without being too easy.

[@MegatenMusic]

Guess I'll just chime in by saying the Soul Hackers has a damn good OST; it has a sound you won't find elsewhere in Megaten. Toshiko Tasaki and Shoji Meguro produced a really good soundtrack that perfectly captures the atmosphere and aesthetic of Soul Hackers. Shoji would state he struggled with the Soul Hackers OST although you wouldn't know it because he keeps up with Tasaki who I am under the impression was the lead composer for the game since it sounds like a Tasaki OST more than a Meguro one.

[@bubbletea_]

agreed. one of the best megaten soundtracks.

[@ArshadZahid_nohandleideas]

the meeting of legends

[@ArshadZahid_nohandleideas]

And I just realized your channel icon is directly based off the Algon Soft logo

[@Yeaster]

The ost is sublime

[@JM-jr1cn]

Definitely agree. One of the best OST's out there, in my opinion -- nothing like it! I think you're right about Tasaki's influence being the dominant one, by the way -- astute observation. Also Tsukasa Masuko composed several tracks for this game, too, and was an OG for Devil Summoner 1's OST, along with Toshiko Tasaki. I'm a huge Masuko fan. Check out Boss Battle in Devil Summoner 1 - that's all him.

[@sbfh014]

As someone who's been going through a bunch of smt games the past few years, soul hackers was definitely a glimpse into earlier megaten games are like, with a great atmosphere and interesting setting, hopefully 2 is just as enjoyable

[@mushijian7839]

Tokyo Mirage Sessions devs is making Soul Hackers 2. :| So yeah... I hope so...

[@tonyknighton4019]

@@mushijian7839 *sighs* Oh boy

[@legodawg2001]

I really like the loyalty system in soulhackers. It makes you consider party comp in a unique way because a demon has an assigned role. Combine that with the allignment system and you get some really interesting party comps. While it does deemphasize individual customization, this is a game where individual demons don't matter as much as the collective damage output your party can output whilst staying alive, so its good in my book. And if you dislike this, oh boy you would HATE the loyalty system in the original Devil Summoner. I've been streaming through the PSP version with a friend who can speak Japanese, and the game is actually agony to try and get good demons for. Demons HATE you it feels like. The never join your party and the way of gaining loyalty is completely different. Let me put it this way: there are 3 types of loyalty raising, varying by demon, and the kind Soulhackers uses is based on the BEST of the three.

[@zaynza562]

This game is so good everything about it just screams 90s and I've yet to see something close to it.

[@JacobBornheimer]

Soul Hackers is amazing. Maybe my favourite part of the game is how central indigenous mythology is to the story. Of course, it's all mixed in with ideas taken from many communities, but especially from the Algonquian peoples (on whose land I live). I really enjoyed how even the final boss wasn't even truly evil per se. I would love for Soul Hackers 2 to take a similar tact, but sadly I don't think it will.

[@polaroppositespod]

Damn, I'd love to see a podcast from this guy

[@Chelaxim]

Soul Hackers,Breath of Fire 3,Grandia,SaGa Frontier,Front Mission 2,Princess Crown,Shining Force III,Tales of Destiny, Vandal Hearts,Atelier Marie,Final Fantasy VII and Tactics...1997 didn't have to go THAT hard.

[@trevor_mounts_music]

👌

[@agent7142]

Damn, didn't realize all of this came out in 97. We didn't know it was the golden age until it was too late.

[@skycloud4802]

1997 really wanted to break your wallet didn't it?

[@arthurlasido258]

And the following year Suikoden II was released. Good luck saving your money as a 90/80's kid

[@powerfulberry237]

It went to hard I bled

[@PrimeSZ]

I adore Soul Hackers and everything that has to do with it. From the immersive setting and atmosphere to the punk music, it excels at all fronts for me. I don’t think the game is anything groundbreaking, but it’s something I look back at fondly. The gameplay is quite dated but I do think it has a nice charm to it. It was one of the first Megaten games I’ve played outside of Persona so bonus points there :)

[@Unquestionable]

It definitely had it's own feel that I never really got from other titles. And that whole cyberpunk aesthetic was perfectly representative of the time it came out, overly optimistic with an underlying distrust of the system.

[@jaken09]

Nam's goatpendium

[@XyZolda]

The aesthetic of this game makes me bust

[@jaken09]

Ong bro

[@ArshadZahid_nohandleideas]

🤨

[@ausername8770]

What do you mean by “makes me bust” 💀

[@jhonayo4887]

​@@ausername8770 means that the aesthetic of the game makes him want to brush up on his clay forming skills

[@HackmantheMaster]

You make me bust

[@alpine6610]

24:47 "nothing that'll set the world on fire" gets hit by agi, nice detail lmao

[@houraisheperd9721]

By the end of the game, I just had a party of [You], Slapnuts the Zoma, and Nemissa. [You] guarded, Slapnuts existed, and Nemissa just nuked everything to hell and back. It was...an experience.

[@bearberserker]

I did like this game when I got it on the 3DS. I liked the story and the characters, such as Nemissa, but the gameplay was somewhat cumbersome, especially when it had demon loyalty.

[@criminalsen2441]

Thanks for the review! I don't have time to play rpgs anymore - my sad latest attempt to re-play Chrono Cross only reinforced this fact - so reviews are my sole way of experiencing them. I never was exposed to Megaten games back in the day and, while it's sad I missed the opportunity, I'm having a great time learning about them now. So thanks again!

[@matti2b431]

Honestly my favourite smt game. It’s just something about this game from the ost to the aesthetic. It just does something for me

[@theatomicfriendsshow]

A decent story setup that leads to a great adventure. Just started playing this game and we are completely hooked.

[@nicktourville9398]

Okay but there's a boss that's an evil dolphin. Not, like, a demon with a dolphin-inspired design. Just an evil, regular dolphin

[@ProjectTony]

I knew those sharks were doing us a favor

[@TheEnigmaticBM39]

Accurate as hell surprisedly

[@jollythejackalope]

So just a regular dolphin

[@alsaiduq4363]

Now there's no escape.. DEVIL SURVIVOR ANALYSIS LETS GOOO

[@crazyMLC]

After hearing people talk about it, I feel like my experience with soul hackers was pretty unique. I basically only used demons for boss battles. I never had the need to pull anything out otherwise. Just me, Nemissa, and Zeed for forty hours.

[@doughnut5945]

I did that for the first half of the game until magnetite became more plentiful. I played on hard so having more demons helped with the random encounters until nemissa got megidola then they became super easy anyway

[@jayphangx8742]

Nemissa is a QUEEN

[@mapmakerlich]

1 missed detail: 3DS remake added one thing to PSP additions - boss fight against Raidou and Raido (who is basically alternate timeline Raidou) at the end of Time Corridor (which was added in PSP remake along with additional fights, including fight against protagonist of first game)

[@jayphangx8742]

One thing I also wish Nam mentioned was the vision quests. While they aren’t a groundbreaking gameplay segment, I really like them as they show you pieces of the story in an interesting manner and are usually pretty fun. Sometimes when I just finished a tough dungeon, it was nice to catch a break in a vision quest segment. I didn’t have to worry about running out of money or magnetite (since they all die anyway lmao) and the characters you play as are usually higher level than you. It was so badass playing as Naomi and just blasting every random encounter away, I loved it.

[@nero_vzero3125]

23:53 DAMN!!!!!!!!!! HE GOT US BOYS

[@ryanadams0922]

23:52 Thats a burn if I ever heard one

[@tee_toes]

defending the magnetite system is the real sign that you have become an smt god

[@NamsCompendium]

I've transcended

[@ArshadZahid_nohandleideas]

@@NamsCompendium How do I fuse you?

[@Deoxys_Used_Mimic]

More like… Digital Monster Story: Soul Hacker’s Memory C’mon. You know how hype it would be if Beelzemon could be a secret boss/demon in one of these. *Digital.* Devil. Digital. *Monster.*

[@oriongear2499]

I really hope DS: SH receives a re-release on current platforms.

[@ManuPlays05]

Oh boy i was planning to play this one before soul hackers 2 bc i love the art style from 1

[@geoshmeo1900]

You kinda missed the point of the loyalty system. The point is for you to build demons that both fill a role while having a personality that goes along with it, adding an extra layer to teambuilding as a whole. I do agree that demons being able to pass down skills that contrast their personality is kinda dumb, though so was the comparison the P3 tactics

[@DragonKingX78]

This game could use a remake...especially to flesh out the characters and story.

[@thalos730]

i wanted a remake for a better and streamlined combat. the characters are great already, and while the story isn’t that good, it has interesting twists. my main grip with the combat is that it doesn’t explain itself and you have to look up guides, and if you play on blind like me, you’re going to suffer. i changed to easy mode and plan to replay it again to understand it better.

[@LucciClubStudios]

My new favorite channel now

[@Joulourde]

I think this one of my favorite SMT games. Outside of the first Devil Summoner and I wonder what'll come in the sequel

[@chadam917]

I personally like the loyalty system quite a bit. I do find myself thinking of the demons as a little bit more than a collection of stats. It can be a little bit annoying, but working with people can be too. I think the most annoying thing about the system is that you have to take a calm demon's speed into account far more than other demon personalities because they judge "the best course of action" in real time as opposed to at the start of the turn( you know....when you are able to make decisions).

[@athorem]

It's definitely one of the better early Megaten games, just for being more fun than painful to play. The fast paced battles and smooth dungeon crawling help with that. Even though games from other companies during the same time period hold up better, this one stands out among Atlus's early titles and shows when they really started to find their footing.

[@ericm215]

I wanna romhack myself into this world

[@RemoWilliams1227]

Well I just started SMT Strange Journey yesterday, guess I'll play soul hackers next.

[@FabioGnecco]

Did you finish them ? Both are my favorites !

[@tespenkr9924]

I'd love to see a video on SMT 2. It's the first Megaten game I ever finished, and not many people talk about it.

[@mikeydubbs8565]

What’s awesome about this game is retro without feeling dated, and look and mechanics got me ready to play the earlier Super Famicom titles

[@joanfan6324]

The map music is one of my favorite songs in all the smt series.

[@obikenooobi3905]

the game isn’t bad if you like old school games u will like it fs

[@weertangel7231]

With Soul Hackers 2 coming up this video is a nice way to get a recap about the first one from 25 years ago even though Atlus said both are not connected i would't be suprised at all if some characters at least show their face in the new one. Now lets hope they made the game systems better then the first, but i honestly don't think we have to worry about that.

[@NimhLabs]

I like the personality system. It makes me feel like I actually have a bunch of demons in my party--and turns matters into herding cats. Which... summoning demons SHOULD feel like you are herding cats That and... as soon as I could afford it, I loaded up on alcohol--and made certain most of my party is fscking shit faced. They gave me a LOT of gifts and really enjoyed me... and I gave these cats (demons) lots of catnip (alcohol) and would mostly wander around places casing shit, until the cats (demons) loved me Honestly, my PC ends up being some kind of person with a stolen computer, a demon possessed goth gf--and a bunch of demons drunk off their asses giving me gifts like a murder of crows. It is a mental image that fills me happy brain chemicals. When the opponents start getting upset with me, I just look at what I am doing and go, "yeah... I got ya fam--you do have some valid upset about me"

[@ProjectTony]

I enjoyed reading this

[@Raging]

Are demons disobeying at max loyalty really that common for people? It only happened twice in my playthrough and never in a boss fight, this isn't the first review I see someone pointing this out so maybe I got really damn lucky. I usually just "grinded" their loyalty in the random encounters while making progress on a dungeon which by the point I faced a boss they were all maxed, I only ever used the temporary personality changes for healers to kind on bosses, because with Go they can react and see if single or multi target healing would be better after taking hits.

[@poploah4405]

I only changed personalities to grind up loyalty by guarding kind demons and once they reached a relatively high loyalty they usually listened with no draw back

[@wJermell0]

I had more than a couple but it's mostly when I try to make a kind demon attack every turn. Or wild demons. I had a couple random screw ups with them

[@Mercury-oy1zd]

Despite what youtubers say this never happens. Demons can’t disobey you at max loyalty, but if you make them do something they hate like 30 times over a boss battle their loyalty can drop below max giving them a chance to disobey you again

[@roperaustraman4445]

I only had this happen twice in one play through during boss fights, but I think the loyalty had dropped, not just that it happened randomly I have heard this point really emphasized in reviews for some reason, despite it not seeming to be much of an issue.

[@zenderas1434]

I also never had a max loyalty demon disobey me, so when he kept going as to the loyalty system being bad cause demons may disobey you at max level really confused me. Especially since maxing loyalties isnt even hard cosidering how frequent gifts drop from random battles.

[@shippudenlegend1664]

12:35 Something tells me you are going to tear SMT II to pieces when you eventually cover it.

[@rogercheetoofficial]

I honestly appreciate the personality and loyalty systems, they may be annoying, but they add a level of realism absent from a lot of the series; the fact that your demons are individuals, and like anyone who's only with you because you paid them to be, if they don't like you they'll ignore you

[@tommybayer2351]

This games a vibe

[@kalemuncher9425]

23:55 Did Nam just tell me to get some bitches?

[@collette3428]

I really regret selling my copy of this

[@benmcgiggles7655]

Damn, I can't believe I played the whole game and never knew you could exchange money and magnetite. Not that its an issue, like you said, cause theyre so generous with the stuff

[@cheesemanzombie9151]

All my homies love soul hackers if you dont like soul hackers we cannot be homies its simple

[@darharharhar1484]

My favorite was digital devil saga. I really hope I will live to see a remake or at least remaster for it.

[@arstriker911]

Lol kinda funny when you find out you've played SMT games way earlier than ppl who only talk about SMT

[@firepuppies4086]

Isn't this the one that makes Joker's inclusion in Smash.. oddly coincidental because of a certain, similarity

[@lebonk8081]

i love this game.

[@sistinas]

I usually call Soul Hackers perfect but I agree with your points about the story and the characters. It would've been nice if we got to see more characterization. I feel like Lunch and Six were probably the two characters with the biggest devolvement. The story is really good imo, but it can be a bit confusing at times and all over the place. I think it's really good for the time period it was in, but it could've been expanded on better in certain parts. Another thing you mentioned that caught my attention was the demon loyalty. I never really found myself worrying about that on the 3DS version since I soloed with Nemissa. When I would use demons (mostly for bosses), they usually had a pretty high loyalty. However, I will say that on the original Sega Saturn version I can't really solo with Nemissa (I don't know any Japanese but I'm trying my best ww). Not knowing Japanese is obviously going to get in the way, but it's actually not that bad. I usually just use Zoma since he has max loyalty. In the 3DS version I said that I soloed with Nemissa, but in the Sega Saturn version I rely on the demons more. I actually use the "GO" command a lot more than I realize. It's not something I really thought about until you brought it up. The thing about Devil Summoner is that you're supposed to work with your demons, but I totally agree with you when you say you use "GO" more than anything. Overall it has its flaws, I have to agree with you on that, but if you get demons that actually listen it's pretty fun ww.

[@paperluigi6132]

With physical copies of the 3DS version going for more than $60 nowadays, not to mention the impending shutdown of the eShop, and since the game originally released on the Sega Saturn with a PS1 port almost 2 years later, they can probably port this pretty easily to modern consoles.

[@gabrieldevoogel6225]

Demon loyalty was handled better in the first devil summoner, most demons either use Recarmdra or regular attack when they tell you to go eat yourself so it’s still somewhat beneficial at times to pick a skill you know they’ll ignore, in soul hackers I really think it was a tad worse and thusly not as well received

[@TheeDeathCaster]

I still hope for a port to Steam (as well as for the other SMT games on 3ds) so that they're not lost to time.

[@dannyd4339]

Nemissa was never a human.

[@aleousmajor6825]

Funny enough this was my first game to the entire Megaten franchise.

[@smartmouthriveria]

Cyberpunk as a tabletop game has been around in the 80’s …

[@totallytubular4096]

The game is very much a product of its time, but that’s what gives it charm and even though I don’t care for the look of the new Soul Hacker, I love how much it leans into modern ascetics and believe it will grow on me.

[@totokishi1668]

After completing soul hackers, i can finally go back to this video and watch it entirely, by the way, does anybody knows what's the song that plays on 3:14?

[@NamsCompendium]

The song is “Step” from the Persona 4 Dancing soundtrack

[@totokishi1668]

@@NamsCompendium I didn't imagine Nam himself would answer me, thank you so much for these awesome videos

[@k2a2l2]

glad i bought this before the eshop shut down. havent played yet but i cant wait to, the characters designs are 10/10 (as usual w smt games)

[@NickOleksiakMusic]

This game is great because it sports the greatest SMT protagonist of all time next to Toilet King and Wiener Chariot: Carol J.

[@Yeaster]

Nemissa is the star of this game

[@yamilishernandez7670]

I was the regular FF enjoyer but played P3FES and gave a look at the SMT PS2 games and they kick ass 🤟

[@holydezmondgamez1728]

Never played this but if they remastered it to modern consoles I would play it. Seems like a really cool game thats unique.

[@jumanjijoe9198]

I just beat this game and the demon personalities were simultaneously the best and worst part of the game. I also wish the new game + ending changes were more impactful.

[@JHOPEELEVENJamesCoulter]

I wouldn’t mind trying this out since I am enjoying soul hackers 2

[@xeartnexus3020]

This game is much better than the sequel. So much originality and nuance crushed by the weight of the mainstream and the need to nostalgia bomb for a quick check at the cost of the fans. Smt has three pillars (needs 4-im talking devil survivor). Main series. Persona. Devil summoner. The sequel isnt even a devil summoner game.

[@1SecondToLight]

That's the only SMT game I would love actual remake, maybe Persona 1-2 as well

[@Comrade_Hee-Ho]

Personallly I prefer the SEGA Saturn/PSX version of Soul Hackers for aesthetic reasons, however any version of the game is fine though only 3DS is in English xD

[@Cybersomnia]

One of my favorite MegaTen games...I think it's honestly a perfect sequel to the original Megami Tensei, it just takes everything from the original and turns it up to...a lot Computer summoning made it into SMT, but the domestic-like setting of the original material into a post-apocalyptic setting, which Soul Hackers...doesn't really have It's cool because the dystopia is still there, it's just...pretty realistic in terms of potential commentary, which cyberpunk is very good at The game just feels so meta, it's great I hope Soul Hackers 2 is able to capture that same archetypeal feel, especially since the gameplay and visual aesthetic was changed a ton

[@youngblood7308]

The combat feels a lot like Persona Q's combat

[@DMWatchesYoutube]

The problem with personalities is that they're subtractive instead of additive i think

[@attackofthecopyrightbots]

glad they remastered it and ported it in english and noone bought it

[@denzellzepeda4275]

Spoilers ahead: The reason they’re collecting human souls is to power up manitou and phantom society realized they have been fooled since they’re responsible from collecting souls when finnegan realized that he tried to stop them but failed due to the monolith boss and the mayor of amami was the reason behind it all and nemissa is daughter of manitou really wanted to die which nemissa is the death song.

[@sadie9728]

"...and for the love of god don't increase the protagonist's magic stat" That's a MegaTen game! 😂

[@mapmakerlich]

Isn't it responsible for magic defence too? I remember when I maxed Tatsuya's Dx stat in P2IS. Even powerful magic would've hit him for measly couple of HP). And it works in similar way in early SMT games too.

[@RyouWoodware]

lol, your skillshare link from a year ago still have some uses on it

[@Unquestionable]

Probably my favorite spin off for the series. Yeah the game play is a little meh when it comes to random combat but I felt it shined in boss fights, all about that prep in classic SMT fashion. When we finally got this game in English I felt like I was transported back to 1997 at the height of 90s cyberpunk glory. The story and the vibe just struck me in such a way that I felt like I was playing a lost classic, from the backstory of the various characters to the cool past vision segments, I was hooked form beginning to end. Far from perfect but so satisfying in so many ways.

[@cheesybutters5053]

Nitpicky correction Active time battle didn't debut in final fantasy 7, but rather final fantasy 4, it's just final fantasy 7 is quite a bit more popular and is more associated with it

[@FabioGnecco]

Ain't that a more refined version of the same system in Chrono Trigger ?

[@cheesybutters5053]

@@FabioGnecco never played so I wouldn't know

[@FabioGnecco]

@@cheesybutters5053 no problem ! interesting how the battle system between games still a bit similar

[@albertzinger7132]

I beat this game last year. The magnetite and demon personality systems were kind of annoying, so I ended up running most of the game just with MC and Nemissa. Overall I really enjoyed the charming atmosphere, but i feel I didn't really understand the plot. Also, Nemissa is HOT.

[@xRocketzFighterx]

Still have the game installed but not played it yet same with strange journey.

[@lokofaith]

It sucks that they decided to get rid of the Megaten/Devil Summoner title for the "sequel". Think about it. It's a business/marketing decision. Probably someone over at Sega thought it could do more harm than good to it's sales; and they are probably right, which is sad.

[@badwolf8112]

What does the thumbnail mean? Original cyberpunk what? Game? Story?

[@ライロス]

I feel Soul Hackers is not the only game that uses Magnities for Demons. Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE a MMO used them for summoning. The Costs rises as your alignment shifts away from either Law or Chaos. Neutral being normal cost for both Law and Chaos Demons and low cost if you stay neutral.

[@markhovscrch4050]

I still have this on 3DS but still cant play since I need to beat Strange journey both Vanilla and Redux also SMT 4 all ending

[@pastelshoal]

Just passing by: It's good that you warn people of spoilers, but it would be nice to have a non-spoiler section as I don't want to spoil things for me down the line. Just a suggestion

[@thatonecookie242]

was the title changed

[@nifftbatuff676]

It is good.

[@it-is-no-use]

Is there a way I can watch this and skip spoilers? The video is great, but I want to be able to avoid spoilers.

[@NamsCompendium]

Avoid anything past the 26 minute mark. The gameplay section does technically show spoilers, but it's all very out of context stuff like boss battles and dungeons. If you're okay with seeing stuff like that then I think you can safely watch the video up until the story section

[@it-is-no-use]

@@NamsCompendium Thank you so much! It was very kind of you to reply and be so helpful; I genuinely appreciate it!

[@ssosa22]

"in a mommy city"

[@chris-fe2jy]

bruh i might just have a crush on you ong, swore have watched like all ur vidoes multiple times

[@DavidGonzalez-hd8em]

Will you try the first game?

[@bobothetransdimensionalhob2659]

Kinda miss the 90s shlock of Soul Hackers 1. But eh 2 looks cool anyways.

[@vodkaffee4856]

i got tired of grinding magnetite half game

[@JaceFaceLuxe]

even though the characters, soundtrack, world, and general vibe are awesome, i found the gameplay so terribly mid that i gave up about halfway through. thanks for making this video because it kinda proved to me that i wasn't missing much in terms of plot.