History VideoGame / SoulHackers

Apart from the 3DS remake, ''Soul Hackers'' consists of the original 1997 Sega Saturn game, a 1999 Playstation UpdatedRerelease, and a cellphone sequel released in 2007 with two novel adaptations known as ''Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers: Nightmare of the Butterfly'' and Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers: Shito Kourin'' and a manga adaptation of the same name.

* CallBack: The presence of Madam Ginko, Rei Reiho, Kinap [[spoiler:and Kyouji Kuzunoha]] from the original Devil Summoner game in order to help the player take on the bad guys.

Apart from the 3DS remake, ''Soul Hackers'' consists of the original 1997 Sega Saturn game, a 1999 Playstation UpdatedRerelease, and a cellphone sequel released in 2007 with a shojo manga and a couple of novel adaptations.

* EvilCostumeSwitch: Nemissa takes Hitomi to a clothes shop and buys a [[EvilIsSexy whole new wardrobe of black leather]]. Hitomi is not pleased.

* GoneHorriblyWrong: Carol J attempts to summon the Great Angel Kokabel [[spoiler: only to end up summoning Moowis, who hijacks his body.]]
** Phantom Society [[spoiler: and their attempt to bring control using Manitou and the Manitou Net.]]

* GrandTheftMe: Nemissa and Moowis must do this to others in order to exist outside of cyberspace. [[spoiler: Moowis gets around this later by making a soulless body out of metal.]]
* GunsAreWorthless: Averted. The Protagonist and Nemissa use guns as weapons alongside swords. The former's use is greatly increased if you use specific kinds of ammo or use them against demons that have a weakness to them.
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: Onryo, a race of vengeful ghost demons that appeared in the original Devil Summoner return in this game. [[spoiler: Six's sister is brought back as one thanks to Paradigm X. Inui and Butaihei, bosses fought in the original game, return as optional bosses.]]

* InsideAComputerSystem: [[spoiler: Cyber spirits like Nemissa or Moowis, along with demons are able to enter virtual reality. Nemissa can take the protagonist inside and eventually human souls start getting sucked in by the demons.]]

* PaperThinDisguise: Nobody bothers trying to hide who they are in versus poker. While it makes sense that Thrillionare wouldn't expect anyone to know he's Dr. Thrill, Frost Girl is the ''receptionist of the casino''.

* PuzzleBoss: [[spoiler:Snappy is resistant to physical damage and absorbs all spells. The trick is to keep casting spells on him until he "overloads".]]
* SharingABody: Hitomi and Nemissa, though the latter has more control since she has the more forceful personality. [[spoiler: Eventually the two start sharing the body all the time when they're not in battle, with Nemissa being the one in control then.]]

* BlatantLies: [[spoiler:Snappy: "I love magic *squeak*"]]
** It could be argued that he meant it, since he did use the absorb animation, and talking to a Garrote or Puts in the [[spoiler: Ghost Waterfall painting]] may have him bring up a story about [[spoiler: someone who died by eating so much of his favorite food that he burst]]. Though the ''other'' hint before entering the picture [[spoiler: Aqua Dolphin]] from [[HintDropping the student says otherwise in turn]].

* NoManOfWomanBorn: Nemissa tries this in [[spoiler:the waterfall painting]]. It fails.

* DecoyProtagonist: The playable character kinda just exists to give the player a self-insert and doesn't even have any implied dialogue outside of the BigFirstChoice and demon conversations. The ''real'' protagonist is Nemissa, with Hitomi having the supporting role you'd expect the PC to have.

** [[spoiler: Nemissa is eventually revealed to be an artificial demon too]].

* BlatantLies: [[spoiler: Snappy: "I love magic *squeak*"]]

** Three new ones for the 3DS are Raidou, Raido, and [[spoiler: the ''Soulless God''.]]

* CaveBehindTheWaterfall: [[spoiler:The cave in the waterfall painting.]]

* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler: Azazel as he tells them the Phantom Society is everlasting and that his death is just the beginning before dying.]]

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Said word-for-word by Lunch, and immediately subverted. [[spoiler: The Spookies originally intended for this to happen to the Phantom Society and Algon by spreading the info about their Soul Harvesting operation. Instead, they got outed to the public as net terrorists.]]

* YourMom: One of the many insults used against you by [[spoiler: Romero]]
* YourSoulIsMine: [[spoiler: The purpose of Paradigm X is to drag the souls of those who play it inside the cyber city and have them eventually be absorbed by Manitou. Demons souls are also fed to Manitou]]

** Amami City is a real-life one for the commercial/residential districts of Kaihin-Makurai, Chiba City.

* SuddenlyVoiced: Compared to the VoiceGrunting in Devil Survivor and the canned phrases in Nocture the 3DS remake is the first time in the franchise the demons have had actual voice work. [[spoiler:This goes for the two Raidos and Gotos in the Extra Game as well.]]

!!''SoulHackers'' provides examples of:

* BonusBoss: Heaploads, most of whom are cameos from ''ShinMegamiTenseiII''.

* PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo: You can battle the protagonist from the first Devil Summoner game, and [[http://www.siliconera.com/2012/08/07/raidou-kuzunoha-makes-a-cameo-in-devil-summoner-soul-hackers-for-3ds/ the 3DS port also throws in]] [[RaidouKuzunohaVsTheSoullessArmy Raidou Kuzunoha XIV]] from the Playstation 2 entries of the Devil Summoner games.

*** A good example of this is the Pet Shop Lugh. In order to get Lugh, you need to complete an order that asks for a demon with at least 10 Int (ex. Bifrons), which gives you a Scathach; this will unlock a second request, which asks for a demon with 20 or more strength and rewards you with Lugh. Normally, a 20 STR demon is pretty hard to acquire, but you can either manipulate fusion accidents or simply use a Nemechi demon like Setanta (which can be acquired via play coins or streetpass). Fulfill the request, receive the level-51 Lugh, and watch as you annihilate bosses and rqandom encounters alike with a demon that is more than ten levels higher than your main character.

*** A good example of this is the Pet Shop Lugh. In order to get Lugh, you need to complete the request that ask for a demon with at least 10 Mag (ex. Principality) which gives you a Scathach and a demon with 20 or more strength for Lugh itself. Normally, a 20 STR demon is pretty hard to acquire, but you can either manipulate fusion accidents or simply return the Scathach you just received. Fulfill the request, receive Lugh, and watch as you walk around with a demon that is more than ten levels higher than you are.

The original version of ''Soul Hackers'' was [[NoExportForYou never released outside of Japan]], though a fan translation is in the works from the same people who translated ''[[{{Persona2}} Persona 2: Innocent Sin]]''. However, an enhanced 3DS port was released in Japan in 2012 and North America in 2013, which included full voice acting, updated art, and other extra features.

* BittersweetEnding: Despite the fact that the Spookies were able to defeat The Society and save all the residents of Amami City, [[spoiler:Spooky is killed in the battle against Phantom Society[[note]]In a New Game plus ending, Spooky can be saved.[[/note]] and based on the story of ''Soul Hackers: Intruder'', Amami City has been made expendable by the Japanese government due to the chaos of the Manitou Incident, forcing all the residents to completely desert the city, leaving it to rot. ''Intruder'' also confirms that Nemissa apparently survived her Heroic Sacrafice, having escaped into the Amami Network]]

* BittersweetEnding: Despite the fact that the Spookies were able to defeat Manitou and save all the residents of Amami City, [[spoiler:Spooky is killed in the battle against Phantom Society[[note]]In a New Game plus ending, Spooky can be saved.[[/note]] and based from the story of Soul Hackers: Intruder, Amami City has been made expendable by the Japanese government due to the events of Soul Hackers, forcing all the residents to leave the place with the city deserted.]]

** Ath the casino one of the attendants tell you to [[Franchise/YuGiOh believe in the heart of the cards]] when playing poker.

As of 2013, Soul Hackers consists of the original Sega Saturn game with a Playstation/[=3DS=] remake alongside a cellphone sequel released in 2007 with a shojo manga and a couple of novel adaptations.

''Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers'' is the second game in the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' spinoff series ''VideoGame/{{Devil Summoner}}''.

The usual ShinMegamiTensei components are here: demon fusion, elemental weaknesses/strengths, conversing with monsters to convince them to join your cause and an incredibly dark storyline. An important part of Devil Summoner is Loyalty. Demons gain Loyalty if you command them to use moves that their personality type prefers (eg: physical, magic, etc.) and lose Loyalty if you tell them to use a move that they hate. A Demon with high Loyalty is more likely to obey you and even make a DivingSave. A Demon with low Loyalty will routinely ignore your commands and may even leave the party. (Yes, it's as annoying as it sounds.) The only Demon that isn't subject to this is the Zoma (default name Zeed), an artificial demon who will always have complete loyalty to you and grows not by traditional fusion, but by "stealing" the stats and abilities of demons that you sacrifice to it.

--> --'''Motto of the Spookies.'''

** It could be argued that he meant it, since he did use the absorb animation. Though the hint before entering the picture [[spoiler: Aqua Dolphin]] from [[HintDropping the student says otherwise]]

* SpaceWhale: Snappy is a parody of this trope's visual style, being depicted as an angel dolphin flying through space. [[spoiler:He's actually a malevolent, deceitful painting that came to life as a demon]].