Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers

Overview

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers is a 3DS remake of Atlus's RPG of the same name that was originally released on the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation. Released in Japan on August 30, 2012, the game contains a number of new features and upgrades over the original version. The game was officially released in North America for the first time on April 16, 2013.

New Features

• A number of "hacks" can be used on the GUMP (Gun PC, in the localization), such as a party hack that allows better relations with demons of different alignments, a difficulty toggle hack adding both easy and hard difficulties, a demon analysis hack, and an automap hack which will allow dungeon maps to be automatically fully displayed on the touch screen of the 3DS.
• The general pace of gameplay has been greatly increased.
• The game's dialogue is fully voiced.
• The addition of both a Demonic Compendium and a Sword Compendium.
• A revamped version of the original game's dimension-shifting bonus dungeon, with cameos from across the Devil Summoner sub-series. Kyouji Kuzunoha, the protagonist of the first Devil Summoner, reprises his appearance and the two Raidou Kuzunohas--both the protagonist of the PS2 Devil Summoner action RPGs and his scar-faced, parallel world doppelganger--make new appearances along with each's feline sidekick Gouto. Yaso-Magatsu, the final boss of Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army, also appears as a new special battle.

Nemechi

One of the game's main new features is Nemechi, an application for the protagonist's GUMP that can be accessed at any time from the main status menu. Nemechi appears as a spritely demon who will offer other, special demons for purchase by utilizing the 3DS's StreetPassing feature. As the player uses their 3DS to tag other Soul Hackers players, Nemechi will evolve and offer a continually expanding list of demons that the player can purchase with D-Soul, a currency gained by tagging or via the exchange of Play Coins. There are two evolutionary paths Nemechi can take, each with a different roster of demons for purchase.

A total of 30 new demons are available using Nemechi, some of which are brand new to Soul Hackers while others are palette swaps using their Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner colors or designs. Most of these special demons offer skills and abilities far ahead of when they would normally available in the game. Once purchased from Nemechi, a demon will also then be available to be fused as any other normal demon in the regular compendium.

For the North American release of the game, Play Coins as well as StreetPass tags can be used to evolve Nemechi. Twice a day, the player can exchange up to twenty play coins for 300 D-Souls (or 600 per day, at maximum). These D-Souls can then be spent to either evolve Nemechi or purchase demons. Nemechi can only evolve once per day.

Extras

The Japanese version of Soul Hackers included the debut trailer for Shin Megami Tensei IV.

The first printing of the game also included a special bonus CD with remixes of select tracks as voted on by Japanese fans. This same CD was also bundled with the North American release of the game.