The chronology of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise is… complicated, to say the least. Like, The Legend of Zelda’s timeline is a cakewalk compared to this stuff. Luckily, the developers of these games are quite aware of that, which is why almost all of them are completely self-contained. Case in point, do you need to play Soul Hackers to play Soul Hackers 2?
Do You Need to Play Soul Hackers to Play Soul Hackers 2?
The answer, thankfully, is absolutely not. While Soul Hackers 2 does have some nods to the original Soul Hackers, as well as the greater Devil Summoner sub-series of Shin Megami Tensei games, it is not required at all to have played the first game to play the sequel. This is good, as the original Soul Hackers came out exclusively in Japan on the Sega Saturn back in 1997, so it is entirely understandable if you haven’t played it (though it did get a low-key western release on the 3DS in 2013).
Related: How to Raise Soul Level in Soul Hackers 2
In the event you did play the first game, you may pick up on some of the more subtle references, such as the background feud between the various demon-utilizing organizations of the world like the Phantom Society and Yatagarasu, as well as notable summoners like the Kuzunoha line. Also, one of the first game’s main characters, Nemissa, is available as a usable demon through DLC, which is a fun nod, and Victor, the guy who handled demon fusion in the other Devil Summoner games, made a comeback as well.
All of that aside, though, Soul Hackers 2 is set many, many years after the first game, so none of that game’s major events really come into play here. You’re perfectly fine to just enjoy Soul Hackers 2 on its own.
