Soul Hackers 2 featured a plethora of skill customization among its cast, utilizing the strengths of its COMP Smith and Soul Matrix progression systems. This range in versatility could help to inspire Persona 6 in the combat capabilities of its party members.
Soul Hackers 2 demonstrated clever use of its COMP Smith, where a number of upgrades were made available to aid its cast. The customization of COMPs featured a wide range of skills; some focused on building the elemental or physical strengths of its characters, while others made an impact outside of battle. The feature extended beyond stat upgrades to tie into the other facets of SMT's nuanced gameplay, allowing for greater player freedom.
Soul Hackers 2 Could Influence More Build Autonomy for Persona 6's Cast
Along with the COMP Smith led by Tatara, Soul Hackers 2's Soul Matrix contributed to further build customization among its cast. Though the Soul Matrix earned a mixed reception due to its level design, it incentivized players to progress through each character's dungeon in order to increase the party's combat strength and receive more context to their backstories. Some of the obtainable Summoner Skills, like Traesto and Estoma, allowed for easier and more efficient dungeon traversal, while others played more important roles in battle itself, boosting certain stats or providing benefits to the game's Stack system.
Specialized skills made available to Soul Hacker 2 protagonist Ringo like Recursive Processing and Damage Condenser could really help to turn the tides of battle, making the Soul Matrix an invaluable part of building upon character abilities. Progression into the Soul Matrix also worked in tandem with the upgrades available at the COMP Smith, as certain demon materials and skills could only be attained after exploring a party member's sector and defeating certain enemy types. The sheer range in versatility that Soul Hackers 2 offered was undoubtedly aided by its devil summoner cast being able to channel the strengths of multiple demons with different affinities, though Persona 6 could still utilize similar systems to assist in its cast's focuses.
While Persona 6 will almost certainly follow in the tradition of supporting characters using only one Persona, an imitation of Soul Hackers 2's skill system could make combat feel slightly more in-tune with the freedom of its protagonist's Wild Card ability. The Soul Matrix made it so that Ringo could choose from a short list of Summoner Skills that a party member inherits during each level up, giving players the chance to control which abilities take precedence over others to benefit their play style. Persona 6 could use a similar system separate to its Confidant ranks that bleeds into its combat abilities, where a party member's melee or gun weapon earns upgrades beyond its attack power and accuracy rates.
Like Soul Hackers 2's COMPs, it would be interesting to see Persona 6 make use of enemy materials for weapon upgrades. In this instance, certain tradeoffs could aid in player autonomy; for example, a Persona user who specializes in healing and buff abilities could consider an upgrade that decreases the power of their melee/gun attacks as a trade-off for higher healing potency. Alternatively, a weapon upgrade that corresponds with a flashy axe or sword may cause a party member to be more vulnerable to enemy targeting while dealing higher amounts of damage, acting as a permanent 'Taunt' skill while the weapon is equipped. Through this, a wider range of versatility could extend to the entirety of its cast, making Persona 6's combat even more tactical.
Soul Hackers 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
