Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers - Gameplay

Gameplay

Demon loyalty and relationship with characters: Demons possess some form of loyalty, which represents their trusting relationship with their summoner. Increasing demons' loyalty is easier in Soul Hackers than previous games. As loyalty increases, so does that demon's attack (or magic) power. However, if a summoner's relationship with a demon is low enough, that demon may disobey orders or even leave the party.

Selection of partner's magic type: Nemissa's magic type is determined early on in the game, depending on how the player answers Hitomi's questions. The three types of magic she can learn are fire magic, ice magic and lightning magic. It is possible to change the type of magic she knows later in the game.

Additional demon specices: Three new species of demon have been added to the game. Unlike "heroes", the lunar phase plays a part in their union conditions.

Software installation: By installing new software onto the COMP, various features can be added to it:

• Enemy Sonar: causes a coloured glow to appear around demons, indicating their difficulty - green demons are weak, while red demons are significantly stronger.
• Scanning Zero: the normally invisible "dark zone" appears on the map.
• Backup: allows the player to save while still inside a dungeon.
• Neo Clear: adds details of surrounding areas to the map.
• Adult Moon: allows the player to converse at any time with demons that can normally only be summoned during a full moon.
• Frost Panel: a Jack Frost skin appears on the party's status screen.

COMP fusion: Demons can now be fused using the protagonist's mobile COMP. Because of this, it is possible to fuse demons even inside dungeons. Unlike a normal fusion, however, only two demons can be fused at once, and there is a high chance of "accidents" occurring.

PocketStation support: Demons can be downloaded to a "PocketStation" to be grown and played with, similar to a Tamagotchi.

Casino: A casino has been added to the interior of Paradigm X. Prizes there are usually rare items, or equipment that is difficult to obtain.

Extra dungeon: In the Sega Saturn version, if the player sent off the postcard enclosed in the "Demon Compendium Vol. 2" and was not chosen in the draw, they could not unlock the extra dungeon, even once all other conditions to do so were cleared.

Additional scenario: In the Sega Saturn version the protagonist suffered a violent death; however, on a replay of the PlayStation version, his death can be prevented if certain conditions are met.

Added event: A new event has been added to the protagonist and other characters' hideout in the PlayStation version. In it, it is discovered that Lunch is good at cooking, and Naomi hates Rei Reihō's TV shows.

Digest Mode: Story events can be viewed in this mode after loading saved data.