Atlus rarely disappoints their fans. Whether with the "hardcore" MegTen/SMT gams or the supposed "only slightly less hardcore" Persona series, Atlus knows how to craft relatable characters, intriguing settings, and interesting plots rolled into amazing, and very addicting, RPGs.Over the years of course things have "streamlined" and while arguably maybe not so much as Bethesda, or just like Bethesda depending on where you stand, you can see the differences that began to change with SMT 3: Nocturne and the other ps2 SMT games(and while technically the off shoot Persona games may not be part of the SMT "line" of games, there are obvious connections that have that series branch off from SMT, much like the not-so-distant relative to the MegTen franchise that started in the 80s before SMT was even in the picture).Soul hackers is a great middle ground for those who wish to see that progression without having to be brutally destroyed by trying earlier S/MT...which I highly recommend at least trying after getting through Soul Hackers.The difficulty of DS:SH can be "hacked" in either direction( high difficulty, low difficulty, or "off" for a normal setting) which is mighty helpful for everyone without punishing anyone.As far as gameplay goes it is as engrossing as any SMT game. You follow along a cyberpunk, technologically advanced society with connections to the occult...demons. There have been many comparisons to Pokemon, but the similarities pretty much end at "collecting demons/monsters" and grinding to level up. However in both this and earlier SMT games, the demons do not level up, at least in the traditional senseThere is very rewarding loyalty system which usually ends(from 1-5) with your demons both respecting the orders you give and giving a nice(most of the time) bonus to damage given. Usually this is seen with a "loyalty" skill. There are different demon "identities" that affect how they react to you and how their loyalty raises. Without spoiling too much, a great example is the "wild" demons tend to prefer physical attacks, while "dumb" demands would rather you let them choose their attacks(watch out for demons with suicide/last resort skills...they are "dumb" demons afterall). As you play the game you'll find other types of demons and learn their idiosyncrasies. The game will also give hints along the way.In addition to this you have the common demon fusion system where you'll most likely be fusing and discarding demons at a higher rate in the game instead of grinding certain demons(beyond raising their loyalty).Another feature is the Zoma demon, which basically you craft yourself, and is somewhat similiar to the later games way of choose which skills a demon gets, and while you don't exactly pick and choose the skills a Zoma gets when you fuse it with another demon, it will absorb the skills of that demon. As you play you'll find other interesting ways the Zoma can be useful and there are many guides online dedicated just to the Zoma itself!Whether you are a newcomer to the entire series or have only played the ps2 era and beyond, there are some others things to keep in mind, this maybe considered a spoil to some....but the MC does not use magic and previous games followed this same formula. You can still put points into the magic skill(along with Str, agi, Intel, etc) but I wouldn't go beyond 10 or so and would especially focus on Strength and Endurance, and perhaps a few points into intelligence as it affects magic defense. The Female partner is the primary magic user(besides the demons of course) and was common before SMT III.In addition to the difficulty hack, there are other options to help new comers breeze through the game a bit more easily, such as the automap, however it may be more rewarding to do it yourself like in other dungeon crawling games...but totally up to you.I could go on. The story, by game standards at least, is very interesting and helps keep you playing in addition to the rewarding battle, fusion, skill system.I highly recommend this to any SMT fan! If you haven't played this or earlier S/MT games, but are waiting impatiently for SMT IV: Final or Persona 5 this could be a nice distraction.And to someone entirely new to SMT, but a big rpg buff I suggest taking a crack at it and join the MegaTen club.Take our your COMP and get demon hunting!