If you're familiar with Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei series, you should know by now that just about every game in the franchise -- from the main-line titles like Nocturne to spin-offs such as Persona, Devil Summoner, and Devil Survivor -- takes place in modern-day Japan. They also all involve demons flooding the world as a brutal war between Law and Chaos unfolds. Shin Megami Tensei IV , the first "proper" entry in the series in a decade, throws these expectations for a loop.

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Set in the year 1492 in a kingdom whose structure resembles Renaissance-era Europe, SMT4 begins with your silent protagonist undertaking an initiation test called the Gauntlet Rite. The rite's name is decidedly literal: Applicants put on a metal gauntlet, which then accepts or rejects the prospective user. Those it rejects go about their lives as usual, while the few who pass the test become members of an elite warrior society who take on a protective role for the kingdom, upholding a mythic legacy of demon-fighters. Naturally, the player avatar makes this cut, while his lifelong friend Issachar doesn't; the seeds of jealousy and discord are thus sown.All of this would seem to represent a radically different take on the Shin Megami Tensei concept if not for a few telltale signs. Despite its European flair, the apparent Renaissance-era culture revolves around decidedly Japanese names and concepts. The protagonist begins his adventure at Lake Mikado , and once he acquires his Gauntlet he becomes a member of the Samurai order. The social castes divide people into "Luxurors" and "Casualries," which sounds more like it has to do with clothing preferences than wealth. That's not all: the hero's metallic Gauntlet "glows" to indicate his acceptance, yet this glow takes the form not of a mystical light but rather the green luminscence of an LCD display. Finally, the "mystic script" that appears on the gauntlet's screen turns out to be a form of writing that shouldn't be entirely unfamiliar to language-savvy players.The game's interface revolves around the Gauntlet, which contains a "spirit" called Burroughs -- a female presence whose turns of phrases and stilted mixture of formal and familiar speech calls to mind Apple's Siri. Bring up a menu and the 3DS's bottom screen becomes a virtual representation of the player's Gauntlet interface. Approach an interactive element in the environment and a stylized ring icon -- a little bit Metal Gear Solid 4, a little bit Splinter Cell: Conviction -- pops up around the hero, with an action icon label highlighting interactive portions of the scenery. And when demons appear as you explore (no invisible random encounters here), they manifest in the environment as wraiths of scrambled pixels.So what's the deal? Does SMT4 take place in an alternate reality? In some bizarre future? In a VR sim? No doubt this mystery plays a central role in the storyline; the game begins with the hero drifting through a formless void surrounded by disembodied voices quoting Biblical scripture, punctuated by your soon-to-be-introduced samurai allies urging you to "make a world." In this sense, SMT4 probably doesn't stray too far from the series' mold. Presumably however your "world-making" manifests it'll involve aligning your actions with the orders of Law, Chaos, or Neutrality, no doubt with each of your fellow samurai representing a facet of this spectrum.Likewise, the means by which you'll work toward this end -- that is, combat, and plenty of it -- should be plenty familiar to MegaTen fanatics. Fittingly, SMT4 makes use of a battle system that builds on that of its direct predecessor, Nocturne. While in-dungeon navigation takes the form of a free-roaming third-person system with real-time interaction, fights themselves play out as a Dragon Quest-style slugfest: turn-based, first-person combat.Once again, Nocturne's popular Press Turn mechanic (also seen in Strange Journey and Devil Survivor) returns to encourage smart play. Each character begins a round of combat with a single action available (denoted by an icon in the corner), but depending on the impact of your choices you may earn extra actions or find yourself penalized. Hit a foe's elemental weakness and you'll earn bonus attacks; hit it with a skill it reflects or absorbs and you'll end up giving it an extra turn instead. Add that to the effects of the basic attack and you can see how Press Turn causes your choices to carry tremendous weight: an effective attack does multiple times its damage, while a poor attack whiffs hard and puts you at a huge disadvantage.Not surprisingly, then, SMT4 doesn't pull its punches. In the hour that I played the game (starting from the very beginning), I experienced multiple close calls and even watched in horror as my main character went down for the count. Thankfully, losing the hero in battle doesn't guarantee an instant loss; your demon companions will fight on to the best of their ability without their leader present. But combat offers no quarter, even though the initial demons you battle are weak to the protagonist's intrinsic attack skills.SMT4 doesn't simply throw you into the deep end and expect you to swim, though. While even early combat encounters don't seem to mind destroying your self-esteem, SMT4 leads you through its mechanics step-by-step by doling out compact tutorial-like missions via Burroughs. Even the series' trademark demon negotiation abilities are served up in small amounts, one at a time. Leveling up not only nets you skill points to invest in your hero's stats, but "app points" that allow you to unlock new features for Burroughs as well. These include what amount to translation programs for the demons, with different apps enabling varied forms of demon communication. You begin by purchasing the ability to recruit demons, but further forms of interaction become available as you open up more apps.On many levels, SMT4 brings MegaTen business as usual to the 3DS. Yet between its intriguingly mysterious storyline, its striking visuals, and a portable-friendly, mission-driven structure, it also promises to push the series forward without compromising its essential excellence. Unusually for an Atlus-developed title, SMT4 will be arriving in the U.S. quite quickly after its Japanese release. The Western version, complete with localized text and fully-voiced story sequences, is barely more than two months away: July 16. The 3DS has come into its own as an RPG powerhouse this year, and SMT4 should continue that streak.