E3 2011: Devil Survivor 2 rises next year

LOS ANGELES--Atlus has a double dip of Devil Survivor in store for fans of handheld strategy role-playing games. The publisher already has a 3DS port of the original Devil Survivor on the way, and today, it announced a 2012 North American release date for the game's DS sequel.

As previously reported, Devil Survivor 2's story puts players in the shoes of a male protagonist who, alongside his male childhood friend Daichi and female honor student Io, has to fight off mysterious invaders known as the Septentrion that are taking over Japan. Players will have to defeat them within seven days by signing a pact with the devil to become a devil messenger and command a demon army.

As in the first game, players control the protagonist and his group in turn-based combat on playfields cut into grids. Unlike the first game, in which being confined to Tokyo was a major plot point, players will get to explore multiple major cities in Japan for the sequel. Devil Survivor's demon auction system will return as well, with gamers able to get new demon allies by bidding for them. New to the series is the destiny system, which lets gamers unlock new party members and demon ally skills depending on the protagonist's moral choices throughout the story.

Devil Survivor 2's characters are designed by Suzuhito Yasuda, who has provided illustrations for the light novel series Durarara!! and created the manga Yozakura Quartet. Additional design work was handled by manga artist Mohiro Kitoh, who created Shadow Star. The game's soundtrack is composed by Kenji Ito, who is renowned for his work on the Final Fantasy Legends and SaGa series.

For more on Devil Survivor, check out GameSpot's review of the original DS game.