Shin Megami Tensei MMO coming west

Beta sign-up has been opened for the western version of the Shin Megami Tensei MMO, handily alerting us to the fact that it exists.

In fact, Aeria games announced that it had acquired the rights to the game - Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online, as it's fully titled - back in September. We just didn't notice. Sorry.

Shin Megami Tensei is the Atlus series of Japanese RPGs that has developed into a bewilderingly large and complex brace of sequels and spin-offs and anime and spin-off sequels, as Japanese RPG series are wont to do. The last one we looked at was Persona 3 on the PS2 and we rather liked it.

Imagine Online is a free-to-play, massively multiplayer game for PC set in the "MegaTen" universe. It was developed by Cave - which is odd, because Cave normally makes extremely intense 2D shmups - and first released in Japan a couple of years ago

Aeria is bringing the game to the US and Europe in English, French, German and Spanish. It's set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo and features the familiar Shin Megami Tensei devil-summoning gameplay in both public areas and instanced dungeons.

"Basically, would you turn down the opportunity to be a Japanese schoolgirl fighting bondage angels with Queen Mab and Badb-Catha in an Escher dreamscape?" said one friend of Eurogamer MMO when we asked him what the hell was going on. He should probably work in PR or something.

You've got 24 more days to sign up for a chance to join the closed beta, so don't delay.