It’s a standard situation in any game. You encounter an enemy, and one of you attacks. You duke it out, and hopefully you win the fight. But what if instead of destroying your enemy, you sweet talk it first? And after a bit of convincing on your part the enemy becomes your ally? Such is the quirky world of Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine, the first MMORPG from the Megami Tensei series. Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine is a free-to-play game that was originally released in Japan in 2007. Publisher Aeria Games and Entertainment received the licensing rights to release the game to American and European audiences. The game has been in open beta since late December 2008.

The story takes place in a bleak, post-apocalyptic Tokyo, not too far from the future. After the city was destroyed in 202X, survivors slowly rebuilt their lives, living in shelters that protect them from the massive amounts of demons lurking outside. You play a Demon Buster, a title that clearly illustrates your job description.

As a Demon Buster, you can specialize in one of three roles. The Fighter is your classic melee scrapper, excelling at hand-to-hand combat and close range attacks. The Magician is naturally the caster role, able to use spells that heal oneself, or annihilate demons. Finally there’s the Gunner, someone who locks and loads and turns opponents into swiss cheese. Specializations are achieved by leveling your character and spending your earned attribute points to skills related to each role.

Combat in Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine is real-time and based on combinations of moves. It takes some getting used to in terms of timing your attacks and learning how to dodge and block, but eventually you get the hang of it. Some demons have their own combo attacks and hit pretty hard, so be prepared.

Instead of killing a demon, you may want to befriend it instead by capturing it Pokemon-style. Demons of a lower level than you may join you if you negotiate with it. If you’re feeling a bit mean-spirited, you can even threaten them to side with you. Depending on its level, how persuasive you are, and the type of demon, responses may vary. They can accompany you, attack, give a gift, or simply run away. You can have as many as six demons with you at a time, but you can always store extras in your vault.