Sure, Conception II, the upcoming RPG from ATLUS and Spike Chunsoft has a tongue-in-cheek concept, but it's no slouch on gameplay depth. If you don't give it the quarter it deserves, you'll quickly find yourself on the receiving end of merciless beatdowns in the game's labyrinths. (I speak from very personal, shameful experience).

The key to staying strong in the labyrinths is constantly updating your team's roster of Star Children. But before you start min-maxing their gear, perfecting their elemental ATK/DEF combinations, and finding the best classes that match your play-style, you actually have to be on good enough terms with the Academy's girls to undergo the "Classmating" ritual. The below screens are the first stepping stones you'll take into forming the bonds vital to saving the earth from Dusk Circles.

This is the protagonist. He's a "God's Gift," someone overflowing with the Star God's power, and is the only chance humanity has at repelling the monsters emanating from the Pandora Labyrinth that threaten the world.

Getting told you're one of the chosen few on the first day of class sure beats getting detention on the first day of class. The new recruits who join you are Fuuko, one of the game's seven heroines and the girl who makes the hero's first Star Children, and the other is Chlotz, an awkwardly endearing best friend who suffers from chronic third-wheel syndrome.

As you go through your day to day studies, you'll soon start running into the various heroines that you can take with you into the labyrinths. Successful conversations with them will raise your "bond points," which is the energy needed to create Star Children. But you'll have to be careful what you say to them. Each girl has their own personality, and you'll have to tread carefully...

...Sometimes very carefully. If you make too many missteps, you'll wind up making the heroines so angry that you temporarily won't be able to make any Star Children with them. This can be highly detrimental to your progress; there's no shame in keeping notes on the girls' personalities. Right? Right.

So why does the protagonist go through the trouble of juggling all these relationships? His relationships unlock the power of the heroines that accompany him into the labyrinths - the stronger the bond between the two, the more powerful your partner is in the labyrinth. But choose carefully, each of the seven heroines have their own strengths and weaknesses.

And because Conception II takes place in a school, there has to be a rival. Meet Alec, who was the top student before the "God's Gift" showed up to the school. Pompous, arrogant, and from a family with a background of enormous wealth and untouchable influence, Alec is quick and eager to take over the number one rank in the school, even without the natural talent of a "God's Gift."

The ATLUS tradition of offering collectors' items with pre-orders and limited first-run availability continues with the wildly unique RPG Conception II. For either the Nintendo 3DS™ or PlayStation®Vita version, physical copies of Conception II will come in a special box and include a 10-track CD arrangement, composed by Masato Kouda. The box and CD are guaranteed to pre-orders from participating retailers and for a limited time after the game's launch. Conception II will be published in North America by ATLUS beginning in spring 2014 for the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS. The game will be $39.99 for either version. More details will be on the game's official website at atlus.com/conception2.

Conception II puts players in the role of "God's Gift," a teenager imbued with the power of the Star God. His unprecedented levels of power allow him to fight against the monsters within the Dusk Circles, and cripple the flow of evil into the world. But the role of a hero is a complex one, and players must maintain relationships with any of the game's seven heroines to increase their relationship bonds, which in turn help them create Star Children, pint-sized warriors that pack a big punch to Dusk monsters. Players will have to choose wisely, as up to nine Star Children can fight in the labyrinth at once, where elemental damage, battlefield positioning, and team composition must be constantly evaluated.

Conception II is not yet rated by the ESRB.