Though the series jumped to the 3DS for a remake of its first game, Devil Survivor returns to the Nintendo DS next month.

The catastrophe-driven narrative of the original returns, as a host of otherworldly invaders descend upon the cities of Japan, and once again a plucky group of high school teens take it upon themselves to curb the destruction. As in the first game, they find themselves with the knowledge to prevent not only their own deaths, but those of others.

The core mechanic of the original—battling enemies with a highly customizable party of demons—doesn’t seem to have changed, although there are nearly twice as many to collect, customize, and fuse as in the first game. The biggest change thus far looks to be the emphasis on social interactions available between the player and the other human members of the party.

A new social mechanic, called the Enishi system, gauges the level of friendship held with other characters and, similar to the Social Link systems from Persona 3 and 4, unlocks special battle bonuses (like skills and elemental strengths) as that level increases. The importance of these relationships will ostensibly be compounded by the fact that each character is fully mortal and susceptible to permanent death during play, though it sounds as if these instances are based solely on choices made by the player, as opposed to mid-battle circumstances.

Though the premise rings similar to that of the first Devil Survivor, the new story, expanded battle customization, and new emphasis on intimate character interaction should at least make this game worth bringing the old DS out for.