Atlus and Nintendo have finally given us a real look at Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem, and the fan reaction has been.. less than stellar, to say the least.

In an effort to help clarify the game’s Shin Megami Tensei: Persona-like style, game producer Shinjiro Takada has posted a message over on the game’s official website.

We’ve compiled the most relevant quotes:

“Considering this is a collaborative Fire Emblem game, I think many of you are feeling what we’ve made is different to your expectations. Even on our end of things, we spent a lot of time in the beginning of development concerned over how much to include from the main series, and we had lots of talks with Nintendo because of this.

Eventually, we came to the realization that if we simply wanted to make it a more “traditional” Fire Emblem game, then development should be handled by Intelligent Systems. If the staff here at Atlus are going to develop the game, we’re going to make it something that plays to our strengths as developers.

Coming from this, #FE is an RPG set in modern Japan, but it still focuses on the growth of a group of fully-realized characters that have their own worries and conflicts. The core of the main series has been integrated into the game, so we’re striving to make the game something more than just a typical collaboration.

It might be difficult to see just where the core theme of the game is right now, but we’re going to share details at a later date. For this trailer, there are four characters showcased, although we have other characters in the game as well.

It’s worth mentioning that with #FE, we’ve been working alongside other talented creators, outside of our staff. Considering this is the first developer blog for this game, I thought it made sense for me to write first, however future updates will be from these outside developers, as well as staff from Atlus, so please look forward to this.”

Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem is set to arrive later this year in Japan.