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About a year ago, there was a rumor circulating the web that suggested developer Crystal Dynamics was looking to reboot their popular Soul Reaver franchise for the next-gen. However, after news of the reboot came and went, and nothing was made of the rumor, thoughts of Kain and Raziel once again retreated to the back of gamers' minds.

Today, however, Square Enix and developer Psyonix have unveiled a spin-off series for Soul Reaver and Legacy of Kain called Nosgoth, which is set in the same universe as CD's previous games, but features a different type of gameplay. Nosgoth is a free-to-play online multiplayer title that uses the battle between vampires and humans as its backdrop.

As the trailer above shows, Nosgoth separates teams of players into either the human or the vampire factions, each of which plays differently. While the human players' focus is on ranged combat, the vampires' main goal is getting in close and dealing a healthy dose of melee carnage.

Nosgoth Trailer

Of course, there will be layers of nuance to Nosgoth beyond the basic ranged vs. melee combat, but that's its core appeal. Players on both sides will be able to upgrade and customize their combatant, giving them strategic advantages and better weapons/attacks. Some of the upgrades highlighted in the trailer include the ability to heal teammates, different types of weapons like a flamethrower and a bow, and a vampire class that can fly high above the battle ground.

Presumably, these various upgrades and customization options will be a part of Nosgoth's free-to-play model (i.e. "pay to win"), but it's unclear at this point. The game does go into private beta soon, so anyone interested in checking the game out should sign up on the game's official site.

With not much to judge, it's hard to get a full read on Nosgoth, aside from its unique approach to multiplayer. Although the developers at Psyonix say that Nosgoth is set shortly after the events of the first Soul Reaver game, there don't appear to be any narrative trappings to the game.

On the multiplayer gameplay side, though, there is some promise in Nosgoth, if only based on Psyonix's pedigree, which includes work on games like Gears of War and Unreal Tournament. Yes, the game's visual aesthetic appears to be a little one-note, but the combat could make up for that.

What do you think of Nosgoth? Does it look like a game you would be interested in?

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Source: Nosgoth