David Jaffe, a video game designer best known for his work on Twisted Metal and God of War, showed off a game concept that can be described as “Left 4 Dead with demons” instead of zombies. His game pitch was entitled Guardians, which would be a co-op flying shooter where each of the playable characters has unique powers and defends humanity against unseen demons. For those disappointed by the recent Left 4 Dead 3 rumor, this concept video may or may not alleviate some of that disappointment.

As Jaffe described, the game would begin with 7 girls, each with some personal inner demons, in a prison transport van. Choosing from between four of the girls would show some backstory, such as the character Jerri Daniels who was arrested for robbery, and a playable prologue of her arrest would begin. Afterward, the transport would wreck, and presumably, the three non-playable girls would flee (plot point?).

The playable characters would then save the driver before falling to their own death. Each would then receive a post-mortem offer of redemption and be given special powers to fight demons. The girls then become the guardians, which is highly similar to the survivors of Left 4 Dead. The concept art is definitely interesting, so check it out below:

While the concept art does focus on the guardians for the most part, it also offers a look at the demons. For a good comparison to Left 4 Dead, one of these demons, it seems, would need to be as terrifying as the iconic Witch. Imagine one of the guardians attempting to avoid a crying demon, and the very concept sounds terrifying.

Although the game has seemingly never made it past the concept stage, a good four-player co-op game like Left 4 Dead is hard to come by. While a Bill-like character (as an NPC) would be another interesting point of comparison between the two games, it is sadly impossible for Mr. French to fill that role. Tell us, Ranters, what do you think of this concept for Guardians?

Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 are available now on PC and Xbox 360.