Cold Symmetry, an independent studio comprised of veteran AAA developers who’ve worked on titles such as Starcraft 2 and Ghost of Tsushima, announced their flagship title today. The game, Mortal Shell, can be quickly summed up as a new entry into the soulslike genre of games, but to do so would be to gloss-over the root of what this game aims to be. The objective is not to merely copy that which has come before but rather to bring out and fine-tune the genre’s best aspects.

In Mortal Shell, players begin their un-life as an entirely empty vessel. They’re basically a blank slate with no defining skills or features and yet they have been singled-out by an entity known as the “Dark Father” to do its bidding. This entities objective are monumental, too much for a featureless husk to handle on its own. Fortunately, this husk does have at least one talent: possessing the bodies of fallen warriors and thereby gaining the skills and knowledge they had in life. In essence, taking their forms and becoming them.

There are many of these “mortal shells” scattered about the game’s fallen world for players to find and master. Indeed, mastery is exactly what one will want to achieve too, as it reveals new talents, unlocks weapon upgrades and makes it a bit easier to survive Mortal Shell’s fast-paced and precision-oriented combat system. There’s no clear cut path between the vessel’s journey and its end, no rigid order of sites purify and creatures to overcome. So players will want to take every advantage they can find along the way as chances are good that they’ll need them sooner rather than later.

Mortal Shell is set to release in Q3 2020 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Those who’d like to get some early hands-on time, however, can go to the game’s official website and sign-up for the beta.