Square Enix announced that their free-to-play, team-based human versus vampire competitive multiplayer game Nosgoth, will launch an open beta sometime this winter. Nosgoth is based off the Legacy of Kain universe.

If patience is not one of your stronger qualities, you can purchase one of the Founder’s Packs to gain immediate access to the closed beta right now. In addition to the open beta announcement, players will have a chance to experience Nosgoth with a upcoming free weekend on Steam starting August 7 and ending on August 11. Of course you will need a Steam account in order to participate in the free weekend but looking at the FAQ for Nosgoth, it seems a Square Enix Membership account will be required as well.

Anyone who plays in the free weekend of Nosgoth will receive double experience points as well as an in-game badge to show off to other players once the open beta starts.

Video game lovers should know that Square Enix and Deep Silver are planning an Arcade-style public showcase at the Whiskey Girl in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter! The showcase will run on Friday and Saturday, July 25 and 26, from 11AM to 2AM. Yes, 2AM. Below is the list of a few titles you’ll be able to find:

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris

Developed by Crystal Dynamics, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris is the sequel to the critically-acclaimed Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. In her new adventure, Lara Croft travels to Egypt and must join forces with rival treasure hunter Carter Bell and imprisoned gods Horus and Isis, to defeat the evil god Set. Featuring a four-player co-op story, players must work together to explore the temple, defeat hordes of enemies from the Egyptian underworld, solve devious puzzles, and avoid deadly traps. All the while, players will compete for treasure, powerful artifacts, and ultimate bragging rights.

 

Nosgoth

Developed by Psyonix, Nosgoth is a unique team-based player-versus-player game pitting together a variety of brutal Human and Vampire characters in a fight for survival. Created as a competitive free-to-play title in order to break down barriers between the creators and the players, Nosgoth doesn’t include weapons, items or abilities that are inherently better (aka supremacy goods). All items in the Nosgoth in-game store are side-grades not upgrades to create a fair game experience based purely on skill.

 

Hitman: Sniper

Hitman: Sniper is a brand new competitive sniper game with numerous levels full of creative opportunities to manipulate guards, the environment, and targets to complete the hit. Take on the role of Agent 47 and scope in on your marks using skill, subtlety, smarts and subterfuge to complete your contracts. Spend your hard earned blood money on a wealth of powerful rifles and authentic, game-changing upgrades. Engage your friends in leaderboard driven challenges and prove you have what it takes to be the deadliest marksman around.

 

Hitman GO

Hitman GO is a turn-based strategy game where you will strategically navigate fixed spaces on a grid to avoid enemies, infiltrate well-guarded locations and take out your target on beautifully rendered diorama-style set pieces. You really have to think about each move and all the Hitman tools of the trade you would expect are included; disguises distractions, sniper rifles and even 47’s iconic Silverballers

Deep Silver will also be showcasing HomefrontEscape Dead IslandMetro Redux and Sacred 3.

Find me at the Whiskey Girl (702 5th Avenue), where I’ll surely be playing Nosgoth!

A dark, tactical combat multiplayer game set in the dark fantasy world of the Legacy of Kain series, Nosgoth was available at E3 for gameplay and we were lucky enough to try it out.

Nosgoth is set in period of time previously unexplored in the Legacy of Kain mythos, allowing the game to exist within and draw upon the lore and conflict at the heart of the canon while still being able to flesh out and build their own world.

Hunter and Scout battle in the upcoming free-to-play multiplayer arena Nosgoth

Hunter and Scout battle in the upcoming free-to-play multiplayer arena battle game Nosgoth

The game is a deceptively simple four on four multiplayer; four humans vs four vampires battle over a complex, vertical map with plenty of hidey-holes and escape routes. What sets Nosgoth apart, however, is the asymmetrical gameplay that is the heart of the game: humans, restricted to range only classes, must rely on their teammates in order to survive; while vampires–all melee classes, with powerful sprints, the ability to walk up walls and deadly ambush skills–are meant for solo ganking at an almost OP level.

Players an load out in any class and change classes mid match (the new load-out goes into effect after the next death). Combat is fast, mostly intuitive, and relies on players knowing both their class and their teammates’ classes strengths and weaknesses.

At the end of each arena battle, players switch–humans to vampires, vampires to humans–requiring players to be able to fluidly change between range to melee, as well as between the distinct classes available.

A Reaver goes in for the kill in the upcoming multiplayer arena game Nosgoth.
A Reaver goes in for the kill in the upcoming multiplayer arena game Nosgoth.

Even with only one arena to play in, Nosgoth was a lot of fun. With the basic combat ideas relatively straight forward and easy to grasp for newcomers, but a (promised but not yet seen) deep customization to allow for long-term tactics and strategies, Nosgoth offers a intriguingly easy introduction for the new player while hinting at a complexity to keep long-term and experienced players interested.

Square Enix is working alongside developer Psyonix on Nosgoth. Psyonix has worked on Gears of War, Unreal Tournament 3, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Homefront (multiplayer), Bulletstorm and Mass Effect 3.

Nosgoth is free-to-play and available for PC on Steam. Players can register for the closed Beta or become a Founder here.

Check out the trailer below, and let us know if you’re excited about Nosgoth, already burnt out on the glut of 4v4 MOBAs or somewhere in between!