Techland reveals first-person dark fantasy co-op hack and slasher Hellraid, first screens below

Techland – developers responsible for two of my favourite first-person action franchises Dead Island and Call of Juarez – have lifted the veil from their next project; previously codenamed Project Hell, the hack & slash game has been officially titled as Hellraid, and revolves around a group of combatants seeking to ensure the survival of mankind. The game allows players to tackle the story-driven campaign by themselves through an immersive first-person perspective or enjoy it with three other players in co-op.

The game also features rpg elements such as a skill progression system, loot collection as well as weapon-crafting, while environments will vary from swamps, prisons and ancient catacombs in a dark fantasy world devastated by demons. Players can choose from varied heroes with distinctive capabilities – a melee-focused warrior wielding axes and swords, the Rogue who specialised in ranged-attacks with a crossbow, the powerful magic-wielding Mage who can incinerate, electrocute or freeze enemies, and the Paladin who focuses on defensive and healing magic.

The developers have also promised an engaging combat system – one where players need precision and timing to strike enemies as well as parry their attacks instead of mindless button-mashing/clicking. Hellraid is currently being developed for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3; no release date has been confirmed yet.