Project Eden takes place in one of those towering mecha cities from films like Blade Runner and The Fifth Element. The twist here is that the people living and working at the top of this incredible skyline never return to street level, which has become a warren-like slum. So separated are these two worlds that life at the bottom has taken on a separate and monstrous form of evolution. Lately, the equipment that supports life at the top has been malfunctioning, and the ruling class suspects a conspiracy. This is where you come in. It is your job to lead a group of four combat savvy technicians down to the surface to check it out. What you find there will surprise you.

Now this is truly a different story than we are used to. The very nature of the landscape—towering heights and claustrophobic streets—makes it a unique FPS experience. And it looks like Eidos is backing this up with equally innovative game play. Players lead the four members of the team—Carter, the squad leader; Minoko, the tech specialist; Andre, the engineer; and Amber, the cyborg—through eleven missions focusing on exploration, puzzle solving, and survival skills. The game can be played by a single person switching between characters at any time in order to utilize their special skills, or up to four people cooperating via split-screen. Players will have to use remote equipment such as mini-rovers and hover-cameras to access areas or scout locations. Special attention must also be paid to the characters’ power supplies, as energy is key.

This is not to say that Project Eden lacks action. The game’s arsenal includes automatic weapons, explosives, sentry guns, even devices that can slow time around your opponents or drain their energy. And, hey, you’re battling hideous, evil, cult mutants. What’s better than that? There is also a four-player deathmatch for when you get tired of playing nice with your friends.

Project Eden looks to be a unique experience in FPS gaming, focusing on multi-tiered problem solving, cooperative game play, specialized equipment and skills. It may be just the thing for fans of the genre looking for something fresh.