After clearing the air on whether or not its upcoming game is a MOBA (spoiler alert: it’s not), Gearbox Software is ready to start releasing a bit more information about Battleborn. The newest game from the Borderlands developer is a cooperative and competitive shooter that drops heroes from across the universe into an epic battle. The hybrid-genre explanation left some prospective fans confused about the game, but more details have started to roll out to help shed a bit more light on the gameplay.

Leading up to Battleborn’s August cover story in Game Informer, the site has posted a new feature that puts a spotlight on three of the game’s characters. Not only does the Game Informer story give us a sneak peek at the look of three characters, but the feature also sheds some light on how different each character performs in the game.

Part of the big appeal of Battleborn is the premise’s wildy contrasting themes and aesthetics. According to Gearbox, that variety isn’t just for style, but also carries over into gameplay, as well. The three new characters revealed are a great example of the diversity that Gearbox is aiming to achieve in the world of Battleborn. Have a look below…

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The space soldier who looks like he might have stepped out of the Warhammer universe is Oscar Mike from the Peacekeepers faction. Oscar Mike will appeal to standard military FPS players with his assault rifle, frag grenades, and unlockable Airstrike ability.

Game Informer’s hands-on experience suggested that Oscar Mike was the most natural player to jump into the game with as a beginner. His familiar military FPS tactics and abilities make him a bit more intuitive than some of Battleborn’s more unique characters.

Airstrike — Unlocked at level seven, Oscar Mike’s ultimate ability allows him to call in a missile strike, which deals major damage to an area for a short period of time. Airstrike is powerful enough to take down an entire swarm of minions at once, and can be used to disperse an opposing team that makes the mistake of sticking too close together during firefights.

Speaking of the game’s more unique characters, Miko the Mushroom Warrior represents the game’s Eldrid faction. Miko is a support character, but that role doesn’t limit her just to healing. Miko also has some powerful poison-based attacks that can be used for offense. Like most of her standard attacks, Miko’s ultimate is fungus-themed.

Like most support classes in similar games, Miko is a bit squishy and won’t last long on the front lines. The hands-on experience explained that the character is a serious threat and needs to be eliminated ASAP when players spot her on the outskirts of a battle causing problems from a distance.

Fungus Among Us — This ultimate ability allows the player to drop Miko’s mushroom cap on the ground, which deals area-of-effect damage to enemies for several seconds. It also simultaneously heals teammates within its radius.

The last character returns to the human side of the universe with Phoebe from the Last Light Consortium faction. Phoebe may be human, but her abilities and style immediately make her stand out from a space marine like Oscar Mike. Phoebe combines telekinetic abilities with the gift of flight to soar over the battlefield and wreak havoc.

Phoebe wields a series of blades and nearly all of her basic attacks involve sneaking up on players for a quick stab or two. Gearbox explained that Phoebe’s role on the battlefield is a disruptor. She should work well as a constant distraction to your enemies with interrupts and attacks. Her ultimate combines defense with a vicious telekinetic rapier attack.

Battleborn certainly seems to offer a lot of variety when it comes to character choices, but that isn’t necessarily anything new to gamers who are used to the variety of League of Legends or DOTA 2. We look forward to getting our hands on the game soon and finding out if it is really different enough from a MOBA to stand out from the competitive genre.

Riposte — As the name suggests, Phoebe’s ultimate ability gives her the opportunity to block a single incoming attack from an enemy. Phoebe can’t move while triggering Riposte, but if the block is successful, her telekinetic rapiers strike out in a series of attacks that damage and temporarily stun all enemies in their path.

Which character seems the coolest to you? What role would you prefer to play in a cooperative/competitive shooter? Let us know in the comments.

Follow Denny on Twitter @The_DFC.

Source: Game Informer