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Gearbox debuts Battleborn gameplay

Watch 14 minutes of class-based co-op action.

Gearbox has revealed the first gameplay footage of its upcoming PS4, Xbox One and PC shooter Battleborn.

Watch on YouTube

This "First Look" video has Battleborn creative director Randy Varnell and writer Aaron Linde walk us through a co-op campaign mission in which military soldier Oscar Mike, macho brute Montana, Elvin archer Thorn, magical mushroom man Miko, and cyber ninja Rath join forces to take on the mysterious Varelsi forces on a war-torn planet .

Each character has a very distinct playstyle. Montana wields a gatling gun, Miko throwing knives, Oscar Mike an assault rifle, Rath a set of katanas, and Thorn a bow & arrow. Each character has plenty of unique abilities too, like Miko can plant healing gardens, Oscar Mike can lay down protective turrets, and Rath can unleash a devastating spinning cyclone attack.

The actual mission is your standard FPS fare with objectives ranging from protecting an NPC for a set amount of time, to destroying an enemy beacon, to taking on a giant robot spider boss.

It's nothing we haven't seen before, but it looks polished and vibrant. Perhaps it's not the biggest departure from Borderlands, but given that Borderlands 2 sold nearly six million copies in less than eight months, that's not necessarily a bad thing.