"What if Call of Duty had spells and magic and fantasy?". That was a question that set veteran game designer, Bret Robbins, who worked at Sledgehammer Games on the Call of Duty franchise, on a quest to find out. But that's just one part of the game's overall makeup.

Immortals of Aveum is also much more than a 'run-and-gun' shooter with spells. It has all of the bombast and heavy storytelling of a CoD-like, but one look at its innovative and deeply-layered magic system tells an entirely different tale.

Immortals of Aveum is set in an original fantasy universe engulfed in magic, rife with conflict, and on the edge of the abyss. Players experience this visceral and cinematic, story-driven game through the eyes of Jak, as he joins an elite order of battlemages, masters all three colors of magic - blue, green, and red - and decimates legions of enemies with clever chained attacks and well-timed counters. Combining a modern story within a fantasy setting, the world of Aveum is filled with unforgettable characters, fast-paced action and spell-based combat that defies FPS conventions.

Having grown up powerless and destitute, Jak is what’s known as an Unforeseen – someone who unexpectedly manifests magical abilities later in life. With his newfound potential, Jak is recruited by General Kirkan to join the Order of the Immortals and is reluctantly thrust into mankind’s endless war for the control of magic. With powerful magic-wielders and legions of soldiers on both sides of the Everwar, Jak and his elite order of Immortals must uncover the mysteries of Aveum's troubled past, if there's any hope for saving its future. Immortals of Aveum’s cinematic campaign is brought to life by an incredibly talented cast of AAA celebrities like Darren Barnet (“Never Have I Ever,” “Road House,” “Gran Turismo”) as Jak, and Gina Torres ("Suits," "Pearson," "Firefly") as General Kirkan.

Having sat through an in-depth presentation from Bret and other members of the studio and seen numerous parts of the game in action, we can definitely attest to this being something very different, despite some of the tropeish things the trailer above conveys. And its magic, traversal and combat, which all neatly tie into a cohesive and fast and fluid whole, really is something else.

We'll have more on the game shortly, but the cut and dry is this is releasing on July 20 for PC and next-gen consoles.