Underworld Ascendant gameplay video showcases stealth, magic, and 'hero kits'

We got a quick look at the updated Stygian Abyss in last week's Underworld Ascendant trailer out of PAX South, but the bits showcasing the game's "authored" visual style were broken up by longer segments of the developers talking about the game. As much as I'm happy to listen to guys like Warren Spector, Paul Neurath, and Tim Stellmach discuss the biz and what they're getting up to, the truth is that I wanted to see more of the game itself.

That's where this new trailer, shared earlier this week by fanbolt and confirmed official by OtherSide and publisher 505 Games, comes in. There's no talk, just gameplay, including a look at three different "hero kits": combat with stealth, pure stealth, and magic with stealth. The animations are clunky in places and the framerate isn't great, but it's legitimately exciting to see it starting to come together, and watching those Thief-ly water arrows and flash bombs in action is a kick, too.

Underworld Ascendant is currently slated for release later this year, and I am very much looking forward to it.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.