2K and developer 31st Union have just revealed Project: Ethosa free 3rd person hero shooter. It enters a crowded and tight market, but the publisher says this is an “exciting evolution” of the genre.

This development seems to be taking the form of some light rogue-like mechanics. The playable characters evolve throughout each game through semi-random upgrades unique to each hero. The editor gives an example of a sniper evolving into a “close-range skirmisher” or a “support role into a powerful lone wolf.”

The “abilities, stakes and challenges” change from game to game and players can eventually unlock powerful expansions to further improve runs. It remains to be seen whether this mechanic can make it stand out from the crowd, but you can find out for yourself. There is a community playtest.

Players can test out the game's signature Trials mode, which is a “sustained, sustained battle,” or check out the Gauntlet. This is your standard head-to-head tournament mode with teams and brackets.

This community playtest runs until October 20th in the US, Canada, Mexico and much of Europe. There's a pretty annoying hurdle you have to jump through to access the early build. You must complete a Twitch Drop and stream 30 minutes of content from. There's no word yet on an actual release date for people who don't want to listen to a 30-minute stream.