Hyperstrange and Crunching Koalas have released their first-person fantasy hack and slash game, ELDERBORN, on Steam Early Access.

The game takes its inspirations from heavy metal-infused ’90s-era shooters, but with an emphasis on melee weapons. The current Early Access build has a playable campaign already, but the final release will have significantly more levels. The developers expect ELDERBORN to be out of Early Access by mid-2019.

You can check out the launch trailer above – it’s worth pointing out none of the available trailers actually sample the game’s heavy metal soundtrack – which definitely exists when you’re playing the game.

Here’s a rundown of the game:

ELDERBORN is a skill-based slasher infused with ancient heavy metal melee combat. Slice your way through an adventure inspired by the cult classics of the FPP genre and relive the old-school feeling of a game that doesn’t hold your hand.

Imagine a dungeon, a dungeon full of evil and corruption that needs to be put down back to sleep. A mysterious ancient ruin full of deadly traps, vicious monsters, and omnipresent death. Now visualize yourself – you’re a warrior, you’re huge, and you certainly know how to fight.

Ready to take on the challenge that will bring back your best memories of heroic fantasy classics? Well, in that case – welcome to ELDERBORN.

You’ll love the game if:

• you’re a sucker for skill-based melee combat and a subscriber of the GIT GUD philosophy of gaming
• you’re sick of procedurally-generated content and for a change you would like to explore extensive, hand-designed, devious dungeons
• you feel that ending a life of an enemy with a well-placed kick is something that’s been missing from your life
• you always wanted to find out how DOOM would feel if it had swords and a warhammer instead of guns
• you miss the old-school feel of a game that does not hold your hand
• you pray at the altars of Dio, Lemmy and other mighty Gods of Metal

ELDERBORN is available on Windows PC via Steam and the Humble Store for $19.99.