Bane Of Kain: Nosgoth Closed Beta Begins Today

Kain might be off raising, um, someone else in the distant reaches of who-knows-where, but that doesn't mean his legacy can't live on. Kinda. Nosgoth is a solid-looking free-to-play multiplayer shooter set in the Legacy of Kain universe, and it offers asymmetrical vampire battling galore. But is it actually coming along well, or is Square Enix just trying to shove a square peg into a Kain-shaped hole? If you're starved for both souls and information, Nosgoth's closed beta is about to get up and running. The best news of all? You can join in! Maybe.

You can drop your name into the curvy, creepy closed beta hat here. If you already did that a while back, probably check your email for an invite.

Foremost on the list of beta additions is a Siege mode that works like this:

“In Siege, Humans must capture specific locations and keep them safe from Vampires, while the Vampires must satisfy their blood-thirst and hunt down their Human opponents. This is in addition to the asymmetrical, melee versus ranged Team Deathmatch mode that defines Nosgoth’s signature gameplay.”

In other Nosgoth-flavored news, the team is now working with Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver art lead Daniel Cabuco on new "authentic" skins for every vampire class. It's not another atmosphere-dripping single-player narrative, but it's something at least. Cabuco is reported to have said this thing: "It's with great pleasure that I announce my involvement with Psyonix in creating these classic Soul Reaver clan skins. They heard the fans and sought me out to ensure an authentic tie to the original series."

So there is that. Who all is in the beta? Did anyone get to try it when it was in alpha? Putting aside my affinity for old-school Legacy of Kain, I do think Nosgoth looks decently amusing. Should I prepare to shift my Expectation Alphabet Scale from bemused to amused? Or does this call for the dreaded "c-mused," of which even dictionaries fear to speak?