Shootmania Storm open beta is live, still no sign of any storms

Nadeo's frenetic FPS, Shootmania Storm, dreams of being an esport one day. It's a fast-paced competitive multiplayer shooter that channels the spirits of shooters past, so expect lots of speedy, slippery running, remarkable leaping and pulse blasters that evoke the rocket launchers of Quake and Unreal Tournament. There's a detailed, built-in level editor which players can use to create, test and share levels. If that sounds like your bag, good news! The bag is now in open beta. You can download the 1.24GB client for free now from the Shootmania Storm site .

The announcement is punctuated by the release of a new trailer, which shows a man dropping through a tiny sinkhole into an underground battle chamber full of lasers and death. But where did he come from? And why is Shootmania Storm called Shootmania Storm when there's not so much as a drop of rain on show? It's like an enigma wrapped in a bag that is also an enigma. Enjoy a puzzling cocktail of confusion and motion blur in the sparkly Shootmania video below.

Part of the UK team, Tom was with PC Gamer at the very beginning of the website's launch—first as a news writer, and then as online editor until his departure in 2020. His specialties are strategy games, action RPGs, hack ‘n slash games, digital card games… basically anything that he can fit on a hard drive. His final boss form is Deckard Cain.