Zeno Clash 2 trailer shows new gameplay footage, magic, and punching

Pay no attention to the living display of modern art seen above. Zeno Clash 2 is still all about knocking the stuffing out of weird humanoids, a theme that originated in the first surrealistically fun brawler back in 2009. Well, OK, Mr. Paint-Lip above qualifies as weird enough to send my fist right into that bulbous bullseye of a nose, but that's not the only interesting takeaway from the latest gameplay trailer drop-kicked over by Chilean developer ACE Team.

In addition to more glimpses of co-op play with sister smasher Rimat, we spot what appears to be some usage of magical abilities such as a tethering energy beam and some sort of wrist-mounted launching device. They're probably meant as tools that expose weaknesses for high-damaging attacks. In other words, stronger punching. This all apparently factors in the tarot cards of some sort of metal bug prophet tracking your progress as you rescue the imprisoned Father-Mother. Yes, I believe that sentence actually makes sense.

It's better if you just watch the trailer yourself and bask in its insanity. Zeno Clash 2 has an undefined early 2013 release period, but ACE Team's latest projections are targeting a spring launch .

Omri Petitte is a former PC Gamer associate editor and long-time freelance writer covering news and reviews. If you spot his name, it probably means you're reading about some kind of first-person shooter. Why yes, he would like to talk to you about Battlefield. Do you have a few days?