Let’s get this out of the way right at the top – Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions seems primed to be a massive, gorgeous, and faithful sequel to one of the games that helped define XBLA. The first game in Activision’s new Sierra initiative , GW3 is being developed by Lucid, a studio founded by former Bizarre Creations folks, meaning that GW3’s pedigree is steeped in the original two XBLA games. And unlike its fantastic predecessors, it’ll be available on a number of platforms, including 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, and PC.

Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Screenshots 15 IMAGES

This time around, the focus in Geometry Wars is a 50-stage campaign mode which has players battling through various nodes on a board game-esque grid. The big difference here is that GW has entered the third-dimension – instead of each stage being a flat plane, levels now take the form of various 3D objects that can be circumnavigated. The three stages I saw included a cylinder, a cube, and a peanut-shaped thingy. It absolutely still feels like Geometry Wars, but with a bit of Super Stardust HD and Resogun mixed in, which is pretty much the best thing ever. Take a look at the gallery below for a clearer idea of the game.Right from the very first stage, Dimensions was as hectic and maddening as the Geometry Wars I fell in love with back on the 360. Additions such as a customizable drone ally, landscapes that morph throughout the round, and bullets that fire all the way around the circumference of a level make each round even more chaotic, but the smart design, easily-digestible color pallette, and UI make sure that the action never becomes truly disorientating.Each single stage is home to its own objectives and leaderboards. Completing certain objectives earn you stars, which are necessary to progress through certain points of the grid. And in true Geometry Wars fashion, each level has its own online leaderboard that tracks the scores off all your buddies. When you pop back into the game, various nodes will glow depending on whether people have passed your high score or are coming close to it.The last stage I saw was a boss battle set on a six-sided cube that reminded me a bit of the boss at the end of Sasha's Shooting Gallery in Psychonauts. Again, I make that comparison in the most sincere kind of way, because the tension that existed as we crossed over the various sides of the cube, all while dodging a bullet-spewing boss was fantastic.This boss was only the third of the 50 levels in the game, so I can only imagine how insane things get later on.The three levels really proved to me that GW3 still maintains the core tenants of the series, while also introducing a slew of new genuinely interesting ideas. But it doesn’t stop there – Dimensions also includes a local cooperative mode for up to four players that contains a set of 10 unique challenges created with multiplayer in mind, as well as a competitive mode that Lucid said will be revealed at a later date. Finally, Lucid promised that fans who loved some of the series’ stranger modes like Pacifism are going to be satisfied by some of the weird variations they have up their sleeves.Geometry Wars 2 pretty much consumed a summer of my life back in 2008. I’d wake up every morning and play a couple of rounds from my favorite modes, go to work, come home, and immediately check to see if any of my jerk friends had beat my scores. I’m genuinely excited for the prospect of recapturing that feeling with Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions.

Marty Sliva is an Editor at IGN. He will eat every schnitzel in Germany during Gamescom. Follow him on Twitter @McBiggitty.