Inversus, a clever "negative-space shooter" developed by Bungie's former lead sandbox engineer Ryan Juckett, is coming to PS4 and PC on 16th August.

The seemingly simple-looking title has players control sentient black and white squares with a revolver chamber icon on them dictating their ammo count. The twist is that black avatars can only walk on white squares and white avatars can only walk on black. But by shooting across a row or column, you change its shade. As such, the lay of the land is constantly shifting as players try to box one another in and carve out escape routes.

The full game comes with local multiplayer for up to four, so you can battle 1v1 or 2v2.

There's also a dedicated score-attack arcade mode, which can be tackled in single-player and co-op.

These trailers of its competitive and cooperative modes will best demonstrate how Inversus' strange ruleset operates in action:

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"One of the key things I've taken from working as the lead sandbox engineer on the multiplayer shooter, Destiny, is the critical attention to feel and feedback in gameplay," said developer Ryan Juckett. "It's what players will notice right away in Inversus, and something I've consistently seen people enjoy."

Having played both Inversus' competitive and arcade modes before, I would agree with Juckett's assessment. Inversus just feels good with its rumbling charge shots and meticulous balance of twitchy speed and tactical plotting.

Inversus will cost $14.99 (or your local equivalent), though pre-orders on Steam and the Humble Store are 10 per cent off.