Atlus, Japanese publisher of games like 3D Dot Game Heroes, Catherine*, and the weirdly apostrophized Demon’s Souls, is taking another run at dark fantasy. Here’s an early glimpse of The Cursed Crusade, a co-op combat game set in the middle ages:

Like Enslaved or Army of Two, The Cursed Crusade boasts binary lead characters, with dual protagonists Denz and Esteban running down enemies as a team. If you want to play the game alone, you’ll control Denz and work along an AI-managed Esteban, but splitscreen and internet co-op will let you choose either character. It’s early, but the game is looking very sharp so far.

It’s currently in the hands of French developer Kylotonn Entertainment, so don’t expect to harvest any of Demon’s Souls‘ Demons’ Souls. The Cursed Crusades begins a thoughtful meditation on the Caliphate in Summer 2011.

*Oh my gosh

Source: spawnkill