From a galaxy far, far away to an Earth ravaged by alien invaders, Pandemic has just about run the gamut of action gaming. Saboteur, the developer’s newly-announced title, completes the grand tour with a trip back to World War II. Hoping to break the trend of cookie-cutter Second World War first-person shooters, Saboteur represents the culmination of nearly two and a half years of work by Pandemic. We had the chance to discuss the game in brief with members of the development team hard at work on this interesting title.

Saboteur will cast you in the role of a young Irishman named Sean who unwittingly finds himself in Paris on the eve of Nazi occupation. An expatriate of Ireland, Sean is a somewhat rough character whose individual motives play a primary role in the game. You’ll witness Sean’s friends brutally murdered by a vicious Nazi commander following the game’s curtain call; consequently, he vows to take revenge.

Throwing elements of action and stealth into an open environment, Saboteur promises to deviate from typical World War II shooters. Instead of exploring battlefields from the first-person, you’ll navigate occupied Paris via a third-person perspective. Sean can take on missions by talking to other characters and working his way through the immense city. Stealth will be a critical component of gameplay, as you’ll need to sneak past Nazi guards, infiltrate important builds, and even bypass secured areas by climbing up onto rooftops.

Exactly how missions will be structured remains under wraps, as do rewards for completing objectives and means of improving Sean’s abilities. Director Trey Watkins drops a few hints at possible missions, “You might be stopping a weapons cache coming into the city by train, fist-fighting on top of the Eiffel Tower, or even assassinating a Nazi leader during a rally.” He continues, “Vehicles will make their way into the game—if you can see it, you can use it.”

Mr. Watkins explains that while Saboteur will offer open-ended gameplay, it focuses mainly on Sean’s pursuit of vengeance. “We don’t consider it a World War II game,” he states. “It’s more about Sean’s personal journey for revenge that simply happens to be set to the backdrop of World War II.” Certain missions may have you supporting the French Resistance, but that’s only because it will happen to coincide with Sean’s concerns. Objectives relating to the overarching narrative will undoubtedly hone in on his quest for revenge, while side missions are more likely to offer less critical tasks to support Allied endeavors.

While Pandemic is attempting to put the emphasis on Sean’s story, it seems hard to escape the feeling that Saboteur is just another World War II action game. Phil Hong, the game’s producer, wants you to resist this urge. “We feel there’s an opportunity to do something really fresh with the genre,” he claims. “We’re really excited about Saboteur as it combines that popular open-world gameplay with stealth elements.”