Beyond Good & Evil 2 pre-alpha gameplay has just been revealed as part of the latest livestream from the developers at Ubisoft Montpellier.

The title’s been showcased with new gameplay for around three minutes, and then we had a longer livestream of half and hour or so.

The new gameplay has highlight some of core aspects of the game, which are augments, Spyglass, co-op and vehicles.

Augments: You play as a customizable space pirate captain, who carries a sword, gun, and jetpack as basic equipment. Your characters and weapons can also be enhanced with augments, which grant special abilities and let you experiment with different effects in combat, trapping your foes in a time-slowing bubble or freezing them in place with chained electricity.

Spyglass: In order to see what your enemies have equipped, you’ll need your Spyglass, which displays the stats, skills, and augments of other characters, as well as revealing more details about locations and points of interest — even from space!

Co-op: Beyond Good and Evil 2 is an online game, and while you can play solo, co-op buddies can jump in or out at any time. You won’t be tethered together, and if you want to wander off and explore while another player does their own thing, you’re free to do so.

Vehicles: You’ll have access to a wide variety of flying vehicles. Any vehicle you see can be commandeered and driven, and they can all tune into Radio Cheetah, a station by space pirates, for space pirates. You’ll also be able to fully customize your rides.

You can check the gameplay reveal here.

This recap gives a small taste, but for more, be sure to check out the full Space Monkeys livestream, with Senior Producer Guillaume Brunier and Associate Creative Director Emile Morel.

As for the story, this is a quick summary provided by Ubisoft itself.

Journey to System 3, for the prequel to one of Ubisoft’s most beloved games! Fight alongside unforgettable characters in a stunning new solar system, as you struggle for freedom and the right to determine your own fate among the stars. Play the adventure by yourself or with friends in a vast and seamless online playground.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 is the spiritual successor to the cult classic, a prequel that will transport players into a profoundly multicultural world, capturing the spirit of the original with grandiose decors and intense dramas that play out across a vast universe. Through the Space Monkey Program, Ubisoft Montpellier will be developing the game alongside its community of fans.

System 3 has become the center of interstellar trade and colonization in the Milky Way of the 24th century, thanks to the creation of Hybrid slaves. While private enterprises fight over resources and power, the first colonists weave together the rich and diverse spiritual and cultural heritages of Old Earth to give meaning to their existence.

In this new era of piracy, we will rise from lowly pirate to legendary captain at the helm of massive star-faring vessels, adventuring alongside crews of colorful characters to fight for freedom and the right to determine our own fate among the stars!