To admit you were wrong takes courage: to do it four months into development in the production-milestone strewn world of games takes, if not madness, at least the sort of zeal normally only associated with polar explorers. But that’s what fledgling studio Airtight Games did after first showing Dark Void to Capcom, deciding to ditch parachuting, giant robots, motorbike sections and pyramids in favour of… something.

About a week later, a new USP for the 360, PS3 and PC title had been hit upon: vertical cover combat. A 90º twist on the gunfights seen in Gears of War and GTA IV, the system sees the camera take a stomach-lurching twist whenever hero Will reaches one of the game’s many cliffs and spires. From there, he climbs with the sort of agility most heroes can’t manage on the ground, ducking behind ridges and outcrops as he clings on and shoots.

He can retrace his steps downwards – not recommended for vertigo sufferers – but the objective is invariably to reach the top, where he can deploy his hoverpack. One of the few design ideas that survived the cull, this is where the game shows its flair – perhaps not surprising, given that several of the Airtight team worked on the Crimson Skies franchise.

Will’s a pilot – he’s in the Void, a parallel universe, after naively flying into the Bermuda Triangle – and knows how to handle himself in the air. Once he’s acquired the pack, he can use it at any time – for instance, to flank dug-in enemies from the skies – but control’s tricky enough to make it a dangerous prospect in more claustrophobic environments, limiting its usefulness to open spaces. Once airborne, Will can undertake a controlled plummet to reach new areas or weave between spires with the help of boost, but flight time is limited.

Halfway through the game he’ll acquire a jetpack, allowing for nimbler sky combat, but the best option early on is to skyjack one of the opposition’s stylized UFOs. This prompts a grip-based minigame that echoes Shadow of the Colossus – and, in fact, Airtight hints that the game’s bosses will also pay homage to Team Ico’s masterpiece, with Capcom veteran Keiji Inafune describing them as the first Japanese-style bosses seen in a western game.

Once the UFO is under control, combat enters familiar dogfighting territory, including special moves like the barrel roll and Immelman turn that should be familiar to Skies fans. Little else is on show at the moment, but with a year of development left Airtight has already ruled out multiplayer and co-op – allowing it to concentrate on a solo story that should, hopefully, do more than just upset acrophobics.