IGN have posted up 15-minutes of gameplay from the upcoming Dreadnought, a game which has a brilliant concept: giant spaceships + multiplayer equals mayhem. You take command of one of several different classes of ship, from the lighter, faster corvettes to the mega-powered dreadnoughts that can unleash broadsides and nukes. Regardless of the class you choose there’s a palpable sense of weight behind each one. These are big beasts, after all.

The pace of the game is slow, placing less emphasis on twitch shooting and more on positioning and use of special abilities, as well as teamwork. A dreadnought may offer supreme firepower, but it’s a sitting duck if left unsupported. However, the slow pace does mean that the game could potentially find itself bogged down, the action being little more than players circling slowly, while holding down the fire button.

The best moment in the video is the first time a ship “jumps” into combat and unleashes a broadside attack, bringing back memories of Battlestar Galactica’s amazing space battles.

It’s early to say for sure, but Dreadnought could just end up being something special. The only caveat is that it’s a free-to-play game, not a major problem by itself as such, but likely a put-off for many people given how often the monetization model has been so poorly handled.