In the modern era of gaming, an aristocracy of gruff-voiced, hardened veterans has emerged. Looking to join the ranks of such gravelly orators as Solid Snake, Master Chief and Alex Mercer is Sean Devlin, a saboteur. But don’t worry; The Saboteur’s greatest qualities will probably extend far beyond the baritones of its main protagonist.

In The Saboteur, players will take control of Sean, a former racecar driver who loses his family to the villainous Nazi regime and strikes out on his own personal campaign of vengeance. It all goes down in Paris, France (during World War II, of course), and Pandemic has made it clear that they plan to make the environment and tone of the game as true to history as possible. That means there’ll be as many brothels as Nazis on each street corner, and each of these small-time bars will be a home away from home for resistance fighters like Sean.

In an interview with Gamespot, Art Director Chris Hunt said: “Early development [of] The Saboteur was a combination of painstaking research, concept development, and eventually a trip to France. It was important for us to recreate as much of the breathtaking architecture, countryside towns and landmarks as possible.” As long as the folks at Pandemic are talking like that, there’s plenty of reason to get excited.

In terms of gameplay, The Saboteur is first and foremost a third-person free-roam shooter, very closely resembling Grand Theft Auto 4. Aside from the times when Sean’s running and gunning, he’ll be stealthily traversing the rooftops of Paris with debonair grace as he snaps the necks of German officers. The goal of each mission is to liberate a certain area through various methods. Despite how Sean goes about this, the end result is always the same. Areas which once were devoid of color—save for the red of the swastikas adorning buildings and decorating the arms of officers—become lush, bright and lively.

From the beginning of the game, all of Paris will be black and white. As more missions are completed, and more areas subsequently liberated, more color will pervade throughout the city. The final goal will be to breathe life anew into the city through vibrant hues that pose a stark contrast to the city in its gray form, which for the most part exudes a more subdued, obedient tone.

The thought of another World War II game may immediately put The Saboteur under the collective radar of the general public. Luckily for Pandemic, its unique premise and visual style stands a chance of distinguishing it from other games based in that era. Until December 8th, when the game is released, we won’t be able to truly judge whether that will be the case or not.