Some recent hands-on time with Lara Croft’s new adventure for Live Arcade gave us a good idea of what to expect when it hits this August.

Whether you play as Lara or her new cohort, Totec, your viewpoint in Guardian of Light is top-down, which lends itself pretty well to the arcade-shooter feel of the action. Both characters can equip a huge variety of firearms, including a spiffy flame-thrower (handy for giant spiders!), an assault rifle, and a shotgun. But their character-specific equipment — Totec carries spears, Lara packs a grappling lasso — is key for solving puzzles and navigating the environment. Both the spears and the lasso allowed us to freely explore the different temples as we saw fit. There’s usually more than one way to get around, which makes for some cool DIY moments.

For instance, in one area, we had Lara rush through spiked floor tiles to reach a switch that lay across a fire-filled gap. Before the run, Totec flung several spears against a wall, giving us a path to jump past the flames, flip the switch, leap to safety, and nab a cool, newly accessible relic. Artifacts and relics, though auxiliary, can augment your weapons and abilities, giving you stuff like upgraded health and even a cool gunfire-spray on all your firearms. Co-op and upgradables? Count us in!