Free-running up walls and buildings? In a series last seen on original Xbox, that’s remembered mostly for its Grand Theft Auto–style open-world gunplay? Now that’s what we’d call shaking things up a bit. True Crime aims to be one reboot that’s anything but a quick-and-dirty revival of a long-dead duo of Xbox sandbox shooters.

“Since this game is about being an undercover cop in Hong Kong,” explains United Front lead designer Mike Skupa, “we decided at an early stage to focus on something different than the rooftop superhero model.” This means giving your character, detective Wei Shen, crazy free-form abilities for outrunning — and outgunning — the bad guys. Including, we’re excited to report, plenty of parkour action. “When rooftops do come into play, they are a realistic extension of gameplay and add that same sense of danger and exploration you’d encounter in a crime thriller,” Skupa adds.

Mirror’s Edge. Assassin’s Creed. Scaling walls or busting tail at dizzying heights may have its roots in other now-classic 360 games, but Crime’s aim is to build a playground for you to navigate as you see fit — and that’s what some of the in-game mission objectives demand. This is Hong Kong, after all — one of the most densely populated cities on the planet — and you’ll be ducking, dodging, and even playing it cool with Triad baddies.

“Wei often finds himself in chase-or-be-chased situations, ranging from escaping the police to catching criminals to avoiding detection,” executive producer Stephen van der Mescht tells us. “Wei also needs to use these abilities for surveillance and evidence-gathering to solve cases. We made sure that players can navigate the congested streets in interesting ways, so even just getting around the city on foot is fun.”

But will you be able to combine your acrobatics with some good ol’-fashioned shootouts? “Absolutely!” confirms Skupa. “One of our most important design mandates on the team is ‘No modes!’ For example, you can sprint with an enemy, using him as a meat shield, or smash him into interactive objects.” Adds Mescht: “True Crime was never imagined as a set of isolated mechanics — a bit of free-running, some combat, some shooting and driving. Our focus has always been on tying all this stuff together.”