Bullet Witch hands-on

While Alicia's gun can eventually be upgraded to function as a shotgun, cannon or gatling gun (all of which are bigger than she is), it pales in comparison to the sheer power of her spells. As players finish each chapter of the game's six main levels, they'll be able to spend experience points on cool new abilities that range from merely defensive - throwing up a magical wall for instant cover, say - to spectacularly destructive.

We only saw one spell from the latter category, but it was enough to impress. Using a simple spinning menu to pick Alicia's "thunder" attack, we were able to aim and call down a thick column of lightning from the sky. The instant airstrike was key to tearing apart the demon soldiers' tanks, and was also useful for demolishing gas stations or whatever other explosive buildings got in our way.

As players make it further in the game and unlock new abilities, Alicia will be able to summon dozens of crows to tear apart her enemies, throw roses that turn into spears and ignite once they've hit and even use telekinesis to toss around cars and other heavy debris.

And that's all in addition to her acrobatic evasion moves, which send her spinning through the air in a no-hands inverted cartwheel. If she eventually gets the ability to shoot while doing this - perhaps even in slow motion - then we could have a winner on our hands.