Bedlam, the new “first-person shooter” title from developers RedBedlam has been made available for early access download on the popular PC gaming platform Steam.

The game, which has been developed in parallel with a novel of the same name by the Scottish author Christopher Brookmyre, was launched at a fans’ event at the BAFTA headquarters in London last week.

Kirsty Strain and Robert Florence, stars of the Scottish sketch TV show Burnistoun, were announced as the game’s principal voice actors, playing the parts of lead character Heather Quinn (aka Athena) and Ross Baker, the eponymous Bedlam.

“I’m a huge fan of Burnistoun, and I particularly admired Kirsty and Robert’s ability to bring so many different comic characters to life,” said Brookmyre. “I thought they’d be the perfect voice casting to distinguish our game in a genre that tends to take itself way too seriously.”

“We’re delighted to announce Robert and Kirsty as the voiceover talent for Bedlam,” said Nick Witcher, Marketing Director at RedBedlam. “They’ve really brought the game to life and we’re looking forward to giving people the chance to get early access to the game on August 8th.”

Early access on the Steam platform grants access to two complete worlds of the game, comprising 12 levels of gameplay; approximately one third of the game in total, giving players a real chance to get their teeth into Bedlam ahead of the full launch later this year.

The genre-hopping shooter, which parodies a selection of games from the 80s and 90s, has received praise in the gaming press in recent months following the announcement of a female lead character, in an effort to redress the long-standing gender imbalance of the genre.