Bethesda Softworks LLC’ upcoming digital card game, The Elder Scrolls: Legends, has entered closed beta, and developer Dire Wolf Digital has unveiled a first glimpse of how the game will actually play (hint: a lot like Hearthstone).

Set in the Elder Scrolls universe (Morrowind, Skyrim), The Elder Scrolls: Legends is a 1v1 collectible card game that shares a lot in common with Hearthstone.

Of course, it is hardly surprising that Bethesda would want to emulate Hearthstone’s success. After all, Blizzard Entertainment’s digital card game brings in somewhere around $20 million each month, which is impressive for a game that is free to play.

Some similarities between the two games include class-based heroes, 30-point player health pools, and an arena battle mode. The Elder Scrolls: Legends also appears to have a single-player campaign mode that would be similar to Hearthstone’s Adventures.

While Bethesda’s game certainly seems to have learned from Hearthstone’s example, there also appears to be a number of key differences, the most significant of which is probably the playing field, which is divided into two separate lanes on which players can place their cards. Several cards include the text that they affect other cards “in this lane,” which will add an interesting strategic component to the game.

“Just that simple choice of deciding which lane to put your cards in is not only fun for you,” Paul Dennen, Creative Director at Dire Wolf Digital, said in a blog post, “but it also avoids that problem of the person having control of the board and you having to just hand your cards over to be destroyed. If you have control over one lane, I can choose to play my creature in another lane. I can start to win in another lane.”

The Elder Scrolls: Legends also makes use of a few other interesting mechanics, such as allowing players to draw an extra card after taking a certain amount of damage, which could turn the tables on their opponent.

The closed beta for The Elder Scrolls: Legends starts today, but if you still want to sign up for a chance to participate, you can do so at bethesda.net.

You can also watch a brief gameplay video of the game below:

Images courtesy of Bethesda Softworks LLC