To get the conceit out of the way, you play as an agent in The Agency, an organization dedicated to ridding the world of supernatural evil forces around the globe. There is an overarching storyline to the game, but it quickly takes a back seat to the action. Told through an appropriately somber narrative, the chapters that herald each advancement of the story are accompanied by some worthy artwork that reward the player who lets the text pay itself out.

However, as stated, it's the gameplay that matters here. At the start of gameplay, you are presented with a Map screen, upon which various geographical locations are marked with a brown envelope. A plain envelope represents a location to which you travel to do your job -- the thorough eradication of monstrous evil. Such envelopes can be selected at any time. Envelopes that glow red represent areas for which you are too low in level to attempt. A white envelope represents a location that contains a quest that furthers the storyline. The brown envelopes break down into two types: those with a basic shoot 'em up within, and those with grander objectives.

For example, a basic location will ask you simply to destroy all the monsters within, while the other type will ask that you destroy all champion monsters (those monsters who are of higher durability), or to break the curse contained therein. Clicking on any of these envelopes transports you to their representative location, frequently a house containing multiple rooms. There is a mini-map in the lower-right corner of the screen that tells you where you are at all times, as well as the layout of the entire building.

The action follows an overhead view, much like Smash TV or Loaded, but with better controls: WASD grants character movement, while the mouse aims and fires. You begin with two weapons, a two-handed sword and a pistol. Fortunately, each is useful at different times -- the pistol allows you to take out monsters at a distance but needs more hits to dispatch them, while the sword is more powerful, but requires that you let the enemies get a little closer to you. You also have access at all times to sticks of dynamite, but your supply of these is limited. Ammunition for all guns is limited, and when it runs out, defaults you to the sword.

There are destructible items in each room that yield resources such as more ammo, more dynamite, and special icons that represent temporary power-ups such as unlimited ammo (during the duration of this power-up, you don't have to reload, saving a lot of time), a fast walk, improved damage, improved resistance, etc.

When you enter each room, a swarm of enemies will rush you, ranging from bats to zombies to flaming skeletons. The undead creatures bear particular watch, as they will frequently take many hits, only to still come after you, albeit with a missing upper body, or crawling along the floor sans legs. When you've taken out all enemies in a room, you receive a "Room cleared" message, letting you know that you can move on to the next room. It's possible to leave the room at any time the same way you entered, but re-entering the same room resets all the creatures within. This can be useful for gaining more points, discovering more power-ups, or increasing your level.

That's right, Larva Mortus lets you level up your character. After the accumulation of enough experience, you will gain points that you can spend to increase your character's attributes, anything from the ability to take more damage before dying, to a faster movement speed, to improved regeneration of one's health. It's also possible to pick up points hidden in destructible items, as well as dropped by monsters when you kill them.

There are also champion monsters, which you'll recognize by their visible hit points bar. These creatures are a good deal tougher than the average baddie, and reward with more points and experience when killed. A few of the nastier ones also confer a status attack, like a cloud of poison that not only saps your health, but slows your movement, making it easier for enemies to gang up on you.

With tons of replay value, Larva Mortus is definitely a must-have for those who've been itching to get their frenetic, everything-that-touches-you-kills-you, Robotron 2084 action on. The demo, available in both Mac and PC, lets you play as much as you want, but will only let you level your character up to 5, and restricts enemies to a certain number of types. Buying the game will unlock its true potential and reward with a non-stop eye-fizzing experience.