Bring the pain
A fantastic mix of Gauntlet and Alien Breed thrown in with some Van Helsing-style monster hunting and topped off with a smattering of steampunk, Larva Mortus is a little-known gem that deserves more recognition. It's a fast and furious action game which is simply a riot from start to finish and which should be in the collection of anyone who simply likes good games. The game takes place in the 19th Century and finds you in the role of a new agent with a paranormal investigation agent who finds himself caught up in an ancient mystery which has seen a sudden resurgence in monster activity. This basically translates into a topdown shooter which takes you to a variety of exotic locales, likes forests, dungeons, graveyards and so on, while dishing out the pain to a range of nasties with some pretty slick weapons, like shotguns, tesla guns, flamethrowers and so on. There's a main story to follow but you also have sidequests to choose from, while there are also RPG elements in the way you earn points and distribute them among attributes to give your powers a boost. For a modern take on a classic genre, this is a hugely entertaining romp. It doesn't do anything overly new with the genre but there's no denying that this is out-and-out fun right from the start. The story is surprisingly well implemented into the gameplay and is pretty compelling while the gameplay itself is exciting and entertaining, mainly thanks to the cool weapons, mix of enemies and environments and the sheer pace. Definitely a little cracker.
