On top of announcing that it would be publishing Death, Jr. for the PSP, Konami also showed off a playable work-in-progress version of the upcoming action game at its press event today. The quirky action title revolves around the misadventures of Death, Jr., the fruit of the Grim Reaper's loins. It seems Death, Jr. (DJ for short) is on a quest to save...himself. OK, the world is also on the line, too, but DJ is more fixated on ensuring he doesn't get in trouble for unleashing hell on Earth.

　　The trouble begins when DJ and his eclectic group of friends--Pandora, an obsessive-compulsive goth girl who has a thing for locked boxes; Smith and Weston, a pair of superintelligent twins conjoined at the head; Stigmartha, a girl who bleeds from her hands whenever she gets nervous; and the Seep, an armless, legless, foul-mouthed foreign exchange student in a vat--are on an outing at the Museum of Supernatural History. The group happens upon a lockbox that DJ opens to impress Pandora, whom he's sort of smitten with. Unfortunately, DJ's showing off frees the ancient demon Moloch and his groupies on an unsuspecting world, and it scatters his friends to parts unknown. Oops, right? While the smart thing in that kind of situation, especially if you're the offspring of the Grim Reaper, would be to simply get Pops to sort the whole mess out, doing so would also likely get DJ in wicked trouble. So what's the heir to Death to do? Try to fix things before anyone notices, of course, which is where you come in.

　　While the game's inventive premise is a bit unconventional (how many video game heroes are out to just help themselves?), Death, Jr. relies on some time-honored staples of gaming for its structure. Following the aftermath of the unleashing of hell on Earth, DJ will find himself in the now-warped-to-all-hell (pun intended) museum, which acts as a hub. You'll notice several warps spread throughout the museum, which will lead to the many areas you'll have to explore to save your butt.

　　The gameplay in Death, Jr. is an engaging blend of third-person action with some platforming sprinkled in to add spice. DJ's move list covers all the action-hero bases. He can run, jump, and attack with the best of them. Above and beyond his array of normal moves, DJ can also use combos and assorted special attacks, which include strikes boosted by Pandora (once you find her).

　　DJ's arsenal of weapons represents a good mix of tradition and newfangled implements of moderate destruction. Representing an old-school weapon is DJ's scythe, a family heirloom that has served Death quite well over the ages. The deadly bladed staff is nifty at hacking foes and objects, but it also comes in pretty handy for all sorts of aerodynamic hopping and platforming, too. You can use it to ride zip lines, Sam Fisher-style, or you can hook onto objects and swing up to different areas, much like Mary Lou Retton's reanimated skeleton probably could. However, DJ, being a modern kid and all, will also be able to use a good assortment of ranged weapons, including dual pistols, a lightning gun, a flamethrower, and, of course, exploding C4 hamsters, also known as "the weapon of true champions."

　　Control in the game feels pretty solid already. You can move, jump, and attack with the PSP's face buttons. The shoulder buttons let you center the camera behind DJ, as well as target and strafe when using ranged weapons. The layout works pretty well, especially the camera centering, which helped us get the occasionally problematic camera under control. We're hoping the time before the game launches can be spent making the game a little more responsive.

　　The visuals in Death, Jr. feature stylish looks that, while apparently not pushing the PSP to its limits, are nicely done and feature impressive amounts of special effects. DJ and company are drawn in a minimalist style that's charming and fits the game's goofy tone perfectly. The environments are trippy and toss in plenty of surreal touches. As far as the game's performance goes, Death, Jr. runs reasonably well, although we noticed some frame rate inconsistency when the action heated up with explosions, enemies, and gunfire.

　　Death, Jr. is looking like a promising game that's going to be a distinctive entry in the action category of the PSP's software lineup. The game has charm, stylish visuals, and good controls. Hopefully Backbone will have time to tighten it up a bit before it's released to give it that final layer of polish. Death, Jr. is currently slated to ship alongside the PSP hardware launch in March. Look for more on the game in the coming months.