Editorial Review: Larva Mortus

Posted 4 years ago By - Brian Edey

Larva Mortus is one of those indie games which takes a good idea from a classic game and builds it to be something slightly new. In this case the classic game is Smash TV but now it is set in a Survival Horror setting with plenty of monsters to slay, weapons to use and lots of gore to paint the walls with. It sounds like a near perfect mix of gameplay and setting for the action junkie gamer, but in the end it does not take enough chances or add enough to the mix to be a classic memorable title.

Graphically and audio wise Larva Mortus is average in many ways even for an indie title and in many cases this would be something I would say hurts the game, but in the case of Larva Mortus the audio and graphics the way they are do not hurt the game at all. While it would be nice to have the overall graphics and audio fully 3D and more original, as it stands the current graphics and audio are more than adequate for the job, it is just too bad they are not original and keep up with the cut scenes.


The animated cut scenes have a comic book look and feel to them. While they add a nice touch to the game it makes me wonder why the art direction for the cut scenes are so stylized and the rest of the game is actually boring visually. It is almost like there was two distinct graphic styles combined together to make the game.

Gameplay is where a game like this lives or dies and lucky for the developers the game has some actually pretty good gameplay. You control your character with the keyboard and aim his weapon with the mouse. Nice and simple gameplay which pays off in the end as you run and blast your way through a variety of levels. Where the gameplay could be better is where many games of this type show some issues is the level design which is uninspired at best and the actual weapons you end up using are few and limited.


The story or lack thereof is so forgettable and uninspired you will either wonder if there was on (there is) or if it was created by a random story generation program. The in-game text for missions is written well but that is about it and for those who like a bit of story with their game will be sadly disappointed in what is offered.

Overall the game is fun and is lacking in several areas, but in the end not enough to say this game is not worth buying for action gaming fans it is, but just do not expect too much and you should have plenty of fun.

Bottom Line – Purchase for indie gaming fans and those who like the top down action gaming like Geometry Wars, Smash TV and others.


Pros
Graphics and Audio are good for an Indie Game but nothing surprising
Nice take on a old classic gameplay mechanic
Lots of gaming for the price…

Cons
… nothing we have not seen before gameplay wise
Generally average indie game
It takes zero chances in graphics, audio and gameplay

Final Score - 6/10

April 15th 2009 :: Editorial Review: Larva Mortus... indie action game

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