Death Jr., published by Konami and developed by Backbone Entertainment, is hoping to put gamers into the robes of the Grim ReaperÂ’s son. Whilst on a school field trip to the Museum of Supernatural History, DJ, as he is affectionately nicknamed, and his buddies open up a chest of that contains an evil like none other. Demons are let loose, chaos ensues, and it is up to DJ and his friends to right their wrongs.

I was able to spend some time with a playable version of Death Jr. earlier this year at E3. The seemingly cartoon-like nature of the game belies the amount of heated action this game. Death Jr. features eight weapons with which to deal with the demons and monsters. DJ always wields the scythe, of course, for melee combat and interaction with the environment. He is also able to wield a second weapon that includes a fairly standard load out of weapons like the lighting gun, dual pistols, and a flamethrower. Perhaps the most unique weapon in his arsenal seen thus far is the C4 Hamster. This little rodent with deadly explosives strapped to its tiny frame, homes in on enemies with varying precision. Another interesting combat element is the ability to perform powerful combo moves with DJÂ’s friend, Pandora. In addition to the combat, Death Jr. features some platform action which is aided by his scythe. For instance, when DJ is able to use his scythe as a helicopter propeller to extend the length of his jump, much like Tails used his tails in the classic Sonic the Hedgehog series by SEGA. DJ can also use the scythe as a grappling hook to reach areas that would normally be too far or too high to jump to.

As for technical performance, Backbone EntertainmentÂ’s game engine for Death Jr. ran at a very decent clip on the PSP and I did not see any noticeable slowdowns due to complex scenery or a high number of enemy monsters being present on the screen. Backbone Entertainment began developing Death Jr. on the PC before Sony even supplied the PSP development kit, so it is surprising how well it performed.

This stylized third/first person action game has a visual aesthetic reminiscent of game designer Tim Schaffer, creator of the critically acclaimed Grim Fandango and Psychonauts. From the plot synopsis, it seems that Death Jr. will also have a similar sense of dark and irreverent humor. Death Jr. is shaping up nicely and is scheduled to reap some souls soon in August this year.