Introduction

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Developed by: Shiny Entertainment
Published by: Interplay Entertainment
Release Date: Mid 1999

Some History

When you think of Earthworm Jim you usually think: "wacky, off the wall platform game." It would only be natural to categorize the company who makes the Earthworm Jim series of games as an action/adventure kind of company. However, starting with the darkly industrial MDK, Shiny looks to be moving away from cartoony, Mario-esque games and more into the bleak world of shooters. Certainly its latest project, Messiah, falls into the gloomy, hopeless setting that many first person shooters share in common. But don't you dare categorize Messiah as another cookie cutter version of every other 3D FPS out there. Its revolutionary graphics engine and unique gameplay style will be sure to set it apart from the competition. Besides that, Messiah's storyline might do more than raise eyebrows among religious types.

Once upon a time...

The game is set on Earth in the not so distant future. There is no longer any semblance of order on the planet thanks to a society that places huge emphasis on hedonism and pleasure rather than morality and justice. God's just about had it with this situation, and rather than turn a blind eye on things and leave His creation to Satan, he's dispatched Bob (you), the spunkiest, baddest angel to ever gain his wings in heaven. You play the role of Bob (what an awesome name), who takes the form of a cute, pudgy, winged cherub such as the ones you see in cheesy Valentine's cards.

Now God can't just make it easy by giving you the ability to call down lightning from the sky or shoot fireballs. No, that would be too obvious. In fact, God has taken away your immortality! As Bob you're physically weak, almost helpless, but you have been given a few precious gifts. One is the ability to fly and glide around with your stubby little wings. The second is the ability to take possession of just about any living creature you run into, human or not. When you take possession of a character you gain their physical attributes, as well as any weapons or tools they may be carrying. Finally, the last gift you have is God's blessing to do whatever you damn well please. You can kill, injure, maim, burn, shoot, hack, whatever it takes to clean up Earth by any means necessary.

Awww, how cute...