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So how's this for a game idea? You control an angel of death who's been cast down from the heavens to a postapocalyptic world of despair, violence, and death to stop the arrival of an impending, indescribable evil. You'll have to traverse 17 dark, neo-industrial levels brimming with a population intent on sending you back to heaven in as many pieces as possible. There's no discrimination here; cops, thugs, pimps - the entire caste of society is hell-bent on your destruction.

Sounds great so far, right? Wait, it gets better. The game will be powered by a brand-new 3D graphics engine that, when released, will be at the forefront of technology and allow the entire spectrum of PC computing - from lowly P200 MMXs to blindingly fast P3-600s - to run said game equally. That game is called Messiah, and any other developer would have left it at that.

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But not just any developer is designing this third-person shooter. Messiah was born from the collective mind of Laguna Beach-based Shiny Entertainment, the team behind such off-the-wall games as Earthworm Jim and Wild 9's. Anyone who's played either of these games no doubt understands and appreciates Shiny's love for the wacky and the unorthodox. It's only natural, then, that Messiah be infused with the same sense of drollery that made Shiny's previous titles a hit. And so, instead of a mighty avenging angel, you actually play the role of a plump cherub, complete with diapers, who goes by the name of Bob.

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After having been first shown to the world at E3 in 1997, Shiny's Messiah is finally nearing completion. The game has come a long way in its two and a half years of development and is now ripe for a fall release. All that's left now is for it to undergo QA and some minor AI and engine tweaking. Interplay recently stopped by with the latest build of Messiah in tow and gave us a chance to take Bob for a test drive through several of the game's completed levels. Most of you have undoubtedly been following the hype surrounding Messiah, but let's take a closer look at some of the game's finer points.

Next: Bob's Abilities