few months back, we got a guided tour of The Darkness. While we got to see a lot of the game then, it was strictly a hands-off affair. Now that the game is nearing its late June release date, we’ve gotten our grubby mitts on a near-final build. Since we already know how it looks and we’re familiar with the basic game mechanics, one big question remained: How does it play? After spending some time with it, we can tell you that it’s a fun—but quirky—shooter with a pretty deep bag of tricks.

If you’re not up to speed on The Darkness, or you’d like a quick refresher, the story is one of betrayal, revenge and possible redemption, all painted with a pitch-black brush. As contract killer Jackie Estacado reaches his 21st birthday, he discovers he’s the recipient of a rather unconventional birthday surprise: the ability to channel demonic forces, not the least of which are a pair of rather powerful tentacles. In addition to the tentacles, which protect him from harm while also allowing Jackie to dispatch enemies from a distance, he can also summon a variety of impish minions to help him out.

The game is played like a traditional FPS, though the Darkness powers put a twist on most of the encounters. While Jackie is relatively adept at using firearms (he was a hitman, after all), it’s obvious that developer Starbreeze wanted to nudge people toward using Darkness abilities as often as possible. This quickly becomes clear when you start noticing how ineffective most of the guns are in combat. At first, defending ourselves from our uncle’s hired goons was a breeze, thanks to the slightly sticky targeting system. While it wasn’t as tacky during run-and-gun moments, whenever we help our ground and took time to aim, we could methodically pick our foes off one by one, headshot after headshot. Soon enough, we noticed that enemies had a tendency to get back up repeatedly after being shot, sometimes four or five times. After we got into the full swing of things and had our Darkness abilities, however, combat became less about firefights and more about eating faces.

Not surprisingly, the Darkness thrives in low-light situations. Many of the sequences take on the feel of a stealth-action title, with players constantly on the lookout for light sources. Most of the time, it’s more effective to take out lamps and other objects right off the bat, even if enemies are firing on you. When it’s dark, the Darkness will shield you from bullets and absorb some of the damage for you. That’s not to say that Jackie’s guns are completely useless. They’re still handy when you can’t sneak around an opponent with your tentacle, and his up-close execution movements are a powerful and brutal tool.

While most of our game time was spent killing all manner of gangsters, corrupt police officers and other assorted thugs, there were also moments of respite. Throughout the game, there are plenty of optional side missions. An early featured a street musician who was being bullied. After a little intimidation (through a cutscene, unfortunately), the musician got his spot back and all was good. As a reward, he gave us a phone number.

Ah, phone numbers. What would a modern game be without something to collect? Pay phones are scattered throughout the game’s New York streets, and when you get a phone number—either by finding a hidden napkin or through a mission—you can call it. You’ll hear a recorded message, which range from the bizarre to the hilarious. You can also find hidden outfits for your demonic imps, so they can ravage the enemy in style.

As you might expect from a game that features the eating of human faces, the Darkness is definitely an M-rated title. During gun battles, vulgarities fly through the air as often as bullets, and most encounters end with Jackie’s tentacles snapping up his foe’s heart. It’s all pretty over-the-top stuff, but some of it is so self-consciously vile that it’s almost embarrassing. If you’re sensitive about these sorts of things, you’d best stay far, far away from the game.

Overall, the Darkness looks great and plays well, too. You acquire new powers at a fairly steady clip, making you a pretty terrifying figure later on in the game. The game’s controls are tight, and Jackie does what you want him to when you want him to do it. The Darkness powers are varied, but they’re mapped out sensibly on the controller.

While the environments are beautiful, in that dingy New York way, they’re generally pretty small. You’ll tear through a variety of memorable places as you track down your uncle, including Chinatown, various subway stations and a mysterious nightmare-made-real called the Otherworld.

If you’re on the market for something different, and you have the stomach for it, you might want to look into the Darkness. It’s always fun to play as an anti-hero, which the game lets you do and more. Its tone might scare some players away, as will its comic-book roots, but fans of FPSs who aren’t afraid of trying new things should give it a shot.