There's an undisguised nostalgia about Cell: Emergence, though it's not quite as bold or overt as other recent blocky 3D games like 3D Dot Game Heroes or Minecraft. Still, the effort from indie developer New Life Interactive uses the mechanics and still-screen storytelling of an aged arcade shooter to deliver a short, cerebral package. And despite its humility, Cell: Emergence's new, understated package recalls a refreshingly old-school way to play 3D shooters.

Cell: Emergence pc*, Xbox 360 (Indie Games) Release Date: Now

Now MSRP: $8.95 (PC), $5 (XBLIG) Official site * = platform reviewed

Cell: Emergence sets the stage by afflicting a young girl in a Spanish-speaking landfill with a mutating virus, and tasking the player with the nano-machine treatment that will defeat the local outbreak and stabilize her. The premise is reminiscent of Atlus' Trauma Center series, but rather than using a suite of lively anime tropes to save the patient, Cell: Emergence turns to a playable version of the Fantastic Voyage ship armed with a veritable medical Swiss army knife for salvation.

Players man the helm of this micro-biolaser to destroy contagious purple blocks spreading across cubic alveoli and cortical stems. The primary objective is, above all, do no harm; while cleansing beams can be used offensively, the game is primarily a matter of defending the translucent tissue from the virus attack. Initially, this means using the fluidly-controlled main weapon to strategically cut harmful cells off at choke points, or limiting their spread at infection sites.

Then the learning curve tilts upward, steeply. After a handful of protect-and-destroy missions, your laser gains the ability to build "buckyfiber" strands that transmit toxins and antibodies. Moving through space on all three axes, players strategically construct a network of these strands and monitor their success closely.

As levels progress, the player's toolbox ebbs and flows, requiring strategic construction in one phase, then swift destruction in another. One laser sprays a temporary cleansing foam, stemming the source of infection while ignoring the spread, and the next performs damage control.

And then, just as the arsenal is complete and the player gets to use their expertise on actual, challenging problems, the game ends. Full stop. Yet the game's short absolute length hides a healthy deployability, powered by a strong artificial intelligence core. Cell: Emergence doesn't feel the need to pad itself with repetitive content because the complex programming of the virus' AI is adaptive enough to create disparate play scenarios within the same space.

A second time through most of these levels reveals that new tactics are needed to solve identical puzzles, giving meaning to the options in the game over screen: "Iterate? Yes or No." For example, one iteration may be best tackled with the core laser, while another may find that method too precise and lacking the overall coverage of a well-planned system of antibody fibers. Player choice must be as adaptive as the enemy, and as quick. The frantic pace can overwhelm and refine.

That kind of altered stage rehashing is a pleasant reminder of an older era in game design, the days of coin-guzzling arcades and the birth of the "New Game+" option. It's refreshing to find its humble return here, and enjoyable for a time. In highlighting the nuance of well-built AI, Cell: Emergence proves itself a welcome trend in game design, despite its apparent brevity and lack of polish. The rough edges engender a meek charm, though the bony narrative comes across as a pseudo-scientific aside. It's a brilliant experiment in "cellular automata," even without the foundation of a powerful game engine or thorough play-testing (as indie games are wont to be). And returning to the inherent drama of the arcade shooter provide the game with a strong core; or, medically speaking, a strong heartbeat.

Verdict: Buy It