Back in June of last year, we reported about the development of an intriguingly complex indie game based on cellular automata called Cell: emergence. The voxel-based action title, developed by New Life Interactive and featuring a story written by Deus Ex writer Sheldon Pacotti, has been given a release date of February 9th.

Cell: emergence will be available on Xbox Live Indie Games for 400 Microsoft Points ($5), and will also be available for PC as an enhanced "Cell HD" version for $8.95. The XBLIG version of the game serves up a world comprised of nearly half a million individual cells, while the cell-count of the PC version is nearly double that. PC players can also expect higher-fidelity sound, and "more frenetic gameplay" that's been designed specifically for mouse, touchpad, and trackball control set-ups.

Upon its release, PC gamers will be able to pick up Cell: emergence from digital outlets like GamersGate, GameStop PC Downloads, Green Man Gaming, Playism, and Desura. A free demo of the game will be available for PC on February 7.

The developer describes Cell: emergence as "inspired by 'hard' '80s arcade games like Defender, Centipede, and Missile Command," and will serve up "17 punishing levels that require players to decipher a level's 'cellular automata' simulation and then battle living processes with speed and dexterity." The game's Pacotti-penned storyline centers around "a near-future fictional world where war is fought in code and chemistry and the inner workings of Nature."

To get a better idea of what Cell: emergence has to offer, check out the developer diary below, narrated by Pacotti, himself. The audio quality isn't the greatest, but it's certainly worth listening to if you're curious to learn more about the Cell's structure and some of its gameplay mechanisms.