You have goals and missions to eat, and if you make them you grow up faster, allowing you to either take more damage or move faster and jump higher. Why do you need to worry about damage? Well, apparently the elves don't just make toys, they also make heave weapons and are intent on defending the North Pole from your subterranean incursion well, until you've massacred too many people. Then suddenly they're willing to negotiate.
The controls are all keyboard based and relatively simple. At each level up, you have to choose between two different buffs, which changes the game slightly. It may be fun to go back and try the game again with a different set of skills, though I doubt it will change things much. But it doesn't matter, since it's really just kind of a nasty, fun game.
There is a set end point, but you're allowed to continue playing (and growing) ad nauseam which is kind of fun, but also very pointless. But you're wasting time, so who cares?
Play it for free at www.kongregate.com.