reviews
Name: Penny Arcade Adventures Episode One: On the Rainslick Precipice of Darkness
Genre: RPG
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox Live Arcade (Reviewed on Mac)
Four gods wait on the windowsill
Where once eight gods did war and will
And if the gods themselves may die
What does that say for you and I?
These words kick off On the Rainslick Precipice of Darkness, the first installment in the episodic Penny Arcade Adventures, which finally brings webcomic legends Johnathan “Gabe” Gabriel and Tycho Erasmus Brahe to full interactive life. For over ten years, Gabe and Tycho have brought joy, laughter, and a vocabulary that would have Dennis Miller reaching for his thesaurus (hey cha-cha!) to their thrice-weekly comics. Now they bring that same brand of humor to PC, Mac, Linux and the Xbox Live Arcade in an RPG adventure that is simply a great time from start to finish.
The game is set in 1922 in the fictional town of New Arcadia, a world combining elements of steampunk, H.P. Lovecraft, and America in the Roaring 20s. This alternate but familiar universe gives writers Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins (Gabe and Tycho’s real-life counterparts) plenty of room to stretch their comic legs and spin a surprisingly captivating story. The first thing you do in OtRSPoD is create your character. Although there aren’t a ton of customization options (face shape, body shape, and some clothing options) you can certainly get close to a Penny Arcade-looking version of you. You then become the star of an opening two-dimensional cinematic, in which your home is destroyed by a giant robot. You then spend the game going to one of the four levels where you gather clues, friends and items to help you learn the truth behind the robot’s origin, its intent, and even the truths of the gods themselves. Throughout the levels you’ll come across trashcans, crates, and other containers filled with power-ups. These include healing items, potions to increase battle stats and others that will decrease those of your enemies. I found myself going after as many of these as possible, as their contents proved to be invaluable during combat.
Without giving any more plot points away, I will say that for fans of the Penny Arcade comics, OtRSPoD has a great storyline. The jokes come early and often, ranging from Gabe’s obvious puns to Tycho’s erudite analogies. As you progress through New Arcadia, you’ll encounter characters, both helpful and not, from the Penny Arcade universe. Tycho’s niece Anne Claire, Thomas Kemper and those cuddlesome Fruit Fuckers all make an appearance, as do a veritable parade of hobos, clowns, mimes, and men with strange fascinations. The addition of familiar characters from the comics help flesh out your own character, and the inclusion of new faces help to make New Arcadia a more complete (if somewhat surreal) world.
Combat is standard turn-based RPG style, with battles beginning with all characters rolling a D20 for initiative. Each character in your party has three different meters (items, attacks, and special attacks) that will fill during battle. You click your selected meter, and then the character you want to attack (or heal). The battle ends when all characters in one party have been killed. Players are also given the option to flee any battle. Experience is earned by your party based on the level of the mob you were fighting. All party weapons can be upgraded by collecting both experience and hidden items.
One of the best things that OtRSPoD has going for it is its sound. And when I say sound, I’m not only referring to the sound effects of New Arcadia (which are great), I’m also talking about the game’s score. Composer Jeff Tymoschuk’s (who has previously worked on James Bond: Everything or Nothing and The Simpsons Hit and Run) music helps to enhance the atmosphere of the game, with each level having its own theme music. Sure, lots of people may talk about MC Frontalot’s end credits song, but for me the best song in the game is the instrumental “The Beginning of the End”.
Bear in mind, not all is rosy with OtRSPoD. As I mentioned before, there are only four levels, so in the course of your game you will find yourself visiting, re-visiting, and re-re-visiting the same places. I also found that there was a bit of a curve to combat: either I readily handled every enemy I faced, or I got trounced very quickly. My only other complaint, and its kind of a big one is with the price. Sure, $20 for a game doesn’t sound bad, but when you stop and think that it was meant to be episodic (four or five total episodes would be my guess) it can really add up. I mean, you get 8-10 hours of gameplay, multiplied by 5 games, and you’re paying $100 for less than 100 hours of total gaming.
All that being said, I can heartily recommend OtRSPoD to any fan of the Penny Arcade comics, and even those who may just consider themselves fans of the RPG genre who are looking for a humorous change of pace. And the end of the game gives a teaser trailer of Episode 2, and I can say that after my experience with Ep. 1, I’ll definitely be back for more.
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Comments
The Mac and PC versions (and I think the Linux) are point and click. The XBLA port uses directional controls.
As far as I know, that's the only difference.
I decided I wanted it, but I', not sure if I should DL it on Xbox Live or run it on my Mac. Any difference in the way they play on either platform?
Being a huge Penny Arcade fan myself, this was a definite purchase. After completing it, I still think it was money well spent. The combat was a little shaky at first, but the writing was great (as expected). Everything oozed Penny Arcade.
The humor in this game is what made it for me. Such a fun game to kill some time a few nights a week.
I've been on the fence whether or not to download this off the Xbox Live Marketplace. Maybe I'll just bite the bullet and give it the old college try....