{tag [Review]} {tag [PC]} {tag [X360]}

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?

Thus begins your voyage in Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness.

Graphics: 85%
Hothead Games really manages to bring all of Penny Arcade’s unique style to this game.  Although the 3D interpretation is not a perfect translation, it is as close as other hand-drawn conversions.  Hothead has done at least as well bringing this property to life as EA Redwood Shores, Rebellion, and Amaze Entertaiment combined did with The Simpsons Game.  I would even argue that it’s better.  This being said, there is still something lost when transforming the 2D Penny Arcade world into 3D New Arcadia.

Since Precipice of Darkness is based on characters who exist only in a comic strip, the game’s look reflects that.  Players move between panels of a strip, all dialogue takes place in bubbles, and narration in those familiar yellow boxes.  The dialogue occurs in minimally animated sequences, drawn in Mike Krahulik’s signature style.  The animation in these sequences rings of Broken Saints, which is no surprise, since the boys (well, at least Jerry) are fans of the series.

The included avatar creation system is well implemented here.  Even though the options are very limited, I was able to create something that looked much like me in comic form.

Overall, the world of 1922’s New Arcadia is beautiful, and quite alive.  All of it is so faithfully drawn and rendered, any fan of the series would be proud to own this game.

Sound: 85%
Let me tell you right from the start: Gabe and Tycho do not talk.  Those of you hoping to hear the semi-autobiographical avatars speak, will be greatly disappointed.  The boys never utter a single word, but stick to their traditional method of communication via speech bubbles.  While I was disappointed by this, eventually I resolved myself to the fact that this was more in keeping with Penny Arcade.  I know it is based on a comic strip, yet I still wish there more speech throughout the game, if not from Gabe and Tycho, then from the numerous NPCs.

The only speech heard in the game is that of an unseen, yet omnipresent narrator, whose voice is a perfect fit for this game.  Booming, yet raspy, the voice sent chills up my spine whenever he would bestow his wisdom upon me.

Additionally, the game’s soundtrack is near-perfect, and furthers the style that the graphics and storyline have created.  Essentially, it does what music in a game should do: it compliments, but does not inhibit or overwhelm.  I've never been a fan of nerdcore in the past, I find myself days later still humming the MC Frontalot song, “Final Boss”, which plays over the closing credits.

Gameplay: 75%
Let me preface the following section with this: I hate turned-based videogames.  The entire idea bores me, and although I did play D&D when I was younger, I generally avoid the genre like the plague.  And even though I have never been very good at twitch-based battles, I still gravitate toward those games because I find them more exciting and immersive than waiting my turn.  Even still, I found Precipice’s battle system to contain plenty of action.

While turn-based, the system still has a blocking and counterattack system which is entirely based on timing.  It takes some time to learn the perfect timing to counter each attack, so much so that I had to repeat several battles, including the final boss battle.  This last fight was repeated at least four times before I emerged victorious.

Which brings up another good point – the save and continue systems are well done.  The save game allows you to recall your exact state, including position, possessions and states, at any idle time.  The continue feature seems to allow unlimited attempts, something of which, as I said earlier, I definitely took advantage.

Jerry Holkins' humor and mastery of the English language is certainly evident throughout the game.  I really enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek social commentary, and was surprised that the dynamic of Gabe and Tycho, which has been well-established in the comic, was maintained in the game, even in this wildly disparate setting.

One feature of Penny Arcade Adventures really made me smile: the mini-games.  They hearken to a time when adventure games were plentiful, and Lucasfilm Games (now LucasArts) ruled the industry.  These carnival activities transported me back to the early 90s when I first played the "Whack-A-Mole!" mini-game in Sam and Max: Hit the Road.

I did have a few problems with the gameplay.  First, Gabe seemed to get stuck from time to time on environmental objects and fall behind.  When I finally did locate him, he was still running full speed into a park bench or other such item.  While this never interfered with play, as Gabe would appear at the commencement of any battle, it did momentarily destroy the immersion.

Second, positioning your avatar to interact with an object can, at times, be infuriating.  While I understand why too far away would be an issue, how can I be too close to interact with an object?  Also aggravating were objects placed too close to panel boundaries.  Trying to inspect these buggers could prove impossible as the only option when standing near them was to “Change Panels”, thus moving you to the next area.

Cut Scenes: 90%
The cut scenes, much like the dialogue, are minimally animated sequences which all take place within the confines of a comic strip panel.  Although not filled with the traditional aspects of a cut scene, I felt they were again in keeping with the feel of Penny Arcade as a property, as well as the style of New Arcadia.

Controls/Interface: 80%
The controls are simple and straight forward.  While exploring New Arcadia, press A to interact with objects or people.  When in battle: A to use items, X to attack, and Y to utilize a special attack.  It took a little time to learn the system, but after some practice, I was fairly proficient, launching my attacks one after another.  One difficulty I had with the system though was quickly navigating special items after pressing A during a battle.  But this may have had more to do with my inability to navigate with a thumbstick efficiently, than an inherit problem with the control scheme.

Summary: 81%
Simply put, Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness is a really good game.  I was very impressed with it as a whole, and the few issues I had, can be overlooked or worked around.  Fans of Penny Arcade should definitely pick this title up, even with the somewhat hefty price tag (1600 MS Points of $19.99 for the PC version) for this rather short game.  (Slow as I am, I finished in about 10 hours.) Those unfamiliar with their work may enjoy this title as well.

Don’t like Penny Arcade?  First, what’s wrong with you?  Second, better leave this title for those who can’t get enough Gabe and Tycho.

This review is based on the Xbox 360 version of the game.   Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness  is also available for Windows, Linux and Mac at Greenhouse.