Vital Stats

Genre: RPG
Players: 1
Online: None

Developer: Hothead Games
Publisher: Hothead Games
ESRB Rating: M
Release Date: 5/21/08

Platforms

• Linux
• Mac
• PC
• XBLA

Episodic Gaming hasn’t really ever seen a breakout hit before and it’ll have to wait a bit longer. While Penny Arcade Adventures offers a pleasantly active take on the Role Playing genre, its presentation and sense of humor will be most enjoyed by those who are already fans of the comic.

Link-o-Rama-Vision
It’s hard to think of a bigger gaming cultural icon than Penny Arcade without resorting to the games and developers themselves. Ten years of comic satire and parody have built a nationwide charitable organization, an annual convention, and now a video game.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness (henceforth RSPoD because, well, jeez) is the first in a series of episodic RPGs. Set in a steampunk version of the 20′s, a custom-built avatar (you) sets out for revenge against the titanic fruit fucker who squashed your house. Along the way, you’ll encounter period-appropriate versions of Tycho and Gabe, and battle evil with tommy guns and fisticuffs, and whatever comes to hand, really.

The Tube is Civilization
The game’s combat plays like a strange hybrid between Mario & Luigi and the Final Fantasy active time battle system. Each player has a distinct initiative accumulator that fills over time. Since your item use, basic attacks, and special attacks all have separate and serially filled initiative. This means that, depending on which character does what, you’ll be tracking up to nine (three accumulators across three characters) initiatives in real time. It takes a bit of getting used to, but keeps the combat pace frenetic–something uncommon among RPGs.

But wait, there’s more! The Mario & Luigi comes in with timed action commands. Whenever enemies rush in to attack, you can hit an action button to mitigate some damage. Since this is essential to your survival, you’ll have to be on the lookout for impending attacks while you’re tracking all that initiative. Throw in initiative for a few support characters and timed minigames that determine the effectiveness of special attacks, and the game can be a bit overwhelming at times. However, if you can power past that initial learning curve, RSPoD offers some of the most compelling and immersive RPG combat in years.

Character advancement happens via a standard level structure, though don’t expect much in the way of customization. Weapons have a small selection of upgrades, and that’s about it. Winning in RSPoD is much more about making the best of what you have than it is about being loaded for bear.

Not Exactly an Adventure Game
Outside combat, exploration of the game’s four areas takes place via point and click. There’s actually not a huge amount to do outside combat; the game has been so thoroughly streamlined that you mostly just walk, talk, and examine objects.

This ends up being fine, though, since most of the game is designed to deliver humor. Without giving any of it away, it’s fair to say that 75% of the objects in RSPoD have one or more jokes secreted away in them. The fact that you don’t have to find a lion key and then solve a series of increasingly devious puzzles to get the funny isn’t really a mark against the game.

Some of the game’s jokes are hit-or-miss. In fact, RSPoD turns the volume down on the Penny Arcade franchise, and players hoping for cardboard tubes and radioactive scorpions will come away disappointed. That said, RSPoD isn’t the love letter to Penny Arcade fans that Smash Bros is to Nintendo fans. It’s only subtly self-referential (when it is at all), and it doesn’t just farm old content for warm fuzzies. Penny Arcade fans can expect eight hours of stuff they haven’t seen before, even if it doesn’t directly link to the comic.

That’s not to say that it doesn’t feel like Penny Arcade. The game captures the deft writing style–precariously balancing excessive verbosity against comedic punch–and the art is spot on. Fans of the series will like what they get, but neophytes will be taking something of a gamble.

Sweet Flare!
The plot uses the same old end-of-the-world MacGuffin that drives so many RPGs, albeit a rather funnier version (mimes and hoboes may be involved). It’s mostly delivered through conversation trees with NPCs, though the game’s cinematics are presented as a charmingly animated comic book that jumps from panel to panel as events unfold.

The story primarily serves to point your tommy gun in the right direction. While it may not be a literary masterpiece, the plot keeps your goals well-defined and provides an easily accessed reminder if you have to pick the game up after a long absence.

The game’s graphics are mostly smooth. There occasionally minor tearing artifacts, but it otherwise clips along at an even framerate with no glitches. There are some interface problems relating to the camera, however. The game has some difficulty handling occlusion (that is, it’s tricky to talk to Gabe when Tycho is standing in front of him), and having no ability to control the camera can become annoying.

The music is a charming combination of doomsday orchestra with occasional period-appropriate tracks that help set the scene. There’s not an overabundance–many sections of the game aren’t scored at all–but what’s there enhances the mood and never takes away from the immersion.

In Sum
Penny Arcade Adventures: RSPoD is a strange mix of casual and hardcore play. The combat is demanding enough that it may well intimidate inexperienced players, but everything else is so streamlined that it may not feel deep to hardcore players. Nevertheless, the package of humor-driven simple gameplay is compelling enough to warrant a playthrough.

What It Costs: $20

What It’s Worth:

• To The Hardcore: $20 (buy)
• To The Genre Fan: $20 (buy)
• To The Casual: $0 (play the demo)