Penumbra Overture (Review)

Hello y'all!!

Well I know I said I would take a beak form these videos for a while but a mate suggested I played the Penumbra series and after a short while I knew I wanted to do a review on it. Then I heard that Frictional Games was about to release their new title Amnesia: The Dark Descent, like next month or something, so I quickly pumped this out.

Penumbra is a strange mix of genres and while the game resembles a survival horror it is much more in tune with older first person adventure games than games like Clock Tower or Dead Space. The game plays exactly like Zork Nemesis. You basically walk around in first person, exploring and solving puzzles, mainly item and object puzzles, though there is a few code puzzles. The big difference though from Zork or Myst or w/e is that as you walk you are simply terrified. I mean this game is really scary. There is little, and depending on your play style zero combat, so this defiantly isn't an action game But a big part of the game is focused on exploration of the spooky environment. So unlike traditional first person adventures the simple act of walking about is part of the gameplay design. Meaning that the puzzles, though a big part of it, are not as dense or complex as some tradition adventures due to the game needing to keep a strict eye on pacing. You see to keep us scared the game needs to constantly give us new areas to explore, it is the unknown that keeps us on the edge of our seat. So the pacing and puzzle density is also a bit different to what you may be used to. While this feels different to a classic adventure, it is a very unique game and if you are interested in a adventure style type game, but with a very well done survival horror twist, topped with a really unique and extremely good interface design then I would strongly suggest checking this one out.

Well that is it! I tried something new with this one... normally when i do a vid I just babble into the mic and then cut video to it, but this time I wrote it out first. I think it is a mixed success. While i seamed to get a lot more information into it, witch was the goal, I think it lost some of the "casual feeling" that the ad-libbing had. Also as it was a contained written "article" so I found editing it to fit the time was extremely hard, as removing any one bit would make the preceding or following section not make sense. So I ended up having to speak a little fast and my words kinda run together. So while this is pretty dense in information it is a bit formal and just lacks a bit of personality. I think this could be just practice... so we will see if I get better at this way of doing things

Happy Adventuring
---A4L.

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• Penumbra
• Overture
• Black
• Plague
• Requiem
• review
• reviews
• adventure
• game
• games
• classic
• retro
• adventur4life
• adventurer4life
• afl
• frictional

[ofpveteran73]

you forgot about the original system shock game that came out before alone in the dark

[AdventureReviews]

@ofpveteran73 System Shock is getting covered in detail in my coming Deus Ex review.. and imo it is a very different thing to what I am talking about here, when my new review is up you wil lsee what I mean, also Alone in the Dark is 1992, System Shock is 1994.

[ElegyForTheMasses]

I tried to play this game with my virtual surround headphones in the dark, but when I got to the part where it sounded like something was trying to break through the grate on the floor, I was like "I'm done! Peace"

[ItzMarshaAndEdna]

dude... this might be the most in depth, discriptive, and perfessional review i have ever seen... i mean it. this might be better than things like ign or game spot. good job bro.

[aDerpyTurtle]

Hey i know this is dumb, but if anybody reads this, please check out my channel for a playthrough of Penumbra. I also do minecraft, terraria, and I will do all of the Peumbra games! I upload atleast two- three videos a day. SO please, check out my channel and leave a like and help me get started! Thank you if you read this.

[TheGamingQuantum]

hey guys check out my channel for my let's play of penumbra!

[newsupidmariobros]

i agree wit this guy 100% percent

[johnrock882]

I love your voice dude, its perfect for reviewing.

[Kajiuro]

Incredible review man, seriously. I was on the fence about this game but after watching this in depth review I definitely want to try it out.

[MegaTimebomb098]

@khbikhib then why do you record yourself doing a more exciting review of this game.

[khbikhib]

you make me wanna sleep -.. dude you are boring , go dies somewhere else

[LeftAstray]

5:33 is that jack daniels on the table?

[KappaMummy]

I would watch this review,

but it's 2AM and the piano is too damn scary.

[GodzGamerz]

I have this game. I am too scared to beat it.