Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice Of Darkness, Episode 1

Written by Tom Clare in PS3 Game Reviews, Thursday 26 March, 2009

Released: 2009
Developer: Hothead Games
Genre: RPG
Platform: PS3
Version: 1.00

As well as sporting what’s surely among the lengthiest monikers ever to have been slapped on a game, Penny Arcade Adventures, Episode 1 represents a much-needed, quality RPG for the PS Network in the midst of a particularly barren spell.

On The Rain-Slick Precipice Of Darkness is no Final Fantasy of course; as the name reveals, it’s based on the Internet comic-strip Penny Arcade and is the first segment in a series of episodic parts. While for obvious reasons it lacks some of the splendour, depth and grandiose of the aforementioned series, it gets a surprising number of the RPG-basics spot-on, an impressive feat given that it often mocks the genre it does such a good job of representing. It’s as rude as it is irreverent and won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s plenty to make fans of the low-brow smile and more importantly, while it lasts, Penny Arcade is a wholly solid and immersive gaming experience.

You take control of a player created to your liking (albeit with a very limited selection of designs) and begin the story with your house being stomped on by a giant robot. Teaming up with Tycho and Gabe from the comic-strip, you embark on a truly surreal adventure that sees you searching for a new house and saving the city of New Arcadia from Satanist mimes, rude garbage, hoards of tramps and a load of randy robots who’ve been abusing oranges. As I say, it’s a bit different.

There are only three areas to explore, though there’s still a lot to see and do and its worth examining everything as even if you don’t find some helpful item or concept art, you’ll at least be treated to a dour appraisal of oft-unremarkable objects, such as the many dead crabs that litter Pelican Bay or the benches on Hobo Alley that “shred the buttocks”.

And then there’s the battles, which are great. Nothing unusual, just very solid turn-based battles but with a couple of additions that improve things a fair bit – the first being the special attacks each character has, all prompting a slightly different mini-game to determine the rate of damage inflicted, as well as a block feature – a timely tap of R2 can limit damage and sometimes even lead to a counterattack; it adds a nice sprinkling of depth to the accessible brawling.

OTRSPOD1 is pretty ordinary in terms of its presentation with low-rent environments and unremarkable character-designs accompanied by music that ranges from relatively good to ear-shattering, though you do get the impression it’s an entirely intentional ploy to fit the games unique brand of lunacy.

Beneath the craziness, it’s really a very nicely-formed adventure with a fair number of tasks available to tackle, as well as some cool, dubiously-named mini-games including the darts effort ‘Flying Pricks’. And then there are the characters, crucial in the success of any role-player and they too help Penny Arcade. Whether it’s the urinologist on Hobo Alley looking for an artefact to wee on; a reformed Dark mime who wants his invisible props retrieving; or the odd support characters who can be called upon to assist in battles – Thomas Kemper, a lazy, though also exceptionally intelligent (despite his inability to speak) cat who routinely does no damage at all but on occasions can unleash a devastating attack, is one such example.

Issues of longevity and value may prove a turn-off for some. At £7.99, you may not be paying for a full RPG but, given that it can be finished in a couple of days, you’re certainly not getting one either. The cost of the episodes might start to burn more of a hole than each instalment is individually worth – especially as you can buy the likes of Final Fantasy XII for around the same price. Still, for entertainment value as well as the dozen eminently attainable trophies it presents to thorough players, it means that, in the absence of another more substantial, heavyweight role-playing game on the PS3, it will suffice as a fun and amusing diversion.

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