Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode One
Be the first to submit a cheat for Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness -- Episode Three.
Penny Arcade's just announced the first details of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3, third in a series many had given up on after the long silence that followed Episode 2. Which is to say that when the game's revealed to the public this weekend at PAX East, Penny Arcade Adventures will kind of succeed where both Half-Life Episodes and Shenmue have so far failed.
Bound for PC, Mac, Android, iOS and the Xbox Live Indie Games channel in the coming months, Precipice 3 continues the saga begun in 2008's initial installments. With previous developer Hothead Games having moved onto its own IPs, last year saw the series revived after a deal was hatched on the comic's own forums for Cthulhu Saves the World dev Zeboyd Gams to continue Penny Arcade's extra-canonical adventures.
PAX East attendees will be able to get a look at Zeboyd's 16-bit-inspired take on the series at the show this weekend, with a panel discussion between the game and comic's staff on Friday evening. Non-attendees can keep up with the game's progress at its newly-launched website.
In 2008, PA creators Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins took the leap from culture commentators to creators, collaborating on Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness. A downloadable title, it featured the turn based-combat of an old school RPG and the whimsical, text-based narrative of an adventure game. Meant to be an episodic adventure, a sequel soon followed, but then the precipice grew darker. Would there be a third outing for the Startling Developments Detective Agency? The fans wanted it, and were further enticed when PA scribe Hulkins began posting the script to the unproduced third adventure. In the forums, Zeboyd Games was suggested as a possible developer for the third game. Possibility quickly became reality, and now Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 is set for a July 10 release on Xbox 360 and Steam, with a Mac, iOS and Android release swiftly to follow.
This third outing is rendered in 16-bit glory, a style Zeboyd is known for. It looks like, and plays like, a Final Fantasy game from the Super Nintendo era. However, those games were not blessed to have Holkins as a writer. His signature wordy wit can be found in everything from the dialogue to character descriptions. Taking the game for a test drive, we fought foes ranging from lewd robots, with names too rude to print here, a Mime-o-pus, the insidious spawn of mime and octopus, gender-neutral Cavepersons, plus multiple forms of vicious hobo. Box Dwellers were shaggy-bearded fiends, whose cardboard encasement provided extra defense, and the description for Rail Riders proclaimed them to be “proud poli-sci majors.”
It’s not all just styling, there was meaty turn-based combat as well. As the levels progressed the challenge increased, and strategic deployment of character abilities became an absolute necessity. Gabe, the brawler class, got a heavy damage bonus when using the aptly named First Blood as a lead-off. He also had a move that ignored an enemy’s defense, perfect for sundering a Box Dweller’s brown armor. The tried and true mantra became end a battle as quickly as possible. Enemies tended to dig in and grow stronger by buffing each other. If you fail to take out a mage-enemy before he can buff his zombie allies, your team is in for a world of hurt.
What team, you say? You’ll be bringing more than just the two PA boys to battle. Early in the game Anne Claire, Tycho’s “uber-niece,” forced her way into our party in typical tagalong fashion. We also teamed up with Jim, a skull-in-a-jar curiosity with necromantic powers, and Moira, a red haired gumshoe who shares a sordid history with Tycho. Best of all, your party all walks along in a neat little line, à la any classic RPG.
Our time with the latest PA adventure gave us a lot to look forward to. A heady mixture of nostalgia and cutting-edge humor, a mere $5 price tag seems downright charitable. This is a downloadable we can’t wait to download. July 10 is the release date for PC and Xbox only. The game will initially deploy on Steam and XBLA, with a Mac, iOS and Android release to follow at a yet-to-be-announced date. Also, Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness will be a SteamPlay title, meaning one purchase entitles you to both a PC and Mac copy. And to that fan in the forums who suggested Zeboyd Games, we salute you, sir/madam!
Trophies
Complete each condition to get the allotted Trophies. There are 7 Bronze Trophies, 4 Silver Trophies, and 1 Gold Trophy.
| Unlockable | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| A Winner Is You (Silver) | Successfully complete the first episode. |
| All Together Now (Bronze) | Do a Team-Up attack involving all three party members. |
| Clean Sweep (Silver) | Kill all enemies in Episode 1. |
| Fight 'Em With Items (Bronze) | Use every combat item at least once in the game. |
| Immortal (Gold) | Play and win the game without allowing a character to die during combat. |
| Level Awesome (Bronze) | Get all party members to Level 15. |
| Nine Lives (Bronze) | Kill an enemy using the feline support character Thomas Kemper. |
| Pacifist (Bronze) | Win one battle using only counterattacks. |
| Pack Rat (Bronze) | Find and collect all of the hidden collectibles scattered around the game. |
| Silent, But Deadly (Silver) | Beat the final Boss without healing. |
| Steel Devils (Silver) | Find and destroy all the robots in the game. |
| Stray Cat (Bronze) | Earn a support character. |
No comments:
Post a Comment