PS3 owners rejoice; Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 1 has finally made its way to PSN! While the game is in no way revolutionary in design or technical merit, the infusion of PA-branded humor makes this Adventure/RPG worthy of a play through.
Contrary to what I expected, you don't play the game as Tycho or Gabe. Instead you create your own character and partake in an adventure alongside T and G as they try to twart an army of fruit molesting robots. Character creation is incredibly simple but it's more than adequate for an episodic title. What's cool is that the character you create is later “drawn” into the storyboards as if you're actually part of a PA comic. This is further emphasized by NPC interaction, in which you select what you say through comic-style talk bubbles.
Cel-Shaded 3D graphics make the transition from the comic's art style a real treat. In fact, much of the game's story is delivered through comic storyboards, which then come to life when bringing you back into the action. It's a small detail, but one that adds substantially to the experience (especially since your character is also drawn into the storyboards). Don't get me wrong, the graphics aren't comparable to heavy-weights like Gears of War or Uncharted, but given the context of the material they are a perfect match.
Being that this is an RPG, the gameplay is broken up into two main categories -- exploration and combat. The combat is relatively straight-forward, with buttons assigned to use item, attack, and special attack. It's time-based, so naturally the stronger the attack (e.g. special attacks) take the longer to charge up. You can also block an incoming attack by pushing the block button (default is R2) at the correct time (identified by your enemy who conveniently flashes during its attack animation). While it may seem oversimplified, the ability to pick-up and play far outweighs any lack of depth in the combat department.
The only major drawback to OTRSPOD is that its exploration and item collection doesn't reach its full potential. It's a pretty linear experience (no backtracking or freeroaming) with no opportunity to take advantage of your leveled up character after you've leveled up some. Because of this, I feel there is a wealth of PA-goodness that goes completely untapped (particularly in the form of collected items and power-ups). Yes, the game has plenty of PA references, but it would've been nice to further explore the game world for tidbits of PA related info or even more fanservice.
On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Ep.1 can be summed up by the saying, ‘simple, but effective.' Rather than bite off more than they could chew, Hothead and PA made the decision to focus on what makes PA (the comic) so popular – its humor. I happen to believe this was the correct direction for a game like this to take. It is not only entertaining enough to keep fans playing, but also self-contained enough that new comers won't be overwhelmed or lost in translation. The use of comic exposition and easy to use gameplay are surprisingly inviting when you consider that this is a turn-based RPG. If you aren't already swamped by the holiday rush (Resistance 2, Mirror's Edge, Gears 2, LBP, Left4Dead, Fallout 3, etc, etc.), Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Ep.1 is definitely worth looking into.
