Play This Now: Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode One

So, the people behind an internet comic strip about video games decided they could step up and play with the people they've been making fun of for years, surely that should end in tears. You know what? Their game's pretty damn good. Developed by Hothead, a fairly new studio founded by ex-LucasArts members, most notably Ron Gilbert, one of the designers behind the Monkey Island series and Maniac Mansion, and with art and writing by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik (Or Tycho and Gabe, if you like), it retains the feel of the comic strip (Extreme verbosity combined with crude vulgarity and sometimes, often hopefully, graphic violence) while existing in its own universe. The game is set in the city of New Arcadia, circa 1922, and finds Gabe and Tycho as paranormal investigators, founders of the Startling Developments Detective Agency. After a series of events you become the newest recruit to the agency, and before you can say "deep crow" you're off fighting robots and hobos. The story and game world are essentially a huge spoof of Lovecraft mythos, as if it was brought to you by the makers of Airplane! and The Naked Gun, so it does strike this balance between the idea that you are fighting a cult of mimes, which is silly, but they are trying to bring about the end of the world. The presentation and sound design are impressive, with big sweeping scores for some of the larger battles and comic book style cut-scenes in which your custom created character fits perfectly into. Combat is done in a JRPG turn-based style, but also, like Vagrant Story or the Mario & Luigi games, have some elements that require you to time button presses for maximum effect, like blocking and special attacks. It's something I did not get bored of, mostly because the story and atmosphere and funny and silly enough to keep me playing, unlike other RPGs it does not take itself way too seriously. It took me a little over six hours to get through, which is pretty good for $20 of episodic gaming, and I'm really looking forward to the next installment. At the very least, try the demo, on the site linked below.

Link, Greenhouse.