Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness

By Dene Benham

For the last ten years, webcomic Penny Arcade has been following Gabe and Tycho as they embark on the impossible task of balancing life, work and marriage with completing all the stronghold missions of Baldur’s Gate (or Tribes or the latest Harry Potter game). Now with Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode 1 you can join the two obsessive gamers as they take on killer clowns, zombies and fruit loving robots in a turn based attempt to get you a new house.

As the name suggests, Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness will be released an episode at a time. The first will be available for download later this year for PC and Mac as well as on Xbox Live. It is promised to run about six hours, which will be about the same for each subsequent installment, and with the second episode already in development there will be plenty more to come.

The game itself is an active turn-based RPG. You start by creating your own character: male or female, fine or frumpy, and with a full list of stats and attributes. The story proper begins with you mowing your lawn. Then, for reasons to become apparent later, a giant robot destroys your house. You see two enigmatic and rather large haired characters fleeing the scene and, of course, you give chase. So begins the adventure.

The two guys fleeing are the cartoon alter egos of creators Mike “Gabe” Krahulik and Jerry “Tycho” Holkins. Not only do Krahulik and Holkins produce their comix, they write in depth and insightful blogs on all things gaming, as well as running the ever expanding Washington based Penny Arcade Expo. In Precipice of Darkness Gabe and Tycho swap Pac-man T’s and twenty-sided D&D die for 1920s style breeches, suspicious looking mutton chops and tommy guns, to fight the good fight for the Startling Developments Detective Agency. But, luckily for us, their spot-on wit and acerbic commentary on life and gaming (is there a difference?) will remain.

Once you join the team, basic gameplay becomes a slick, cell shaded, comedic quest for clues, weapons and a new home. Battles will be turn based with each character blocking enemies while waiting for their attack and special meters to fill. Your attacks will be totally customisable, while maddening egotist Tycho Brahe will concentrate on weapons and whimsical brawler Jonathan Gabriel will appropriately lean towards melee strikes. Defending long enough will eventually fill up your special meter allowing you to do massive damage as well as team attacks.

The Penny Arcade comics always hit the mark. They mix an incredible knowledge and love for games with a willingness to look into the heart of gamers and the gaming industry. The comic contains plenty of adult orientated humour and insight and although Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode 1 may not be so self revealing, or soul defining, it will be funny and full of all the things that obsessive gamers love – whatever that (animal, vegetable or mechanical) may be.

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