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Penumbra Overture: Episode One (PC)
By: Adam Waddilove Is Penumbra the most claustrophobic game I’ve ever played? Without a doubt, verdict inside! Story Like all good nightmares, Philip’s begins with something all too real – his mother’s death. The days following the funeral are characterized by nothing, save for an incessant feeling of abandonment. Until, that is, he receives a letter from a dead man. Philip’s father left before he was born, taking his reasons with him. Now, here he is, opening up the door from beyond the grave. That door leads to more questions, and those questions lead to Greenland. Philip follows the clues – they’re all he has left. On leaving the final signs of human civilization behind him, in search of the location mentioned in his father’s ambiguous notes, Philip wonders if he’s left some part of his humanity behind as well. Soon, that will be the least of his fears. Now, Philip needs your help. He’s found an inexplicable metal hatch, in the middle of a frozen wasteland. Inside, is something yet more unfathomable. Step into the unknown. Gameplay Penumbra: Overture is a first person adventure game which focuses on story, immersion and puzzles. Instead of using violence to progress the player has to use his/her wits to guide Philip on his quest to unravel the past. Played from a first person viewpoint, Penumbra is very different from other adventure games. Not only is it powered by a 3D engine utilising cutting edge technology, it also has an advanced physics system which allow for a never before seen environment interaction. The player can open drawers, pull levers, pick up objects and more using natural mouse movements creating a highly interactive and immersive game world. The weapon system differs from your average game; swinging a melee weapon is done using the mouse which increases the realistic feel of combat. Fighting enemies is not something best done with brute force though, in most situations fighting is a last resort and the player is often better of using his/her wits. The AI of the enemies will also do its best to hunt and scare the player. The creatures encountered can break down doors, use group co-ordination, interact with the physics and more.    Penumbra: Overture will keep players on the edge as they have to explore scary and immersive environments never knowing what is behind the next corner. The world is detailed, graphical as well as a story wise making the player feel part of the world as secrets are uncovered. Features: When I previewed the game last month, I only saw a brief glimpse of the first part of the game. Or that’s what I thought, it turned out that this demo was actually further on through the game then I had thought. After taking the flashlight like I had in the preview and going outside to a dark room, this review version had me going through a nasty blizzard. I then stumbled downwards into this darkened, locked away room. Getting out took some considerable thinking, what is most forgetful about Penumbra is that you have to drag objects towards you to get them to move. So I had to move a shelf away from the wall to get into a hole in the wall. It took me a while to realise that I had the strength to move this thing! What’s most important to remember about this is that this is only Episode One of a trilogy. So the final game should have some considerable amount of gameplay hours as a whole product. On their own they are a few between them, I personally completed the game in a day but that was with a few breaks in between while testing other games. What’s also important to remember is that parts of the preview I mentioned might make it across to Episode 2 and 3, It’s hard to tell if areas are revisited or not but there’s always a possibility. Like I mentioned in the preview, Penumbra made me feel very claustrophobic. I actually quit the game during parts where I thought I heard something or thought I was going to see something jump out at me. Usually nothing actually did jump out, it was merely my imagination but that’s what makes this game so great, it plays tricks with your mind….kind of like the Insanity Effects of Eternal Darkness but in your living room. To get that experience for only £15 is just excellent value and is well worthy of your purchase, the game is also impressive on a visual/audio outlook. The voice-acting although small is pretty well done and the graphics are pretty good also, obviously not nearly as great as say…Crysis, but still a worthy attempt from quite a small developer team. The Verdict The first Episode of Penumbra Overture leaves me with much promise and excitement as to the next instalment. The game made my mind play tricks on itself and giving me the scares at the same time, and believe me..I do not scare easily. I have played many survival/psychological thrillers like Resident Evil and FEAR but this one has hit a new nerve with me, one I thought was not possible..all I can say is that they did a great job and hope Episode Two delivers a similar experience. 
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