Video Game: On The Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One

As a long time fan of Penny Arcade, I couldn't help but snatch up their first video game just days after release. Of course, being the cautious buyer that I am, I tried the demo first.

And really, that demo told me everything I needed to know about the game. Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One is, as the title should suggest upon close inspection - or any inspection really - something of a literary work. With mini-games. If you're buying this game because you expected huge advances in gameplay and a visceral experience like none before it, then prepare to be disappointed. Not because the gameplay is bad. It's just not groundbreaking. The story, on the other hand, rocks.

But because this is a game, I should probably talk a little more about the gamy parts of it. The vast majority of the game works like the point-and-click adventure games from days of yore. Except 95% of the things you click on do nothing more than pop up a clever little description box. Which is fine by me, because at least half of those were genuinely funny. They seem to be stretching it a little by the time you get to the third and final area of the game, the boardwalk, but no one can be funny all the time. So I'll let it slide.

The combat in the game is simple. Easy to understand. Easy to get in to. Yet difficult to master. Well, aspects of it are anyways. Aside from your basic attack, each character has a special attack which requires you to do something special, usually involving the spacebar. These were beginning to wear thin (both my patience and my spacebar) by the end of the game. However, the rest of the combat (like final fantasy with built in mini-games) was enjoyable throughout. Partially because it was never really challenging. You couldn't nap through it, but I never felt like I was in mortal peril. Of course this isn't really a complaint because, like I said before, I wasn't playing for the gameplay.

What hooked me was the story. I'm not going to give you a play-by-play here, that's what the demo and, you know, the game are for. But I will tell you that it's Lovecraft, with clowns, mimes, hobos and humour. The epic introductory tutorial voice-over was brilliant, and everything after that equally so. Bear in mind, that this is not for everyone. If you're interest is piqued though, read some Penny Arcade and play the demo. By then if you don't know if the game is for you or not then you've got bigger problems than playing games.

It's also probably worth mentioning that I played this on a MacBook Pro, and although the trackpad was less convenient than a mouse, it was only really noticable during the 'Flying Pricks' fair game. And even then, it was no major inconvenience.

Final Verdict? 3/3. It's definitely worth playing if you're a fan of Penny Arcade with an appreciation for Lovecraft. Which actually sounds like a pretty specific demographic now that I write it. But it's a demographic that I'm in, and since I'm reviewing from within that demographic... 3/3.