Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode One

 PC
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 97 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 73 out of 97
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 97
  3. Negative: 6 out of 97

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. JoeT.
    May 24, 2008
    6
    I was hoping for a humorous and innovative take on the RPG & point-and-click conventions. Unfortunately, after the novelty of bygone era cartoon-inspired visuals wares off, it's a pretty run-of-the-mill game and nothing special. Despite its fairly inexpensive cost, I feel slightly cheated in the fact there are many more creative and enjoyable games available for free. (Regardless, I I was hoping for a humorous and innovative take on the RPG & point-and-click conventions. Unfortunately, after the novelty of bygone era cartoon-inspired visuals wares off, it's a pretty run-of-the-mill game and nothing special. Despite its fairly inexpensive cost, I feel slightly cheated in the fact there are many more creative and enjoyable games available for free. (Regardless, I recommend trying the free demo available before forking over any cash.) You might get something out of it if you're familiar with the online comic (which I am not), but otherwise... yawn....… Expand
  2. JonesR
    Aug 19, 2011
    5
    It's like an interactive RPG comic book. The strong point is in the story which is on the wild and crazy side containing lots of fun and originality, but there is a little too much reading for my taste creating lots of dull moments. It's certainly something worth experiencing for the $1 sale price, but it's not something that is going to impress. Good time filler if you are looking forIt's like an interactive RPG comic book. The strong point is in the story which is on the wild and crazy side containing lots of fun and originality, but there is a little too much reading for my taste creating lots of dull moments. It's certainly something worth experiencing for the $1 sale price, but it's not something that is going to impress. Good time filler if you are looking for something different to play in between your regular games.… Expand
  3. mehmeh
    Sep 14, 2008
    7
    For the cheap price tag, Penny arcade delivers a funny and refreshing RPG. I use the term RPG loosely as there isn't that much depth to character creation, but the game is simply fun.
  4. vahn
    Dec 25, 2012
    7
    I was curious about this game and I didn't expect to be anything special, considering the moltitude of Rpgs made by other small companies and such. However, I wasn't expecting to get a pretty funny game and...well, funny, but nothing else really, mostly because it had a lot of potential, but in the end has a lot of limits and tends to become rather repetitive (but not boring, which is aI was curious about this game and I didn't expect to be anything special, considering the moltitude of Rpgs made by other small companies and such. However, I wasn't expecting to get a pretty funny game and...well, funny, but nothing else really, mostly because it had a lot of potential, but in the end has a lot of limits and tends to become rather repetitive (but not boring, which is a plus). First of all, I did like the comic book graphics and the fact that it's both bizarre and grotesque (overkills literally destroys enemies in a rain of blood) and I liked the simple leveling system and the turn based combat, which always works and it's rather simple to play with. I also liked the fact that your created character (which can be saved for the next episode) isn't just an addition to the story but a real true character that fits in and actually DOES something (it even talks and has its own personality, just to say!). But with all this I just found this game far from being perfect and the reasons aren't few. Both the exploration and the combat are controlled ENTIRELY with your mouse and ,whenever you're supposed to choose attacks, you have to press the attack button...AND press the enemy afterwards! It wouldn't be a big issue but there's no wait mode and the game won't stop while you choose, which means you need to be extremely quickly. You do use the keyboard actually but for special skills and for defense/counterattacks, and while this second idea is very nice, the special skills are bland and...sometimes not easy to do (mostly because Gabriel's attack is the only one requiring to bash the spacebar, while the others are about timing). It's not totally bad but after using the same identical skill for 8 hours of gaming, you might get tired quickly...without mentioning that you're also supposed to use them in order to get the Overkill bonuses, which aren't hard to come by but you DO need to be careful on doing them whenever you can, because the enemies are counted (about 200 enemies in total) and, after the upgrades for your weapons, you need to do those overkills 15 times for each character. It's not a big deal but requires unnecessary attention. The game isn't very big either (only 4 areas, 3 if you don't count the only area that has no enemies at all) but it's gonna take a good amount of time to reach the end (finished in about 8 hours), especially considering that the quests are enjoyable to do (reminding more puzzles than actually fetching quests), and the story "is" enjoyable but sometimes the occasional swearings and dirty words don't fit in exactly well: either exagerate, or use them wisely, but in here they tend to use them randomly, which isn't that funny (to me, at least). There is also the occasional bugs but they were extremely rare (the controls wouldn't work), and the difficulty tends to get a little too high when you switch areas, forcing you to learn the counter/defense askills faster or else you'll die often. All in all, it's a good game to enjoy, just...misses something in order to become great, but it's a game that once you play, you might forget it quick for how repetitive and bland it is, despite the good points and the funny moments. Worth a good try, especially if cheap, and especially if you want to follow the saga.… Expand
  5. GolovA
    Aug 7, 2011
    7
    It's hard to stop once you start this game. But the fun factor soon withers away after you understand how limited this supposedly "RPG" really is - you cannot trade, you cannot develop your character (Role Playing Genre?! Hello?), and you do not really have any freedom in progressing. Nonetheless, this is a funny and humorous game that offers light submersion and time passing.
  6. Billick
    Apr 6, 2012
    7
    This game is essentially a point and click adventure game mashed up with a Final Fantasy style RPG. The combat is fun, the dialog is funny, and the music fits with the tone of the game really well. The narrator is good, but his appearances start to get sparse after the early portion of the game. Clicking on things produces some funny descriptions, but there aren't a lot of puzzles youThis game is essentially a point and click adventure game mashed up with a Final Fantasy style RPG. The combat is fun, the dialog is funny, and the music fits with the tone of the game really well. The narrator is good, but his appearances start to get sparse after the early portion of the game. Clicking on things produces some funny descriptions, but there aren't a lot of puzzles you typically see in P&C adventure games. The RPG elements are pretty light. The story and upgrades are both fairly linear, and there isn't a lot of customization for your characters. The game is also fairly short. If you like Penny Arcade, this game will probably give you several hours of solid entertainment.… Expand
  7. suneater
    Dec 13, 2012
    7
    A fantastic, focused, potential-filled first episode. Precipice of Darkness plays out like a western made JRPG centered around Super Mario RPG style combat with some light (classic) adventure game elements. The story stays on track for the most part and has enough side quests to flesh out characters and keep you interested in the few areas available for exploration. Inventory and equipmentA fantastic, focused, potential-filled first episode. Precipice of Darkness plays out like a western made JRPG centered around Super Mario RPG style combat with some light (classic) adventure game elements. The story stays on track for the most part and has enough side quests to flesh out characters and keep you interested in the few areas available for exploration. Inventory and equipment management are kept to a minimum with weapons being upgraded through point-and-click adventure mechanics. Just don't expect much of the comic's humor; I guess 4 pane webcomic humor doesn't translate well to a game so the devs just make everything wacky and so randumb. Clocking in at around 7 hours this is a healthy "episode" and worth picking up if you like JRPGs. Just don't expect much humor from the PA characters.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

54
#54 Best PC Game of 2008
37
#37 Most Discussed PC Game of 2008
64
#64 Most Shared PC Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 23
  3. Negative: 1 out of 23
  1. Edge Magazine
    40
    With the episodic development cycle all but demanding that structure and form be locked down in the first instalment, with content added thereafter, the series' future looks precarious at best. [June 2008, p.90]
  2. GamesRadar+
    80
    Of course, the real star of PAA isn’t the gameplay, but the humor. It’s a lot like playing a comic strip, and should be approached as such.
    Read full review
  3. PC Gamer UK
    78
    An excellent piece of fan-service, but the actual game part doesn't stand up to much dispassionate scrutiny. And now, if you're not a Penny Arcade fan, you can't criticize it for that. It's not for you. [June 2008, p.74]
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »