Debating with myself whether to buy Overture

**ChazFox** · 12-19-2007, 08:25 PM

Hi there, new member on the boards. I remember playing the Penumbra tech demo a while back when PCGamer UK had it on their demo disc. All the same it was kind of creepy to play. I played the demo of Overture (Again on a PCGamer UK demo disk) which was somewhat short.

Spoiler below!

To cut to the chase, it's a really interesting looking game. Directly interacting with your environment and solving physics puzzles are the two greatest appeals to me. The one thing that holds me back from it slightly is that it's a horror game. I'm a bit of a wuss, to be brutally honest. Not the kind of guy to scream when something scares me (Hell, I made prank screamer movies a while back, after finding a community dedicated to them) but all the same things definitely make me jump and then check my trousers. :p So I thought I'd ask other players whether they think Penumbra Overture is worth the scares to a guy who is extremely interested in video game physics. Thanks for helping me out, I'm going to give the tech demo one more shot to help me make my decision in the meantime. Big Grin

PS: Thanks to the marketing folks at Frictional Games for accepting Paypal, this is a major plus towards my decision to buy the game, as being a student in the UK I only have Paypal and a Maestro to rely on when buying online.

**Schmikko** · 12-19-2007, 09:36 PM

It's a must buy! You would miss alot if you don't buy it. I found it bloody scary too but I kept going because the game was so interesting. Also if it get's too scary you can turn the sound off. That helped for me. Big Grin

(But ruined it a little)

**ChazFox** · 12-19-2007, 09:46 PM

Well after having played the Tech Demo and having read that comment, along with the 3 votes to 0 telling me to buy it, I think I'll give it a shot Big Grin

Tech demo managed to scare me somewhat.

Spoiler below!

nevertheless it's a good kind of scariness (as in not a pointless flash movie that tricks you into watching it before flashing a scary/sick picture with a loud scream, of which I have experienced the like before Tongue

) so it definitely looks to be worth buying. Plus it equates to just Â£10.57 for me, so why not? Big Grin

**GFree** · 12-19-2007, 11:39 PM

Yeah, buy it. Smile

BTW, in answer to your other question, the demo is suppose to end that way, by being killed by the dog. Apparently it IS possible to sorta block the dog's path and bypass it, but there isn't much else to do since it's a demo. In the full game, you'll last a lot longer because the dog isn't in that area... at first.

**WindexGlow** · 12-19-2007, 11:41 PM

There aren't too many jumpers in this game (scripted of course). Unlike other 'horror' fpss, this game doesn't scare you by making monsters jump from all directions. Instead it builds up suspense, and leaves much of the horror making to your imagination.

Personnely, I enjoyed the atmosphere in the Tech Demo better, and (even still rerunning it today) it still scares me alittle.

**ChazFox** · 12-20-2007, 12:02 AM

WindexGlow Wrote:There aren't too many jumpers in this game (scripted of course). Unlike other 'horror' fpss, this game doesn't scare you by making monsters jump from all directions. Instead it builds up suspense, and leaves much of the horror making to your imagination.

Personnely, I enjoyed the atmosphere in the Tech Demo better, and (even still rerunning it today) it still scares me alittle.

Ahh, the atmospheric horror games. I like those ones. Big Grin

Played through the tech demo just now. Only 2 creature encounters in that game, first one wasn't too bad, but the second made me jump a bit XD and to think I was scared of playing it all the way through the first time. Like you say, it's pretty much left to the mind. I think it's probably the prospect of meeting something round a corner that gets the blood pumping.

Well I've bought the game and am downloading as we speak. For a game of its intense detail, I'm surprised it's just a 300MB download! Big Grin

**WindexGlow** · 12-20-2007, 12:12 AM

I think full file size (unpacked) is about 1 gig, but 700mb rings in my head.

Also, if you enjoyed the Penumbra Tech Demo, you might just want to look around at
http://frictionalgames.com/forum/showthr...499&page=1

I can send you some WIP pictures if you promise to give back feedback, and pick the 7 best ones ;-) (21 pictures in all)

**ChazFox** · 12-20-2007, 12:15 AM

Ahh, so it's compressed. Still, it's a pretty impressive size Smile

And I'd love to check out your WIP pictures of The Shaft. Always enjoy a good puzzler game, whether it be horror or otherwise, so I'd love to help you with feedback! ^^

**Penumbra** · 12-20-2007, 01:02 AM

Yeah, get it! I dont relly like scary movies, but I loved this game. There was a little bit of gore that will make you a little sick, but besides that, it was a great game! If u get it, be sure to read all the notes and journals, thoes are the most interesting things in the game.

PS: Throughout game play I took many breaks to calm myself down and when I played it at night, I tuned the sound off and contrast up.

**Yuhaney** · 12-20-2007, 10:28 AM

Buy it! - Play it! - After that, you just wait the Black Plague to come!