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Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game
Jeanne-Kamikaze Offline
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#51
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

Quote:1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

The one where you had to set the gasoline can on fire to raise the fire alarm and get the door open; I liked that one because it was a non-standard way of passing to the next room.

The one about the medical band and low heart rate. Same reason as the one above.

The one where you had to walk below the lights for the dogs not to attack you was pretty cool too. It was very original and the whole idea of light-shunning dogs was relieving.

The computer puzzle was pretty good too.

The final hive tests. Those were awesome. They made me think out of the box and each of them took me a few tries to complete.

Quote:2) What puzzles were the hardest to solve? Why were they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?

Yeah looking for the entrance to the Examination Room was hard. I actually went in there ahead of time and had no problem finding it at first, but looking for it when being persecuted by an infected, with a blurry vision and the creepy music was just very time consuming; I spent like eight minutes running around, turning around corners hiding in the darkness then recharging the flashlight and off again into a sprint.

I loved that part of the game though. The whole blurry vision + hearing yourself walking + the music and the infected running after you felt just like in the movies. It was really sweet, so I didn't mind taking so long to find that door. More comments on question 4.

I didn't like the steam-emitting squared cells on the floor one. Not that it was hard, but it was rather unrealistic. Too game-ish.

Apart from that, all the other puzzles were fine. I found the one where you had to use the debris to blow up the steam pipe in the Chemical room entrance a bit hard, not because it was hard in itself, but because I wasn't really used to using debris as a tool; I was used to the hammer and iron pike in Penumbra - Overture, so it took me a while to think about it.

Quote:3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Were there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

I think the pacing in the game is extremely well designed. Slow paced for the general part, and then fast paced when you're being attacked or persecuted. The music has been very carefully thought off to fulfill that idea.

There were both slow moments and ones where too many things happened, but I don't think that's negative at all. It's part of the game dynamics. You don't really want a constant pace in a horror game. You want slow, "What's the light over there?" moments, and rapid, "Lets get the hell out of here!" ones.

Quote:4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

I think I can't make more emphasis on the being chased after part of the game. It was just like in the movies. For example, say I wanted to go to the Chemical Room. Well, eventually I'd find an infected, he'd come after me, and I'd run around like hell and go into the very first door I encounter. Same thing happened with the dobermans in Penumbra - Overture. This whole setting improves the game dynamics and the gameplay entirely.

It's not like other games where it's room1, room2, room3; if you find room3 before going to room2, then you have to go back because room3 is locked. Not in Penumbra. Usually you can go to one room or another as you will; there isn't a predefined order. Eventually you'll find yourself missing a tool which you must get in another room, and then you'll have to find that other room where that particular tool is.

This "free will" idea is a very important aspect of the game. The dogs and infected chasing you around added to it, since I ran away and threw myself into the very first door I found.

The gameplay is fine. I think you should focus on modeling more enemy characters; only dobermans, spiders, worms, and infected guys so far. Perhaps you want more diversity of infected type of characters.

Quote:5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

The voices suited the characters pretty well in general. I didn't like Philip's though. Perhaps I'm mistaken and it was not Philip talking, but when Amabel spoke on the video chat, there was this voice making comments on what she was saying, and it was not Clearance's. I think it was rather slow. It sounded like he was not a native English speaker, and he was trying to make sense out of what he was saying. The tone was fine, it's just the speed that was rather slow.

Amabel's voice was rather calm. Not that we want her to scream, but perhaps we want a more whispering and quivering voice, as if she were both afraid of what was outside her room and trying not to be spotted.

Quote:6) How did you like the ending?

What I liked about the ending in Penumbra - Black Plague is that the message you get in the beginning of the story is the message you write at the end. I like this story scheme in general.

I think the endings look like they were put pretty roughly and in a hurry, though, especially Penumbra - Overture's. On their own, the endings themselves are a bit lame (no offense), but since this is a series, the next game completes the previous one, so you don't really need a strong ending.

What I mean is, the ending of Penumbra - Overture would have totally sucked if there wasn't a Penumbra - Black Plague. Black Plague's ending is a bit more satisfying, but I think it would have been pretty weak if it would have been the last in the series.


Other comments:

I think the flashlight batteries should last longer, and that there should be a smaller amount of batteries in the game. I ended up with 18 batteries in my inventory, and I had to keep replacing them too often. Perhaps you want half the amount of batteries, but that last twice as longer. It was both a bit tedious to replace the batteries so often and unrealistic, in my opinion.
07-03-2008, 01:54 PM
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Jeanne-Kamikaze Offline
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#52
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

I forgot; About the gameplay, I think you should work on player-made barricades. In the entire game, the only time I can remember of building a successful barricade was in the Chemical Labs, when I got chased by the two infected, in the room where Substance 65 was, but that barricade was part of the "puzzle"; it was not a player designed barricade.

I would have liked to build more barricades along the game. Once I was being chased by an infected and I tried dragging a barrel in front of the door; he would get in and kill me. Then I tried with two barrels; same thing. Finally I went into the room, ignored the barrels, and instead I held the door tight; after 30 seconds of playing "lets see who pushes stronger", he kicked his way in and I had to throw a metal box at him then run away.

Perhaps you want to add some scripting into constructing door barricades for future games.
07-03-2008, 02:08 PM
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Jeanne-Kamikaze Offline
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#53
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

Especially if we don't have guns to beat the crap out of those infected. If our only way to survive is running away, at least let the player build successful barricades on any door he chooses to.
07-03-2008, 02:11 PM
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sybesis Offline
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#54
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?
Spoiler below!
The part without ligth where you have to jump on moving plane. It's when you start to get some allucination. I loved it because i didn't see where i was jumping. And i had to remember where i wanted to go. I would love to see some kind of puzzle like that. Where you don't have all the time you want. Like the part in ouverture with the rock worm "race". I could see something like ice is melting so you have to run for your life while water is filling the room. Climbing stairs etc. until you reach the outside.

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?
Spoiler below!
Strangely, it's at the end of the game. Where you must not kill the infected. The problem. Is that i was like letting him hit me while i was on the door. Or trying to dodge his hits so he could break the door for me as there wasn't any way to ask him to do it. But i finally found the switch that would call him.

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?
Spoiler below!
I would say that there is nothing except that you couldn't fight back the infected. The problem I see is that Philip was just letting himself getting hit by the infected. I could see the hand of phillip blocking the infected. Trying to strangulate it or just pushing the beast back. You're talking about environnement interactivity. Imagine if we could push a infected throught a window...or off a cliff...or on spikes...etc. Or when a infected try to hit you, you could dodge it so it break the thing behind you. (think about a door, glass or a pipe...anything

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?
Spoiler below!
No opinion there.

5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?
Spoiler below!
seems ok to me

6) How did you like the ending?
Spoiler below!
A little confused. I don't see philip saying that.
07-06-2008, 02:25 AM
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GrizzlyGar88 Offline
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#55
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

Spoiler below!
I liked the puzzles that had an impact on the well-being of the character (health, sanity, movement, etc.). The dark hallway with the spectral beings in the walls that'd kill you if you didn't cover the holes, or the opposite hallway with the timing puzzle, are the best examples.

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?

Spoiler below!
It's common knowledge but the computer hardware formatting puzzle was a bit difficult. Sadly, this puzzle kind of detracted from the experience, as in, it took some mood off the experience of the game as a whole for me. Felt too much of a hassle. For one, they required lots of memorizing, a somewhat tedious amount of checking your notes and flipping through the pages of the notes then trying to apply your memory to solving the puzzle, and knowing the proper combination for each hardware piece made harder by some deliberate misinformation.

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

Spoiler below!
The game jumped from place to place quite a bit, contrary to Overture's pacing. This isn't a major qualm, but some environs were more enjoyable than others but were shorter nonetheless. One such memorable area was the kennel area.

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

Spoiler below!
The balance was fine and the game more engrossing because you are weaponless. However, a greater focus on gameplay wouldn't hurt, and interactive cutscenes should be kept in Requiem.

5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

Spoiler below!
Philip changed in a way that was fitting; he was going insane from claustrophobia and other fears, AND suffering from the effects of the Tuurngait virus. Clarence was interesting in parts, namely where he actually messed around with your head, like changing your vision or manipulating your movement. However, his comments to things that had no impact on the gameplay was a bit too much. Clarence actually had the most presence in the game so he was probably the best, but only because he was the most developed.

6) How did you like the ending?

Spoiler below!
It was a good twist of morality when Philip chose to exercise his free will and go against the wishes of the hive-mind and put THEIR lives in danger. It seems that, as irrational as the act is, he wants revenge exacted upon the Tuurngait for the events leading up to the death of his father, and probably the closest figure to a father he ever had, Red. But, other than that, the cliffhanger ending was appropriate given your guys' plans for a follow-up.
07-21-2008, 10:42 PM
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Ultimate Carl Offline
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#56
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

For reference, I played Overture about a week before this one, and I played both on Hard with all of the frills (glowing items, hints, etc.) turned off. I also played by myself, at night, with the lights out. Big Grin

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?
Spoiler below!
As expected, the stuff at the end in your mind was amazing. Though a bit difficult to figure out at first (and sort of frustrating), once I knew what I had to do it was REALLY cool.

Also, the dream sequence early on was very awesome, although a bit easy. The part in the cabin where you had to match the objects to where they were in the picture was really creative and fun.

Having to "kill" yourself to open the emergency door was a really neat solution.
2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why were they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?
Spoiler below!
I wouldn't say that any of the puzzles were HARD, really. The box puzzle after the dream sequence wasn't hard, but took too long. As I already said, the end part in your mind was very awkward at first, but that's the point of it.

I can't really think of anything else that gave me any trouble, except the part in the kennels where you have to block off the holes in the wall with boxes so you can pass through safely. The two boxes are extremely far from the holes and seem very heavy. It didn't register to me that I needed to move them until I checked the forums here for help. This also isn't helped by the confusing light box. It's odd to realize that you need to turn the lights OFF in order to get the other lights working, and the way the panel switches between an on and off stage is just confusing.
3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Were there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?
Spoiler below!
Excellent pacing for the most part, although it was fairly obvious that the game was divided up into different "sections". Sneaking, searching, and puzzles. Despite the great atmosphere, there was never really any rush to finish searching or quickly complete the puzzles because you knew that since you were in a certain "phase" of game play, nothing would attack you.

Other points were very good, however. The dog kennel was amazing, especially the part with the flickering lights maze. Even better, once you got back out and thought you were safe... There was a zombie right in the first hall heading right at you!

As I've seen others say, I think you found Phillip's father too soon. I also think we were given way too many clues way too early about what happens when you are infected. It was too easy to piece together what Clarence was and that you were infected from the first twenty minutes or so of game. Personally, I would've held off on that realization until about halfway through.

The ending was also kind of... Sudden.
4) How did you like the variation of events and game play elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?
Spoiler below!
A lot of variety, especially in the puzzles... I liked that. Even the sneaking had some variety, with some of the zombies having flashlights and others not. The sneaking was A LOT easier in this game than in the first. That was fine with me, though, since it's my least favorite part of both games.

At times it was odd that the game didn't really stick to many specific methods and jumped around a lot only for specific points (killing the worm was the only time you did something like that, the small outside section was the only point where speed and heat were a factor, etc.), but that works well for this game I think. The parts I got least scared of were, ironically, sneaking around the zombies. After the second one or so, I learned that they all had very short and predictable patterns, were half blind, and there were never two close to each other in the same area. I was more frightened when I had to step outside of that comfort zone and try something new, such as the dog kennels.

Overall, I'd go with more diversity, although it was already great, but at the same time, don't lose focus from the excellent physics-based puzzles.[/spoilers]
5) How did you like the characters in the game? Were their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?
[spoiler]The characters were great. I liked the tired desperation of the female doctor, and how Clarence was always mocking you, yet also trying to help because he needed you.

I was confused by the decision to change Phillip's voice actor. Was there some kind of run in with the original? I preferred the original, but the new one was also good. Besides, he talks so briefly and if you played the first game he doesn't say anything you don't already know. Why doesn't Phillip ever speak in-game?

Clarence's voice actor was AMAZING. That's some of the best acting I've heard in a game PERIOD, let alone one by a smaller company. Kudos. He'll go on to do great work, I think.
6) How did you like the ending?
Spoiler below!
I was disappointed with Clarence. He was too easy to get away from too quickly. The room should have been larger, or maybe have him chase you through a few halls afterwards or something. For such an important character and such an iconic moment, it was over far too quickly and easily. He was also too stupid. I realize it would've been a huge programming and modeling challenge to have him crawl into the vents after you, but you could just have a staring contest with him in one for a while and then he'd just eventually get bored and wander off or something.

The part in your mind, as I said, was really cool.

The ending itself was a bit abrupt, though. I liked getting more information on the force, what happened here, and how it didn't WANT to kill you, just to be left alone. I also thought the typing ending was a very effective method, probably better than voice acting or cut scenes could've shown. Still, it just felt... Anticlimactic. The final puzzles were more difficult than others and very cool, but they didn't have a lot of OOMPH. And by this point, you knew most of the plot and almost all of the twists had been revealed. The game felt, to me, like it just kind of petered out when it had been building to a huge climax the whole time. Still, it was pretty cool.
7) Misc. other stuff...
Spoiler below!
The zombies were dumb as boxes of rocks. Sneaking past them was way too easy. The art on them was very good, though, and they looked genuinely frightening, except for the umbilical cord part. It might have been a good idea on paper, but in practice it was just too awkward. Not the good, scary kind of awkward, either. The, "...is that a penis?" kind of awkward that takes you out of the game. And I understand that they used to be people, but their animations (especially the idle animations) are too... Normal, I guess is the word? The way they sort of casually be-bop around made them far less scary. They were way too casual looking about most stuff.

I also find a glitch. Early on, you're walking by some previously locked door and a zombie bursts through it behind you and gives chase. Well, if you're already sprinting before this happens, keep it up, and dive around the corner as fast as you can, you can actually get AROUND the corner before the zombie's AI even "realizes" you're there, and so it just casually patrols around! This is really silly, since presumably it busts through said door BECAUSE it knows you're there.
8) Misc. other stuff about Overture...
Spoiler below!
Two things about Overture. One, the dogs have silly stick legs. Would it have been so difficult to give them, you know, paws? Other than that they look really good, but the dead dogs you see in the kennels in Black Plague look MUCH scarier.

I got stuck for a bit due to an awkward auto save. In one of the sections where you're running through caves to escape spiders, there's a part where you have to crouch into a small part, and further down there is lava in your way that you have to plug up with a rock. The game auto saves right at this point, because you could die from the lava. Unfortunately, the game seems to auto save EVERYTHING, including enemy positions. So, every time I loaded my game, I was spawned crouched in that corridor with my glowstick out, with my back to a spider that was facing me, and at less than half health. Since I was playing on Hard, one hit from this spider would kill me, and I had to reload something like twenty times before I finally managed to dodge its attack and kill it in order to continue. Just something to keep in mind about your auto saves.

Overall, great games. I'm loving them, and really looking forward to the next. I'd especially love if after you finished 3, if you went back and redid 1 and 2 with updated graphics, and all of the experience and feedback you've gained, and release all three together in one, huge game. I'd buy it. Hell, I'd buy it for $60. Maybe more.
07-24-2008, 10:44 PM
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slapnutz Offline
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#57
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

**SPOILERS BELOW**

Below are some questions that we would like you to answer in order to make our upcoming games as good as possible:

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?
Pretty much any puzzle that was physics based i.e. stacking things or blocking or bridging things. Also liked ones where fire was invovled.

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?
The computer card one. I usualy dont read between the lines properly when experiencing an immersive physics and atmospheric world. Looking at notes and such just reminds me that its a game and takes away from the immersion.

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?
Not sure if it applies but I found the "running away from spiders hatchlings in caves" a bit anoying. Mostly because of the change in pace. Not too bad though.

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?
Whilts I can understand the "crazy dream sequence" purpose of driving the personal progression, it began to feel a bit to supernatural. Once again, not a deal breaker though.

5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?
Clarence was great. At first I was a bit hesitant but he ended up really enjoyable. Great voice acting too.
Didnt like the calmness in the female doctors voice. Thats about it.

6) How did you like the ending?
It wasnt a happy ending which is always not as easy to appreciate since we're usually spoilt with happily ever afters. Nevertheless it was logical and doing anything would endup leaving holes. The explaination of the evil/infection could be slightly clearer.


Personal note:
I'd love to see more puzzles of trapping enemies. Also have situations that have multiple routes and methods for trapping them. It just gives a great sense of satisfaction we are able to neutralise the threat by using our cunning and outwitting them... rather than constantly running away.
07-29-2008, 10:57 AM
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Cerberuser Offline
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#58
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

Thomas Wrote:1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

My favourite puzzle was finding all chemicals... I really like searching all drawers and throwing objects around to see if there are important things under or behind them, so having a puzzle that forces you to do so until you found them all is great. It was an insult when the statistics said I only found 18/20 notes... which ones could be missing? Are there 2 known hard ones?

Thomas Wrote:2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?

The puzzle where you put the gasoline on fire at the beginning of the game was hard, because I tried to get the substance out of the barrel at first. I even managed to knock the barrel down but the substance didn't come out Big Grin Looked weird though, because it's like a huge flashlight (there is light coming out of the barrel apparently).

The first trial at the end of the game was hard, because I thought the "I am not approaching it correctly" message was meant for that place where the voice talks to you, where you start on that tower. And that you had limited time to find something. I thought the prison was just the "punishment" for not finding it, and that you had to escape everytime to try again. Turned out it's the opposite Big Grin

The least fun puzzle was the gas leakage in the chemical room. I tried attaching that pipe multiple times but it keps saying it doesn't work (something to do with a safety lid in a turn against the wall or so) but after trying again and again it finally worked.

Thomas Wrote:3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

There was a place where there were too many notes & computers with text files in a row. Normally I'm always happy when I find a note in the game, because they talk about the story, but at that place it became too much. I was happy some files were corrupt Big Grin

Thomas Wrote:4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

I think there is a chase scene lacking. Just one, though. There were some but they are completely different compared to the ones of Overture. The chase scenes in Black Plague were always set up in the central area of corridors (you know, where maps are hanging) so it was just run until you go through the next "Loading..." door.

Thomas Wrote:5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

At first I thought Clarence's voice was out of place and made the direction of the game more towards comedy in comparision to the very serious tone of Overture. After a while I got used to it though, and started to like his personality (each time he suggests Philip should find his mind tricks funny)

Thomas Wrote:6) How did you like the ending?

Good, I like it when there are such twists in the continuity so the end is connected to the start.

Thomas Wrote:Thats all folks! Thanks to all who participate!

And thanks to you too for creating this game :O Big Grin

One last note though: The start of Black Plague made me think you finally stayed away from the repititive use of the "one central place with corridors where you have to sneak and the puzzles built in rooms accessible through these doors" formula, but that wasn't the case. Such formula also has it's advantages (the sequence after collecting substance 65 or so where Clarence makes Philip lose sanity while the flashlight wielding infected are chasing him wouldn't be possible without the player knowing and being familiar with the layout already beforehand, for example) but it's overused right now.
08-17-2008, 01:47 PM
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Kindren Offline
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#59
some quick answers

I actually found this game while searching through Gamefaqs upcoming titles on the PC. I had never heard of it before, but I am glad I found it, it was an amazing couple of games.

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

Spoiler below!
I would have to say some of my favourite puzzles were the barrel you had to set on fire to open the emergency door (even though it took me a couple tries to figure it out, I initially tried to tip it over to pour the gas into the drain which didn't do anything) and the part where you have to electrocute the gray worm that comes out of the wall. Nothing quite freaks you out like a huge worm exploding from the wall right as you start fiddling with things.

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?

Spoiler below!
I am going to agree with a lot of the above statements that the hall where you have to put the two blocks in front of the holes was the hardest. After I figured it out I went "Oh! duuuuh!" because it is a beautifully simple solution, but the fact that the two blocks were at the opposite side of the hall threw me off, because the other side of the hall seemed awfully far away for a puzzle solution.

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

Spoiler below!
I would say the pacing of the game wasn't all that bad. I kinda believe that finding the Howard was a little too fast, I might have even kept that for the next game in the series. Even more to that point there wasn't a whole lot of emotion or after effect of the find. ( sounds bad, but I actually stacked every object I could pick up in the room on him for comedic effect.) You find Howard and then there isn't a whole lot to do with him until you hit the last three puzzles in the game, and for that they just dropped his name and moved on. I dunno, I think I would have just done a lot more with the father. Overall though, It was a pretty good pace.

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

I actually really liked the events that took place in this game. Sometimes the events were more frustrating than interesting (case and point the kennel area) but they all really worked together to make a really creepy and amazing atmosphere. My only complaint would be the monsters that patrol the hallways. I found that as soon as you heard the moan or whatever you knew there was a monster, and then it was easy to evade or even run right past them (I was playing on hard too, so running past them shouldn't have been so easy), and that I feel kinda took away from the creepiness of the game. A few monsters in the hall way would be alright, but it seemed like there were a lot of them in this game.

Spoiler below!
There were only a few monsters in the hall way the truly startled me. There was one point where I had just come out of a room into the residential corridor, and was heading to the infirmary. I passed a room on my right that was locked, thought nothing of it, then I got a little further and I heard the sound of the door being bashed down behind me. That made me jump in my seat, and I didn't even look back I just ran as fast as I could. That was probably the best use of a corridor monster you could have made


5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

The voice acting was amazing! When I first heard the voice of Clarence I thought he was kinda annoying and I went "ugh, I am gonna have to live with this voice?!" but he grows on you. You kinda just love to hate his talking, which I think is exactly what you were going for. I also loved hearing Amabel's voice. After playing around in this place for so long, having a nice softer voice and someone to work toward felt like you were actually getting something done. I would say the only part that bugged me in the area was that voice that got onto the loud speaker once in awhile... It never really seemed to contribute to anything to the atmosphere.

6) How did you like the ending?
Spoiler below!
Great ending! Hive mind, love the concept. Lashing back at the hive mind, even better! It left the game so open for the next installment too! I couldn't have thought of a better way to end them game if I tried.

needless to say, I will be telling just about every person I know about these games. These are probably some of the best horror games I have ever played.
08-24-2008, 05:17 AM
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dreadi Offline
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#60
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

1. The ones that incorporated the physics engine. It felt like I'm really interacting with the environment...

2. But then again there were a few puzzles where It wasn't completely clear if I was supposed to use something from my inventory or try to use the game's physics. Other than that nothing really hard.

3. Pacing was very good until the end which is a bit of a smack in the face.

4. I really liked the concept that Clarence could alter Philip's vision but it could have been implemented with a heavier hand. You could make the player feel truely paranoid if he can never be sure what he sees is real but now that factor was used so seldom that it didn't affect the overall mood too much. I'd have to say I didn't like the "infection" sequence or the tests at the end. The environments weren't very well designed and the puzzles were too abstract. The fact that everything works logically in the middle of the madness worked to make Penumbra more creepy.

5. Overall it was good. Red's lunacy and Swanson's surreal light-heartedness worked to build up the mood greatly. Clarence didn't quite work for me though because of both his voice and the dialogue. He simply wasn't very creepy.

6. Gameplay-wise it was the worst part of the game but as far as the story goes it fit together with the rest of the plot. The twist right at the end was great.
08-26-2008, 12:41 AM
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