Not a really productive thread, but i just wanted to drop a few comments and suggestions.
I confess i borrowed Overture (borrowed from a friend to be more precise), because i didn't know what to expect from an indie game. A few brown panties later i concluded it is my second best game ever.
Because of that i'm gonna buy it as well as black plague and amnesia (which i haven't yet played).
These games are borderline masterpieces...not buying them for the price they demand is just wrong.
My advice to the devs...keep up the impressive work and i'll be more than willing to pay.
Just one gameplay advice, the issue of combat. Combat is not necessarily a bad thing if implemented correctly. Combat with a game like Penumbra/Amnesia can work, but it must be made to go with the pace of the game. Carefully planned sneak attacks can work with such a game. Instead of just whacking the dog till it dies, make the odds in the dogs favor. Dogs for instance have better reflexes than humans so if you wanted to attack it you really need to surprise it. Dogs can dodge slow attacks. Bigger monsters can just shake it off, like for instance the pick sticks in some baddie's leg and you can't take it out, but it slows him down till you run away and figure another way to kill it. Spiders...well, best to run away than fight them.
Combat has it's place but it should really be a meditated effort if you wanted to engage in it, not just mindless mouse moving.
My two cents.
EDITED: khm...sounds less dramatic