RPG and Adventure combined in a funny little package.
The story has the same wit and stupid humour found in the comic, and if you are a fan of Penny Arcade, you are going to love this game. The writing is well done and the story is full of funny characters and situations.
The game is however not only about its story, the gameplay is much fun as well. Think of it as a mix between adventure games and RPGs. The battle system draws inspiration from the active time battle found in the Final Fantasy games, turn based and semi real time. It also has a real time blocking system which adds more action to the battles. It can feel a bit frenetic at times, but I liked it as it makes the battles less automatic. There are also special attacks that are executed through mini games and support characters that almost works like summons found in numerous JRPG's. Outside the battles the game feels a lot like a point and click adventure with hot spots you can investigate and interact with. The missions are also standard point and click fare, you need to get a person this or that in order to receive that particular item you need to use on a certain device.
The graphics are great and the design is instantly recognisable for Penny Arcade fans. The graphics are in cel shaded 3d that retains the style of the comic and they look great for an XBLA game. Story sequences are either told through animated cut scenes or with 2d character portraits, "talking heads", in the style of the comic strip. The animated cut scenes look like really well done flash or adobe after effects movies.
The music is a bit sparse, but what is there is very good. The game sounds great, and a lot of it is used for comical effect, but the sound library is a little limited. Not much voice acting, only the narrator, but he executes his lines really well.
The game is pretty short, I personally finished it in two days, but you will probably have to play through it a couple of times if you want to gather all the achievements. Also the price is pretty steep, but if you act fast you can get it half price for 800 point this week (4/6 - 4/13 09), and at that price it is a no brainer!
If you're a fan of adventure and RPGs, you will enjoy this game. If you happen to be a Penny Arcade fan as well, you will love it!