A wonderful adventure game with interactive environments reminicent of a Wii game, and one of the scariest games ever.
The biggest (and probably only) complaint i can level aganist the game IS its combat, which, due mostly it the games control scheme, is clunky, difficult and fustrating. As the game progresses however, it does become less of a problem, but it could still use a bit of work none the less. However, if there is one good thing about the combat its that it is just another way the game encourages stealth and the avoidance of fights. Thankfully though, fights arent TOO difficult to avoid, and even when you do get into them your not likely to be fighting more than that single enemy at a time.
As I mentioned though, the combat is clunky due to the control scheme (which in the title i called reminicent of a Wii game). Ive heard before that only a Wii game could give the kind of interaction that could be considered TRULY immersive, ive even sung those praises about the system myself. But one of the first things that Penumbra does after beginning the game is take those beliefs (should you hold them) and smash them just as you are to smash the ice building up around a hatch leading underground. Penumbra includes what is easily one of the most immersive control schemes found in a non-Wii game, and even one of them most immersive for most Wii games.
I apolgise for that off topic paragraph, but i needed to make a point. The controls in Penumbra work like this: take a door for instance. No different from doors in otehr games, you go up to it and press a button to open it. However, you dont press E or F or some other key and the door doesent suddenly open. To open the door you press and hold the left mouse button (by default) and then proceed to push the mouse foward, or pull it backwards (depending on which way the door opens) and either push or pull it open like you would a real door. The same philosophy works for simlar things in the game, for example desk drawers, cabinets, mine carts, barrels, boxes, ladders, planks of wood, etc. With Penumbra, you dont just press a button, you hold one and then move the mouse so that the object(s) move in a way that they would if you were actually moving them yourself. This makes for some very innovative puzzles, such as jamming a steel pipe in a door to pry it open, or even having to move the mouse around in a circular pattern to turn a valve. Another good thing the game does with control scheme is the fact that the cursor isnt tied to the center of the screen, but rather by pressing the R key by defauly, it "unhooks" the cursor from the center and allows you to more easily perform movements such as turning a valve or opening doors.
The combat works similary. To swing your weapon (there are no guns, only close quarters meele weapons, and even they arent truly weapons but hammers, pick axes and brooms among other things) you move the mouse to the left or the right (depending on perference) and then move it in the opposite direction to swing it back the other way, thus making a swinging motion as you would in real life, or pulling the mouse back and then thrusting it foward to jab it foward.
The game also doesent hold your hand either, there are very few times when the game will tell you exactly how to figure something out, and even in those times its the characters thoughts to himself and even they can be quite vague. There are some puzzles that take some thinking to figure out, such as one where you pick up a CB Radio and a paper with morse code instructions on it, only moments later to hear morse code being transmitted over the radio, after which you are required to listen to the beeps and decipher for yourself what the code to a nearby locked gate is.
Enough about the game mechanics though, and on to the story and more importantly, the atmosphere. Penumbras story isnt as deep or fleshed out as other games, but for the story elemnts it contains its quite good. Its reminicent of the orginal Resident Evil actually. The story starts off by a short exposition by the main character Phillip, and herein is told mostly though old papers (diary entries, reports of various kinds, etc.) that have been left in the game area over the years (and the many years I might add, some even going back to before World War II). Not only do these logs serve to tell you whats going on, but to give some back story as to the mine your exploring itself, and a very creepy backstory at that. There is also one other charcter in the game, Red, a man who, through circumstances that are revealed at the end of the game, has quite apparently lost some of his marbles to say the least, and is definitly a "character" by anyones standards. He guides you though some areas as well as giving some backstory, but he doesent pop in until about a third of the way though the game and is not alwasy speaking. The story is not completed however, and ends quite abruptly (alogugh not completly unexpecetedly), however since Penumbra is intened as an episodic game, this is not suprising or unexpected.
Now on to the area where Penumbra excels past almost every other game. Penumbra is, in my opinion and experience, the SCARIEST game ever released. It relies little on monsters jumping out of you (of which there is only really one such scene) and more on the dark corridors, sounds both off in the distance and your characters own breathing and heartbeats, lighting (or rather lackthereof), and the wonderful way in which the game creates within you the player a large sense of both isolation and desolation, as well as pure hopelesness at times to frighten and terrify the player on a subconcious level. The atmosphere the game creates is difficult to describe, espially for people like me who are bad with words, but it makes for a wonderfully creepy experience the way everything comes together.
Overall, i highly recommend the game. It can be had for a meager $20 on the developers website and for the quality of the game its well worth it in my opinion. To go aganist what I said earlier about the combat being the only flaw with the game, I apolgise for lying, but there is only one more, the length. I spent about 6 hours on my first play though, only to want more out of the game. However, in the games defense, its definitly one that you can immedatly go back and play through a second time and still get a wonderful experience out of, even as good as the first playthough, and the knowledge that the second (and unfortuanetly, final) part of the game is due out in only a few short weeks, as well as the short length making sure the game doesent overstay its welcome (alough the further it gets toward the end the more you cant wait for more), the short length is more than bearable. In summation, Penumbra: Overture is a wonderful adventure game that will have you hooked from beginning to end, and very eagrly awaiting the second half, and very much wanting the developer to continue the series here on out.