Story Two weeks ago Philip's mother died and when he thought things could not be any more emotional he got a letter from his late father whom he never met. The message tells him to get a book in a safe-deposit box and burn it, but Philip can not simply destroy the only legacy of his father and starts to study the book intensely. He discovers clues that points to a place on Greenland and after much thought Philip decide to go there. Arriving at Greenland Philip starts searching for the place but gets lost in a blizzard. As he is about to die from hypothermia he stumbles upon a strange metal hatch. Convinced this hatch is what he is looking for, Philip enters. As he descends into the depths of unknown, what started out as a quest for the past turns into a struggle for survival.
Gameplay Penumbra: Overture is a first person adventure game which focuses on story, immersion and puzzles. Instead of using violence to progress the player has to use his/her wits to guide Philip on his quest to unravel the past. Played from a first person viewpoint, Penumbra is very different from other adventure games. Not only is it powered by a 3D engine utilising cutting edge technology, it also has an advanced physics system which allow for a never before seen environment interaction. The player can open drawers, pull levers, pick up objects and more using natural mouse movements creating a highly interactive and immersive game world. The weapon system differs from your average game; swinging a melee weapon is done using the mouse which increases the realistic feel of combat. Fighting enemies is not something best done with brute force though, in most situations fighting is a last resort and the player is often better of using his/her wits. The AI of the enemies will also do its best to hunt and scare the player. The creatures encountered can break down doors, use group co-ordination, interact with the physics and more. Penumbra: Overture will keep players on the edge as they have to explore scary and immersive environments never knowing what is behind the next corner. The world is detailed, graphical as well as a story wise making the player feel part of the world as secrets are uncovered.
History Originally Penumbra was developed as a technology demonstration on innovative game design to immerse the player into a game. As this demonstration was extremely successful the game is now developed into a full commercial release, spanning over three episodes. The trilogy is named Penumbra: Overture. Thanks to Lexicon Entertainment Penumbra: Overture will be available in stores world-wide. Each episode is set to retail for €19.99 and be available starting Q1 2007.
Graficamente è più bello di un anno fa (ma non era una demo alfa..era proprio il progetto amatoriale del gruppo di ragazzi che l'hanno ideato..ed avendo avuto successo ne stanno facendo un gioco "completo" a tre episodi, sbaglio?). Anche l'interfaccia è fatta meglio..
Nonostante ciò, non so perchè ma imho manca qualcosa.. boh, non mi ispira particolarmente..
Si è la cosa che più "spicca" giocandoci. Solo che mi rompe un pò dover switchare (tasto R) tra le due possibilità di movimento per interagire; con cursore fermo a centro-schermo ci si muove e mira meglio, con la manina movibile invece si ha più precisione in certe interazioni che lo richiedono.. ma imho dovevano scegliere in modo fisso una delle due. Perlomeno secondo i miei gusti
Peccato per la demo cortissima ma l'interazione è davvero incredibile!!
Bellissimo l'effetto del martello e come devi muovere il mouse per colpire, molto realistico anche se a volte si inceppa un po!
All'inizio mi ero incastrato all'enigma della neve perchè sul percorso non avevo trovato l'oggetto.. asd.. allora per aprirlo le avevo provate tutte.. persino saltarci sopra, provare col lucchetto sperando che con un po di lucchettate si rompesse il ghiaccio, asd.. no davvero.. spettacolo, non vedo l'ora di poter comprare il gioco completo. tral'altro il prezzo sembra buono..19 dollari.. peccato per le 8 ore gioco.. forse un po' pochine..
attendo con ansia l'uscita della versione completa *_*
