Who would have thought the the guys that spend so much time joking about the gaming industry in the form of webcomics would eventually grow to have their own rpg? Whatever forces were at work when this started development, it's a very good thing that it happened when it did.
Story - 9/10
Penny-arcade has become the standard that every single webcomic strives to become. That snarky wit shines through in all of the dialogue in this game brilliantly. I'm typically not a fan of rpgs, mainly because I get tired of the same storylines over and over (I'm also not a big fan of the single player portion of many first person shooters: surprise!), so it's nice that this title throws all of those stereotypes when thinking of generic rpgs on their head. Instead of taking place in some medival, futuristic, or post apocalyptic time, OTRSPOD (long acronym!) takes place during present day. Fans of the comic will instantly recognize the main villain, since it was something they joked around about for ages. While the overall game is fairly linear, what counts is that the dialogue is compelling enough for you to completely forgive that. It doesn't hurt that it was only 20$ when it came out (expensive for an XBLA game, but this IS an rpg here!). The dialogue options you have are all hilariously written, along with the omnipotent narrator that is constantly messing up important lines. As you go through the game, the enemies you encounter (which are all pre-determined. No random encounters here!) are all very...different from typical rpg enemies. Unless you count Mr Mime, I can't remember any game where I had to fight homicidal mimes, unhappy hobos, and
almost any other enemy present. From the first minute to the very end of the adventure, the writing and story are completely addictive, constantly urging you to go on just to see how far the rabbit hole goes and it will definitely have you laughing, or at the very least with a gigantic smile on your face.
Gameplay - 8/10
This was actually the section that turned me off to the game when it first came out. The actual combat strays from the traditional formulas and has a hybrid between real time combat and turn based action. For unknown reasons, this aspect didn't click in my head the first time I tried to play it, but on my second attempt, I found it to be very deep and satisfying. PAA uses the active battle system prevalent in many current rpgs, which means that all characters participating in a battle have a gauge that has to recharge before attacking. The unique part about this game is that there are technically three tiers to the three main characters combat bar. The first, which recharges the fastest, allows you to quickly use items. The second is your basic attack. The third bar is a powerful super attack (you gain more of these skills as the game progresses) where each character a mini-game like interface specific to them. While the game isn't flawless, it is pretty creative for being a downloadable game.
sound - 6/10
PA is strange here. The enemy sound effects and the familiar "Thwap!" sounds when you hit them, to the songs featured in the game aren't bad. The problem is that there just doesn't feel like there's enough content here. The music you hear in the world consists of just a few tunes and they really don't stand out. There aren't really any voice overs at all in the game, aside from the occasional scream of pain or fear, so it's just pretty quiet overall. What is there is nice, but this would have been scored a bit higher if there had been a bit more content.
graphics - 8/10
The game does a great job of capturing the art style of the comics,using a smart cel shaded look that doesn't really overdo it for the characters, and 3d models for the environment. The two mesh together pretty well, creating a unique feel for each area. Enemy designs are all pretty unique too, along with the graphics in the few cutscenes (which still use this art style). While everything I mentioned is a positive, again, it's a bit sad that there weren't a few more varied landscapes. Considering this title IS episodic and the first in the series, it's got an endearing art style for everything that is there, allowing you to almost feel like you're playing one of the comics instead of the games at certain times. In true comic form, when you get into a fight, large cartoony words appear, such as "DANGER!", which helps to push that feeling even more. The text is all presented in speech bubbles and the animations are perfect for the experience they were trying to create. Again, everything that's present is great, I just wish that there was a bit more of it.
Overall - 7/10
Penny Arcade Adventures: Ep 01 isn't a flawless game. It also isn't a 60$ game. What's important to remember when playing this game is that you have to judge it based on the content that's present, reminding yourself of the fact that it's episodic, and the gameplay is a bit different from the run-of-the-mill RPGs. With some of the most humorous dialogue I've seen all year, an engaging, yet light-hearted story, but for 20$, I would highly suggest trying the demo for before blindly purchasing it. Some of the alterations to the standard RPG formula are going to turn some people off, but for anyone looking for something a bit more original, you'll find a lot to love here.
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