The
wonderfully talented maniacs at Penny Arcade and Hothead Games understand
a very important principle: Bad taste, when applied with wit and humor,
can be wildly entertaining. This axiom is on full display in the efficiently
titled “Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice
of Darkness, Episode Two.”

As the title implies, this
is the second installment of their RPG/Adventure hybrid franchise,
and it continues the story begun in the first volume, which was released
this past May.

Tycho,Gabe, and the player
character are once again delving into a mysterious and wildly hazardous
invasion of hostile, fruit-loving robots, large and small.

As the game is a continuation
of the earlier episode, there are no significant changes in style
or game mechanics. But considering how good the first episode was,
that’s perfectly fine.

Each of the three characters
has a single weapon (fists, a gun, and a hoe) that can each be upgraded
twice. Combat is the same hybrid dynamic turn-based affair. And as
before, the simplicity of the combat belies a very decent amount of
strategical finesse that the player can employ. Attacks can be blocked
and even counterattacked by well timed responses. Players can choose
between using inventory items (for buffing, debuffing, or even attacking),
simple attacks, advanced attacks and combo attacks. Feedback during
battles gives information on a foe’s strengths and weaknesses.

In
the first game you mainly battled hobos, clowns and mimes. In Episode
2, it’s stuffy rich people, mad scientists, spiders and lunatics.
The combat is so much fun that it’s easy to enjoy combing the
game’s environments looking for fights.

And are those environments
attractive! True to its cartoon roots, the game has a gorgeous cell-shaded
faux-2D look that is consistenly engaging and stylish. The character
models of both friend and foe are full of visual panache and fun.
Playing the game is like watching your favorite demented comic book
come to life.

The game’s sound
design is superior as well. Sound effects not only add to the atmosphere
of the proceedings, but give valuable aural signals about battle events.

Special mention must be
made of the superb score by Jeff Tymoschuk. It richly underpins the
delicious melodramatic atmosphere of the game.

There is no voice acting
in the game. This is a canny artistic decision, because it also fits
in with the nature of the Penny Arcade comic. When you read the webcomic,
you don’t get voices, so it sort of feels right that you don’t
in the game.

Okay
back to the bad taste. This game has to have the most entertaining
use of coarse language I’ve ever encountered in a game. Not
only are the characters entertainingly foul-mouthed, but so are the
descriptions the game gives you of environmental objects and even
the feedback during battles. The first time the “F word”
was splashed across the screen in gigantic letters to signal a dangerous
battle, I laughed so hard I squirted milk out of my nose. And, uh,
I wasn’t drinking milk at the time.

In every department On
the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode Two displays
that all-important yet seldom encountered virtue: polish. The game
is short, appeals to a very specific audience, and shines like an
evil black diamond. It is highly recommended.

System Requirements (PC):

• Windows® 2000/XP/VistaTM
  with latest updates
• Pentium® III, AMDAthlonTM
  1.0 GHz or better
• ATI RadeonTM 9500 or
  better, NVIDIA GeForceTM FX 5200 or better, Intel® GMA 950 or
  better with 64 MB of video memory (shared or dedicated)*
• 512 MB of available
  system memory
• OS-supported keyboard
  and mouse OS-supported sound card
• 350 MB of available
  hard drive space
• One-time Internet connection
  required to activate

*video cards require latest
drivers supporting OpenGL

This
review is copyright Ray Ivey and Just Adventure and
may not be republished elsewhere without the express written consent
of the author. Republication of said review must also contain a link
back to Just Adventure.