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Penumbra: Black Plague Preview
Gwynne Dixon
04/01/2008
Penumbra's Philip just can't catch a break as he's back in the horror hot-seat for a second chapter, Black Plague...
Released early in 2007, Frictional Games' first project (Penumbra: Overture) presented a style of gameplay that was certainly unique amongst the gun heavy FPS games and generic third-person survival horror titles on the market. With what can broadly be described as a first-person survival horror game, Overture caught many a gamers' eye by taking the unconventional step of making very little use of weapons. Instead, players were encouraged to use their wits and cunning to solve tricky puzzles and stealthily avoid threats and attacks.
The last time we played as Philip - Penumbra's protagonist - he'd been knocked unconscious by an enemy at the end of Penumbra: Overture. In Penumbra: Black Plague, the story returns to Philip's perspective, although he now wakes up in a room following his altercation at the end of Overture. As this sort of direct continuity suggests, Frictional Games will be sticking with the fundamental principles behind their first game for Black Plague. Nevertheless, they've also highlighted a number of areas where they wish to expand on the experience of Overture.
Frictional Games has now removed all weapons from the game for Black Plague, distancing the title even further from the conventional gameplay experience of its genre. This is certainly a risky strategy when you consider that pretty much all first-person games make use of weapons in some form or another, while most third-person survival horror titles utilise the obligatory shotgun and baseball bat. Nevertheless, it's a move by the Swedish developer that is to be applauded because at least they're trying something new.
To supplement this unique style, Frictional Games will focus more on the formula of a psychological thriller for Black Plague. Going back to the traditional elements of suspense in horror mediums, the development team are infusing their second Penumbra game with a heavy dose of atmospheric music and some moody lighting throughout. Stealth will also play a part although, in another switch from the gaming norm, you'll be utilising your covert powers to cower from, rather than systematically hunt down, the aggressors.
We're certainly hoping that these elements can deliver the intense, suspense filled atmosphere of a psychological thriller that Frictional Games promises. However, with the hands-on experience we've had of the first level, the element of horror was a bit hit and miss. The music and lighting certainly fitted the bill, although our one encounter with a beastie (supposedly infected with the Black Plague) fell quite a way short of horrific. Said beastie looked more like the alien out of the faked Roswell dissection footage, and walked about as if it was trying to find its slippers. Not particularly scary unfortunately.
While even Frictional Games refer to Philip as a bit of a coward, he's certainly handy when it comes to solving a puzzle or two. From our limited hands-on and first look at the game, puzzle solving seemed to make-up the primary gameplay for Black Plague with two separate styles of puzzle driving the game forward.
Firstly, there are the physics based problems. These rely on a game engine that has been constructed from the ground up by Frictional Games. One example of such a puzzle has you filling up a sewage reservoir with water, before using the floating boxes to leapfrog from one side to the other. These sorts of puzzles bear a slight resemblance to the sort of problem solving sections you may have come across in Half-Life 2, although Frictional Games maintains that Valve's shooter was not their main influence for such gameplay.
Either way, the physics are impressive and we were treated to a balancing act during the game demo where objects such as chairs, filing cabinets and milk cartons were precariously placed on top of each other. We were also shown how it's possible to interact with physical objects more precisely than most other games of this type. Using the mouse, it's possible to pick-up any loose object in the game world and rotate it in space at any angle you want. With a bit of hands-on play, however, the controls are still a little tricky and getting objects to behave as you wish can be difficult. You'll have to be coercive and resolute in your attempts more than it's possible to achieve any consistency and precision with your craft unfortunately.
Then, on the other hand, there are the item based puzzles, which hark back to the age-old days of adventure gaming. One particular puzzle of this sort featured Philip finding a coin, trying to unscrew a ventilator shaft with this coin, and then realising that he had to crush the coin in a vice first before it would fit in the vent's screw. It certainly made us remember the classic BBC Micro games of the ilk: "You are in a room with a table. There is a key on the table... [command: take key]," etc.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing in principle although, of the few puzzles of this sort that we played through, a couple of them had slightly odd solutions. One example was using a can of drink to cool down a thermostat. We certainly hope that this isn't the case throughout the game as it will simply lead to trying your entire inventory out on interactive objects, rather than thinking it through, which is a shame. Some of the other puzzles of this sort were more logical though, such as cleaning a syringe with alcohol before using it to draw blood.
We've been told that, for the first six or so levels, Philip is placed in a mysterious and dilapidated medical facility from which he's attempting to escape. His progress through these levels apparently follows a fairly linear path through dark surroundings, spattered with the odd bit of gore for added effect. It's here where the mystery surrounding the Black Plague, which appears to be causing all sorts of inhuman things to happen to - well - humans, is gradually unravelled.
It's also here that you're introduced to Clarence, which appears to be some sort of paranoid schizoid delusion. Essentially a voice in your head, Clarence certainly isn't your friend and will add to the many psychological thriller elements in Black Plague. Exactly how he fits in with the Black Plague and whether or not Philip is infected... Frictional Games are keeping schtum on that one unfortunately.
Anyway, Frictional Games tell us that, as the game progresses, it moves out of the facility and into more open pastures. It's here where the linearity of the game is a bit less confined and you're able to pick apart the puzzles in varying orders. While there is one set story-arc for the game, there are also varying ways of approaching that story and the developers are quick to point out there are parts of the game you won't experience on a single playthrough. Not only that, there isn't necessarily one solution to each puzzle which also makes for a more absorbing gaming experience.
Anonymous
Date Added:Fri 27th Jun 2008 06:35
Extreme Gamer
Date Added:Fri 23rd May 2008 12:00
Anonymous
Date Added:Tue 4th Mar 2008 00:36
Spec 0ps s0ulja
Date Added:Sun 24th Feb 2008 21:43
Anonymous
Date Added:Fri 22nd Feb 2008 19:08
Its what you can see witch will scare you!
and yes some of the puzzles are wierd. but if your after a horror! This is the one!