Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode One

So! A year and a half after purchasing it, I've finished On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode 1 in an evening. I feel like the length is pretty ideal, although now I thirst for the second installment.

RSPD stands at a unique crossroads of genres: action-sensitive RPG (think Mario and Luigi) and narrative-driven adventure. At the outset, RSPD appears to be spreading itself thin - the first several battles are stupid simple, and the beginning area is a straight line with few frills.

As the game proceeds, though, it gradually shines brighter and brighter. Your characters level up and learn more moves, you encounter more enemy types with weaknesses and strengths, and you purchase weapon upgrades with Fruit Fucker scraps (!!); combat becomes engaging, even hectic. And the adventuring is organized into "cases" (ala Professor Layton) that build several branching mysteries in the game world, until they come together - more or less - in the end.

The visual style of the game is really cool, basically a Penny Arcade comic come to life, and being able to insert "yourself" into it through the character creator is a great touch. At first it feels pretty empty, but in later scenes when you do crazy shit with Gabe and Tycho, seeing your own character in the scene is absolutely priceless.

There's no real ending, since the story proceeds into the game's second episode, but there's an awesome MC Frontalot song during the credits that more than makes up for it.

RSPD ep. 1 isn't perfect: I can name a couple flaws in the battle system (status effects are stupid overpowered, and some enemies are way too tough for their level), and the maps are on the repetitive side. But its unique blend of genre staples, and its surprising innovations - combat takes place on the adventure map, so you can see and walk around in enemy corpses afterward! - make it a wholly impressive and substantial game.

Also, it tends to be fucking hilarious. The writing and delivery are great. If you like the comic (and how could you not?), the game is worth it just for Penny Arcade's brand of humor.

Progress: 94% completion