Silence, it seems, is not so golden!
So Penny Arcade want to create their own game and risk the possible wrath of all those who they have jaded in the past? A noble endeavour indeed.
Did they succeed?, will you be yearning for Episode 2? and will you ever look at a garden rakes, mime artists and Ferris wheels in the same way again? Well the answers to those questions are Yes, yes and the rest of them are a big fruit f*****g no.
One of the most interesting ideas in this game is the feature that lets you create the character who the story revolves around and who will then appear in all of the cut-scenes throughout the game, making him or her look how you want. The options are not amazingly vast but there is certainly enough to make it work, including accessories like a massive top hat which in my opinion is a must have.
Fans of the comic will be pleased with the amount of characters that make an appearance, with the design of the world, and the darkness and humour that inhabit it teeming with the pure essence of Penny Arcade. The gameplay at first feels like a skeletal version of a Japanese RPG such as Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts, but it soon becomes apparent that there is enough variety and depth to make it all come together and work well. An example of this is the item usage during the fights, which in my opinion is the most accomplished use of the mechanic I have seen to date. Instead of some games where you sometimes forget you even have items, Penny Arcade OtRPoD seems to make you actually rely on them from time to time, which really refreshes the now familiar turn-based combat affair.
All in all this is a great game, with only the length, a few technical glitches and the way it forces you to start from the begininning once you complete the game stopping it getting the full five stars.
O, and the final boss is indeed both silent and deadly!
