praise of Penumbra Overture

[blau]

I finally found the time to play Overture after buying it earlier this winter.

It's a nice game, with a good script and an effective artistic ambientation.

Music and audio effects are particuraly good, the graphics are somewhat simple, which I expected, being an older game. I have not tinkered with advanced graphics settings so far. It runs on Linux flawlessly.

The storyline is very effective in creating a creepy, misterious, dark and unsettling atmosphere with only minimal game elements. I later read that the game engine is named after H.P. Lovecraft and in my opinion this literary heirloom is well deserved.

The game's weak spot is enemy combat which I never felt at ease with. It's quite clumsy and difficult to control, in my opinion, so that it is better to avoid direct confrontation with dogs and spiders when possible. That being said, it is in some sense a part of the game distinct character, not a FPS zombiekiller, but an introspective, paranoid and meditative experience.

The game is complex, but not very hard to solve provided you are very curious and inquisitive. It's not overly long.

I'm playing The black plague this nights, so far it seems even better than Overture, although a bit unsettling in its hints of physical violence.