The creators of Penny Arcade teamed up the developers at Hothead Games to make the first two games in their tongue-in-cheek Lovecraftian RPG, Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, but the games weren’t continued after Episode 2 didn’t sell. Now, it seems, the foul-mouthed web comic heroes are getting another chance through Zeboyd Games, known for their indy success, Cthulhu Saves The World.
Unlike the first two installments, which featured 3D illustrated graphics resembling the iconic web comic, Episode 3 will take a more retro approach, with 16-bit graphics more in line with those found in Cthulhu Saves The World. Fans of classic JRPGs will be particularly excited to learn that the combat system alters the traditional turn-based formula to feature real-time mechanics reminiscent of Grandia.
According to Joystiq, co-founder of Zeboyd Games, Robert Boyd, said the collaboration with the creators of Penny Arcade stemmed from a thread on the Penny Arcade forums, which suggested that Zeboyd take over the games. Boyd replied, saying they would love to do it, and the project began soon after. Penny Arcade staffer Jeff Kalles is producing the game, while Jerry “Tycho” Holkins will reprise his role as a writing consultant.
Boyd also commented on the game’s price to Vox, ”XBLA releases these days tend to be $10 – $20 but we wanted to release at a lower price than that. I don’t think we’ve officially announced the price yet but it will be one of the XBLIG price points.” Prices lower than $10 on Xbox Live are 80 MSP ($1), 240 MSP ($3) or 400 MSP ($5), so it looks like this title is going be very reasonably priced.
Finally, VG24/7 says that the game will end on a cliffhanger, and that Zeboyd is already in talks with the boys at Penny Arcade for a 4th episode.
It looks like fans of the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness series still have quite a lot to look forward to. It would be a shame to see such a funny homage to old RPGs slip off of that precipice and into the darkness.
About Stu Strock
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