What if Portal, but spooky? Honestly, that's not a bad idea for a game, and sometimes, very occasionally, Penumbra: Requiem uses its inspiration well enough to actually be creepy for a second or two. The rest of the time though, it's like gaming weetabix. Bland, boring puzzles with zero stakes and a nonsensical plot. I do respect that Requiem serves as an expansion to Black Plague rather than stands alone, but even on that level it fails, given that what people generally like about the Penumbra games isn't stiff pressure pad puzzles.
It's two hours long and incredibly easy, the only difficulty being in actually seeing what you're doing amongst all the dark, muddy textures. I didn't hate it, but I can't say it sparked any joy in me at all.
It's two hours long and incredibly easy, the only difficulty being in actually seeing what you're doing amongst all the dark, muddy textures. I didn't hate it, but I can't say it sparked any joy in me at all.
Oof, what a way to end the series. Penumbra: Requiem, in all respects, plays and feels like a dodgy amateur ROM hack. There is no consistency in tone or theme, and most levels feel like they are made of assets pulled from the first two Penumbra games and just randomly slammed together. The hallucinatory nature of the setting immediately kills any stakes or atmosphere this could have had, the story is nonsensical, and the non-sequitur fourth wall breaks come completely out of nowhere. After all, nothing has to fit or make sense when everything is just happening inside a madman's head, right? It is remarkable how less engaging this is than the other Penumbra games, especially Black Plague which drew me in pretty effectively.
Also, out of nowhere, this game marks a complete change in genre from the others. Penumbra Requiem is a puzzle game with moderate platforming elements: neither of these genres work at all in this game engine. The other games had inventory puzzles, sure, but Requiem is entirely about physics puzzles; it still has the inventory system, but you literally never use it unless you have to heal. The gameplay here is an absolute shitshow; I lost count of the number of times I softlocked because the game's physics had a special moment and some important box or whatever would simply ping out of existence. And the platforming is just diabolical; Phillip doesn't seem to have a consistent jump length, it's impossible to tell your own height or exact ground location, and I even found I could make him hover for a few seconds by mashing the jump button and confusing the game. All in all, this game feels like an attempt to make Portal in Penumbra for some reason (it even has its own GLaDOS in the form of the PA system from Black Plague), and it does not work in the slightest.
Even if not for the jank and terrible controls though this would still be a poor game; there are a couple of ok puzzles in there somewhere, but the vast majority are either uninspired, obvious to solve but awkward to execute, or straight up moon logic. The puzzles in the other games can be a bit obnoxious at times, sure, but those games had other things going on; this kind of puzzle feels so much more frustrating and bemusing when it is all there is to focus on.
Honestly, even if you played the other Penumbras, you can just skip this. I wouldn't even recommend playing to see how the Penumbra story concludes, because everything here is just vague metaphor and nonsense, and the cliffhanger ending from Black Plague would be a much, much better sign-off for the series. I think it's just better to pretend Penumbra was a 2-part series all along.
Also, out of nowhere, this game marks a complete change in genre from the others. Penumbra Requiem is a puzzle game with moderate platforming elements: neither of these genres work at all in this game engine. The other games had inventory puzzles, sure, but Requiem is entirely about physics puzzles; it still has the inventory system, but you literally never use it unless you have to heal. The gameplay here is an absolute shitshow; I lost count of the number of times I softlocked because the game's physics had a special moment and some important box or whatever would simply ping out of existence. And the platforming is just diabolical; Phillip doesn't seem to have a consistent jump length, it's impossible to tell your own height or exact ground location, and I even found I could make him hover for a few seconds by mashing the jump button and confusing the game. All in all, this game feels like an attempt to make Portal in Penumbra for some reason (it even has its own GLaDOS in the form of the PA system from Black Plague), and it does not work in the slightest.
Even if not for the jank and terrible controls though this would still be a poor game; there are a couple of ok puzzles in there somewhere, but the vast majority are either uninspired, obvious to solve but awkward to execute, or straight up moon logic. The puzzles in the other games can be a bit obnoxious at times, sure, but those games had other things going on; this kind of puzzle feels so much more frustrating and bemusing when it is all there is to focus on.
Honestly, even if you played the other Penumbras, you can just skip this. I wouldn't even recommend playing to see how the Penumbra story concludes, because everything here is just vague metaphor and nonsense, and the cliffhanger ending from Black Plague would be a much, much better sign-off for the series. I think it's just better to pretend Penumbra was a 2-part series all along.
he wanna be donkey kong
Part 3 of the Penumbra series. It's all puzzles and no survival or horror. Sold as an expansion to Black Plague but not needed, good thing these days it's packaged together with all 3 games. Taking place immediately after Black Plague and covers the 90 minutes that Phillip has left to live. It adds nothing to the first 2 game except maybe more depth to Clarence and another monster in Black Plague but otherwise wholly unneeded. Alright as a puzzle game.
Good Game in the Series (DLC) but couldnt finish it cause of a Gamebreaking Bug :/
Last in the series. Story wasn't as interesting and there were way too many puzzles.
one of the most pointless games ever created, adds nothing to the story of the other penumbra games. also, its a puzzle game, and has nothing scary about it other than the atmosphere/environmental stuff. not sure why this game exists as the last entry in an otherwise good horror series
Took like 16 minutes less time than my playthrough of Black Plague and it's way less interesting to be honest. The entire thing is a puzzle game, which is ok but it's not an INTERESTING puzzle game; it doesn't add anything to the story or lore. This game, or DLC is basically a time killer and what feels to be a fan made puzzle mod, and whatever other people say about the game negatively is probably correct. I don't hate it but it doesn't really need to exist. If it was released as a mod it would've been fine but it wasn't though you get it for free in the Black Plague bundle deal so it's not a total waste. I'm going to be legit if this DLC adds something to the Penumbra lore feel free to tell me here I'm going to keep the comments here.
From Steam Reviews: https://steamcommunity.com/id/gamemast15r/recommended/
From Steam Reviews: https://steamcommunity.com/id/gamemast15r/recommended/
Penumbra: Requiem is an expansion that strips the series down to its core, then continues tearing out more. Everything I praised the base game for is absent here. Even taking it solely as a physics puzzler wearing a Penumbra skin, it's intensively mundane throughout, never reaching a level of complexity to make it particularly engaging.
"A Pointless End To A Unfortunately Failed Series"
I didn't expect much going into "Penumbra: Requiem", and coming out of it I can say that was still the best approach I could have had with the game. I had heard of the issues that Frictional Games had previously faced with their publisher, eventually leading to the rushed third entry into the "Penumbra" series, but I still didn't expect it to be this bad. This game might as well be spiritually linked to the franchise solely through some UI design, slightly matching gameplay elements, and mention of past characters in the series, but other than these things it is a shallow puzzle game with little relation to "Penumbra" at all.
The puzzles in this game are slightly interesting at a fist glance, but they just become really weird as time goes on. Lots of these areas lack proper playtesting, and solutions and/or methods to progress forward are hindered by weak direction and strange room layouts. Additionally, once you see some of the puzzle mechanics in practice versus just visually, they become kind of boring as well. There was a neat little ball puzzle involving lasers and opening up pathways, as well as another puzzle involving some gravity well platforming, but everything else was simple stuff for a puzzle title.
The "plot" is just ridiculous here. It's totally nonsensical and seems very unrelated to what went on in the first two titles, and I found myself starting to ignore what was going on by the end of the third level (of nine total). The voice acting is still pretty good, but there is a lack of horror and tension in both the plot and gameplay that really changes how this title functions as a "sequel".
Honestly, after becoming frustrated with the end of the sewer level, I accidentally figured out that this game allows a box jump glitch which allowed me to skip past much of the puzzle areas with ease. Bit of an oversight on Frictional's part, but I wouldn't have used it had I not been stuck on a particular puzzle with no clue as to what to do whatsoever. I decided to continue using the exploit as most puzzles required platforming challenges and other very obscure and drawn out methods, so I had some fun abusing the physics engine and skipping out on half of the game. I would've finished the game this way as well since it was really one of my only methods of enjoyment through experience, but I gave up partway through the sixth level.
This title was just really dull and pointless. Only a spare few elements of a couple of puzzles were remotely interesting, and the lack of horror and coherent plot made the rest of the journey lackluster. I would Not Recommend many to play this title unless they are just really big puzzle game fanatics, but everyone else would do right by themselves if they passed this one up. Honestly, it just shouldn't have ben released in this state at all, and presents a frustratingly fitting end to the "Penumbra" series - one series I had hoped would surprise me in the indie horror scene.
Final Verdict: 3/10 (Poor)
I didn't expect much going into "Penumbra: Requiem", and coming out of it I can say that was still the best approach I could have had with the game. I had heard of the issues that Frictional Games had previously faced with their publisher, eventually leading to the rushed third entry into the "Penumbra" series, but I still didn't expect it to be this bad. This game might as well be spiritually linked to the franchise solely through some UI design, slightly matching gameplay elements, and mention of past characters in the series, but other than these things it is a shallow puzzle game with little relation to "Penumbra" at all.
The puzzles in this game are slightly interesting at a fist glance, but they just become really weird as time goes on. Lots of these areas lack proper playtesting, and solutions and/or methods to progress forward are hindered by weak direction and strange room layouts. Additionally, once you see some of the puzzle mechanics in practice versus just visually, they become kind of boring as well. There was a neat little ball puzzle involving lasers and opening up pathways, as well as another puzzle involving some gravity well platforming, but everything else was simple stuff for a puzzle title.
The "plot" is just ridiculous here. It's totally nonsensical and seems very unrelated to what went on in the first two titles, and I found myself starting to ignore what was going on by the end of the third level (of nine total). The voice acting is still pretty good, but there is a lack of horror and tension in both the plot and gameplay that really changes how this title functions as a "sequel".
Honestly, after becoming frustrated with the end of the sewer level, I accidentally figured out that this game allows a box jump glitch which allowed me to skip past much of the puzzle areas with ease. Bit of an oversight on Frictional's part, but I wouldn't have used it had I not been stuck on a particular puzzle with no clue as to what to do whatsoever. I decided to continue using the exploit as most puzzles required platforming challenges and other very obscure and drawn out methods, so I had some fun abusing the physics engine and skipping out on half of the game. I would've finished the game this way as well since it was really one of my only methods of enjoyment through experience, but I gave up partway through the sixth level.
This title was just really dull and pointless. Only a spare few elements of a couple of puzzles were remotely interesting, and the lack of horror and coherent plot made the rest of the journey lackluster. I would Not Recommend many to play this title unless they are just really big puzzle game fanatics, but everyone else would do right by themselves if they passed this one up. Honestly, it just shouldn't have ben released in this state at all, and presents a frustratingly fitting end to the "Penumbra" series - one series I had hoped would surprise me in the indie horror scene.
Final Verdict: 3/10 (Poor)
Finished it in a single day.
So lame I can't even finish it. There are no monsters here.
É apenas uma DLC com puzzles, nem história tem.
The worst of the penumbra games. Not fun.
Requiem, for reasons that are mostly unfortunate, takes the place of being the worst entry in the Penumbra series with its surprising distancing from its survival horror format and, for whatever reason, turning into a mediocre puzzle-platformer with controls that were certainly not meant for the genre.
As many people familiar with the series know, it was planned to be an entire trilogy, where Overture and Black Plague would serve as the first and second entries. However, dissonance with the publisher stopped that from happening and urged Frictional to tie up loose ends on the story with this pretty weak-willed expansion for BP.
For some reason, they decided to drop the really solid survival horror that made Black Plague a really fun time and just completely shifted to puzzles for the whole time, and not just the “where’s the key hidden” fare that the game usually hangs with. The game sometimes plays like a really shoddy attempt at capturing the cold and hostile serenity underlined with logic puzzles that made the first Portal game so great. There’s a lot of platforming in some of these puzzles, and trust me, the game was DEFINITELY not meant for platforming, as jumping from lift to lift sometimes feels like a diceroll’s chance rather than determined by your own skill. It really sucks when some of the puzzles are halfway decent, because next thing they’re hitting you with the most random reference to the Donkey Kong arcade game in the form of a platforming challenge, and dear god it does not work in the slightest, with not only the puzzle itself sucking but the music randomly taking a chiptune feel, which was so random and offputting.
Even though the ending was pretty bad, I didn't mind the "story" that was at hand, and the couple times they do comic relief with the centre announcer saying out-of-character things really worked for me.
On the bright side, I’m glad that Frictional got to kick off the Amnesia series after this (and to great success/popularity), because in many ways, the first game is essentially the Penumbra 3 that never happened; There’s a big overlap in tone, mechanics, and level design, and even when I don’t completely buy the hype and praise for TDD, I’m glad it really kickstarted Frictional’s popularity.
Hopefully I’ll look into Penumbra: Necrologue soon, which is a total conversion mod for Amnesia that basically turns it back into Penumbra with all the same mechanics, in the form of a continuation of the story.
As many people familiar with the series know, it was planned to be an entire trilogy, where Overture and Black Plague would serve as the first and second entries. However, dissonance with the publisher stopped that from happening and urged Frictional to tie up loose ends on the story with this pretty weak-willed expansion for BP.
For some reason, they decided to drop the really solid survival horror that made Black Plague a really fun time and just completely shifted to puzzles for the whole time, and not just the “where’s the key hidden” fare that the game usually hangs with. The game sometimes plays like a really shoddy attempt at capturing the cold and hostile serenity underlined with logic puzzles that made the first Portal game so great. There’s a lot of platforming in some of these puzzles, and trust me, the game was DEFINITELY not meant for platforming, as jumping from lift to lift sometimes feels like a diceroll’s chance rather than determined by your own skill. It really sucks when some of the puzzles are halfway decent, because next thing they’re hitting you with the most random reference to the Donkey Kong arcade game in the form of a platforming challenge, and dear god it does not work in the slightest, with not only the puzzle itself sucking but the music randomly taking a chiptune feel, which was so random and offputting.
Even though the ending was pretty bad, I didn't mind the "story" that was at hand, and the couple times they do comic relief with the centre announcer saying out-of-character things really worked for me.
On the bright side, I’m glad that Frictional got to kick off the Amnesia series after this (and to great success/popularity), because in many ways, the first game is essentially the Penumbra 3 that never happened; There’s a big overlap in tone, mechanics, and level design, and even when I don’t completely buy the hype and praise for TDD, I’m glad it really kickstarted Frictional’s popularity.
Hopefully I’ll look into Penumbra: Necrologue soon, which is a total conversion mod for Amnesia that basically turns it back into Penumbra with all the same mechanics, in the form of a continuation of the story.
By removing the horror elements, beside some loose atmospheric darkness, Requiem is, of course, a fledgling in comparison to its predecessors; however, with its puzzle-focus, trapped in Phillip's (hive) mind, the escape nature of the game (similar in some ways to Portal) marks a satisfying narrative and tonal conclusion to the Penumbra series (barring anyone's preference to the later mods for Amnesia: The Dark Descent) as the functioning possibilities out of the predicament which ended Black Plague. Two endings (another influence on the multiple endings for the Amnesia games) provide separate ways in which Phillip can cope with his situation, but their desperation is clear and fitting to the series, even if the lack of terror on an emotive level is maintained until the game's final sequence. The puzzles themselves, like many in the series, are entertaining and worthwhile; physics and obtuse solutions mar but a few. Requiem, for all Frictional Games had to do to ensure an actual wrap-up for the expected trilogy, works just enough to provide some an ending worth playing through. If one does not enjoy a puzzle-only experience, though, then Black Plague can provide enough on its own as the conclusive episode.
é uma expansao do segundo penumbra que nao expande porra nenhuma, tirou toda a tensao por apenas puzzles faceis
Lacks an actual story, but still decently fun.
An extremely pointless entry into the Penumbra franchise. This game is NOT a survival-horror like the first two games, this is a puzzle game that just happens to have been adopted by the Penumbra series.
All sense of horror in this game is gone as there's no monsters or looming threat. Instead, the horror actually comes from the horrid platforming and quite confusing and cryptic puzzle designs. The only decent segment in this game is the classic Donkey Kong homage where you have to climb up to the top of a structure avoiding explosive barrels (yes you heard that right) but every other puzzle was either "what the hell do I do now?" or "damn it not another platforming segment"
The story is a mess. Penumbra: Black Plague tied the story together nicely and then here comes Penumbra: Requiem which raises more questions than answers and just makes no sense to begin with.
At least the game is short and the voice acting is still great, but literally every game by Frictional Games has good voice acting.
I'd only play this if you want to own/play all Penumbra games otherwise don't waste your time.
All sense of horror in this game is gone as there's no monsters or looming threat. Instead, the horror actually comes from the horrid platforming and quite confusing and cryptic puzzle designs. The only decent segment in this game is the classic Donkey Kong homage where you have to climb up to the top of a structure avoiding explosive barrels (yes you heard that right) but every other puzzle was either "what the hell do I do now?" or "damn it not another platforming segment"
The story is a mess. Penumbra: Black Plague tied the story together nicely and then here comes Penumbra: Requiem which raises more questions than answers and just makes no sense to begin with.
At least the game is short and the voice acting is still great, but literally every game by Frictional Games has good voice acting.
I'd only play this if you want to own/play all Penumbra games otherwise don't waste your time.
Size kim puzzel oyunu yapın dedi lan...
To be fair, what was delivered here is what the developer promised. A pure physics puzzler. I can't fault Frictional at all for it, and I genuinely prefer when developers decide to take chances and do weird stuff, rather than making some pointless prequel DLC or something.
However, even when ignoring the Penumbra IP and the expectations associated with it, I still can't really recommend Requiem on its own as a puzzler. Its mechanics are dull, often poorly communicated, or just simply unengaging. Some things are introduced only to be then unceremoniously discarded by the next level. It doesn't build towards anything, feeling more like a collage of random levels and ideas that show what the engine is capable of, leaving the after-taste of a tech demo.
[Full review at https://bluedemonarchive.blogspot.com/2022/01/mini-penumbra-requiem.html ]
However, even when ignoring the Penumbra IP and the expectations associated with it, I still can't really recommend Requiem on its own as a puzzler. Its mechanics are dull, often poorly communicated, or just simply unengaging. Some things are introduced only to be then unceremoniously discarded by the next level. It doesn't build towards anything, feeling more like a collage of random levels and ideas that show what the engine is capable of, leaving the after-taste of a tech demo.
[Full review at https://bluedemonarchive.blogspot.com/2022/01/mini-penumbra-requiem.html ]
(Continued from my review of Black Plague)
An excerpt from a Rock Paper Shotgun interview with Tom Jubert, the lead writer of the series:
(RPS) Can you explain the confusion over the number of chapters in the Penumbra series? There were to be three, then it was two, and now there's a third again?:
(TJ) Frictional had some problems with the publisher that it's not really my place to go into. Put it this way, if Lexicon Entertainment ever offers you a publishing deal, turn them down, then give the guy a slap.
So, to put it gently, the plans for a Penumbra trilogy got axed due to publisher issues, and the plot had to be finished with an expansion pack. However, the first hour of Requiem will leave you wondering if that closure is really going to happen. Black Plague seemed to wrap up the plot already, and this expansion is just… endless physics puzzles? No monsters, no stealth, no plot? It’s less of a conclusion as it is a set of bonus levels with some extra character details scattered around, but when I discovered this interview, I was at least relieved to see that the developers were up front about that. The interview was published on July 21st, 2008, and Requiem would launch on August 27th, so a quote like “I consider the story to have ended with Black Plague” is of unusual honesty. Unfortunately though, highlighting that the developers didn’t deceive anyone by calling it a narrative step forward is the perfect definition of damning with faint praise, because there isn’t anything else I can compliment it for. It focuses on characters who were developed enough already, the physics puzzles are tedious, there’s almost no horror to this horror game at all, I genuinely can’t think of any reason to play it even if you’re a fan of the previous two games.
So, with all three mini-reviews down, where do I stand on Penumbra as a series? Well, it’s hard for me to say. I really liked Black Plague, but it’s been outdone by its own creators in titles that don’t require playing mediocre prequels, and it’s not so outstanding that I can recommend it outside the context of its successors. I want those ideas to be remembered and iterated upon, but if someone just wanted something to play, I don’t know if Penumbra would be near the top of my recommendations. These games represent a triumph in horror design, but not necessarily of game design, so the audience is always going to be limited. I guess they’ll just remain in the shadow of gaming history, but for a horror series like this, maybe that’s the most fitting way to go.
An excerpt from a Rock Paper Shotgun interview with Tom Jubert, the lead writer of the series:
(RPS) Can you explain the confusion over the number of chapters in the Penumbra series? There were to be three, then it was two, and now there's a third again?:
(TJ) Frictional had some problems with the publisher that it's not really my place to go into. Put it this way, if Lexicon Entertainment ever offers you a publishing deal, turn them down, then give the guy a slap.
So, to put it gently, the plans for a Penumbra trilogy got axed due to publisher issues, and the plot had to be finished with an expansion pack. However, the first hour of Requiem will leave you wondering if that closure is really going to happen. Black Plague seemed to wrap up the plot already, and this expansion is just… endless physics puzzles? No monsters, no stealth, no plot? It’s less of a conclusion as it is a set of bonus levels with some extra character details scattered around, but when I discovered this interview, I was at least relieved to see that the developers were up front about that. The interview was published on July 21st, 2008, and Requiem would launch on August 27th, so a quote like “I consider the story to have ended with Black Plague” is of unusual honesty. Unfortunately though, highlighting that the developers didn’t deceive anyone by calling it a narrative step forward is the perfect definition of damning with faint praise, because there isn’t anything else I can compliment it for. It focuses on characters who were developed enough already, the physics puzzles are tedious, there’s almost no horror to this horror game at all, I genuinely can’t think of any reason to play it even if you’re a fan of the previous two games.
So, with all three mini-reviews down, where do I stand on Penumbra as a series? Well, it’s hard for me to say. I really liked Black Plague, but it’s been outdone by its own creators in titles that don’t require playing mediocre prequels, and it’s not so outstanding that I can recommend it outside the context of its successors. I want those ideas to be remembered and iterated upon, but if someone just wanted something to play, I don’t know if Penumbra would be near the top of my recommendations. These games represent a triumph in horror design, but not necessarily of game design, so the audience is always going to be limited. I guess they’ll just remain in the shadow of gaming history, but for a horror series like this, maybe that’s the most fitting way to go.
The puzzles in these games are purely a way to force you deeper into the labyrinths the game designers have constructed, to make you go down that path you're dreading because of course there's an item you need down there. Or perhaps they test your ability to concentrate and think while an enemy is running towards you. On that basis, they work fine. In a game with no threats and bland level design, the puzzles are pushed to the forefront. And they fucking suck. If your puzzle game has me come away from it genuinely wondering if the developers even know what a puzzle is, you've fucked up. I rarely want games to be remade, but there's enough good ideas in this series that I think it deserves a second chance. There's an amazing series here buried under a couple of bad design decisions. The first two games are still worth playing though.
Glorified puzzle game