This article originally appeared in Dev.Mag Issue 24, released in August 2008

In most games, the opening cutscene generally consists of hints of a dark secret, a terrible evil that must be vanquished lest it destroy the world. This first episode of the Penny Arcade Adventures series of episodic games is no different. Suggestions of dark plots and nefarious deeds in the shadows of New Arcadia make you question whether this game actually has anything to do with the popular gaming humour webcomic at all. Then your character's house gets crushed by a giant robotic fruit juicer, and the game's tone is set firmly to what you'd expect.

Precipice (to shorten the full title somewhat) was developed by indie developer Hothead games, in strong collaboration with the creators of Penny Arcade. Using the Torque engine, they were able to give the game a distinct comic-book feel, making liberal use of cell-shading to give it as close a resemblance to the webcomic's art style as possible. They succeed quite admirably. Even the player character, whose appearance is fully customizable, looks as if s/he's stepped straight out of the comic.

As for the writing, let me state it outright: the game is typically Penny Arcade in tone. While their roles are adapted to suit the game's story, almost all of the characters are straight from the virtual pages of the webcomic, and PA references and in-jokes abound as you trek through the streets of New Arcadia ("Wang's Chinese Restaurant", anyone?). That's not to say that it's completely inaccessible to those who aren't familiar with Penny Arcade, but fans will definitely get the most from it in terms of the humour. Personally, I was in hysterics throughout, but be warned – if you aren't into more absurd humour or internet/gaming-culture, it's wholly possible that you won't find the game (or the comic) funny at all.

Devmagpants. That's right, we're in a game. Sorta. At least, our PANTS are in a game.