Penumbra: Overture

Survival horror is a difficult genre to get right, but when done well, it can be one of the most emotive and enjoyable. Penumbra: Overture is an interesting combination of genres which manages to largely avoid cliché.

The title began as a tech demo by small Swedish developer, Frictional Games, to showcase their physics engine. Cleverly the plot is somewhat unusual and has clearly been influenced by a variety of isolationist horrors alongside the works of Lovecraft.

The story takes place in the present and centres on Philip who receives a letter from his father, whom he thought was dead. The letter informs him of a safety deposit box which contains documents that he should burn, but being human, Philip can't resist taking a look. The letter leads him to Greenland where he is forced into an old mine by the freezing temperatures outside. However, as he works his way through the tunnels it becomes clear that something is very wrong.

Overture takes the form of a classic adventure game where exploration and puzzles are essential to progress, but adds survival horror and stealth elements. The first thing you'll notice is how the mouse is used in game. In order to interact with certain objects and parts of the environment you move the mouse in a similar way to the action you want to perform. So, in order to rotate a valve you have to move the mouse repeatedly in a small circle gradually releasing or tightening it depending on the direction.

Using the mouse in this manner is initially confusing, especially at the very beginning of the game, however you adapt to it very quickly and soon realise it has become second nature. Not all the motions are as smooth as the valve turning one and some of them can be difficult to get to grips with. To perform an attack, which is necessary for breaking through obstacles and combat, you must move the mouse to one side and draw it rapidly in the opposite direction. You also have the option to perform a stabbing attack done by thrusting the mouse forwards. Both attacks are tricky and make combat against the game's enemies a complete nightmare.

In fairness, Overture isn't a title about combat and thankfully it can be avoided altogether. As you progress through the mine it becomes clear how vulnerable you are and engaging in direct combat will get you killed very quickly. Early on, the stealth system is introduced and is on a whole simple but effective. By crouching and waiting your vision and field of view change, making it easier to see through the darkness. Your enemies will "patrol" certain areas and observing them will give you chance to slip past. However, when using this stealth mode you have to be cautious as there is a chance you can panic and alert any nearby foes.

What Overture does best is creating and maintaining an atmosphere. It starts slowly and stays at that pace for some time, choosing to add layers of threat and menace rather than go for all out horror. As you begin your journey, you find mysterious notes, hear strange noises and occasionally glimpse things in the distance. This sets the tone well and there are plenty of small and barely noticeable touches that help to create a really sinister environment.

The game has some nice puzzles which are challenging and complex, many of which use the physics engine in a similar manner to Half Life 2. Alongside these, there are plenty of more traditional "find the item" puzzles which are generally good and have some clever applications.

Throughout the game there are some well thought out set pieces at some key moments which work well and provide a change of pace from the slow and tense. Whilst there are relatively few of these they are rationed and as such help to stand out. Overture is clearly thoughtfully designed to help maximise the experience and the developers don't resort to cheap scares or to tedious familiarity.

At times the game does have some fairly noticeable problems. The enemy design is very limited with only two main creatures and occasionally a third which means that most encounters are very similar. Setting the title in a mine means that many of the corridors look identical and when this is combined with familiar enemies it leads to a worrying sense of déjà vu. Overture is also almost two years old and it is obvious from the graphics, but they do the job.

The voice acting is thankfully kept to a minimum and sometimes the writing and plot leave you underwhelmed. As you near the end of the game, the pace seems to change rapidly, making the ending feel a bit anti-climactic after such a careful build-up. The biggest issue though is that the game never really scares and is merely unsettling. Sure enough there are some very sinister moments, but the game doesn't quite manage to tap into the psychology as well as some other titles.

Penumbra: Overture has some great ideas and definitely adds something different to the tried and tested adventure game formula. If you are a fan of puzzles and exploration then Overture will definitely be entertaining. Yet, if you are more of a horror fan then the atmosphere is eerie but falls short of a scary experience. With the recent release on online distribution sites as part of a trilogy, it is now easier to get hold of and deserves a look from fans of the genre.