Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Prime Day Deals
  • Superman
  • Donkey Kong Bananza
  • Switch 2 stock
Recommended reading
Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 screenshot of J.J. Hardwell standing with a handgun and looking warily at the shadow of Evil J.J. looming behind him
RPGs Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is the first "survival horror comedy RPG metroidvania" I've ever played, and that sure is a lot of words
Mina the Hollower
Action Games The Shovel Knight devs' Steam Next Fest gem is such a perfect homage to Zelda: Link's Awakening that I wish I was playing on an actual Game Boy
A screenshot shows the pixel art characters of Angeline Era floating through stars.
Action RPGs Oblivion Remastered is cool, Clair Obscur is good, but I just want this bizarre Legend of Zelda disciple that emerged from the sea of RPGs like a fish with legs
Deep Sleep: Labyrinth of the Forsaken screenshot
Survival Horror Games Deep Sleep: Labyrinth of the Forsaken puts an Inception spin on PS1-era survival horror games, and I totally get why it's winning pre-launch awards
Blighted character with glowing eyes receives a revelation
Action RPGs The devs behind one of our favorite Metroidvanias are making an action RPG with a Hades look to it, and I'm convinced this studio just cannot miss
Moonlighter 2
Roguelike Games Moonlighter 2 is one of the biggest roguelikes at Steam Next fest, but I might prefer its shop management sim gameplay to be an arcane adventurer
They key art for Duck Detective The Ghost of Glamping with the GamesRadar+ indie spotlight logo. From left to right on a spooky background: Arnaud Benoit, Freddy Frederson, Eugene McQuacklin, Emilia Dinkel, and Katja Reh.
Adventure Games Far from fowl play, Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping is a fresh, standalone mystery that smartly evolves its sleuthing mechanics – even if it's McQuacklin's simplest case yet
  1. Games
  2. RPG
  3. Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Three

Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 preview

Features
By Andrew Hayward published 11 April 2012

The webcomic's game series continues with a throwback approach.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

It's back in action

It's back in action

Meanwhile, a couple of well-known Penny Arcade forum members formed Zeboyd Games and released underground indie RPG favorites Breath of Death VII and Cthulhu Saves the World. Some other members suggested they continue the Penny Arcade Adventures series, and Robert Khoo PA's director of business operations agreed and reached out. And so the series continues.

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
But it's so different!

But it's so different!

Unlike the two earlier entries, which feature adventure elements and 3D visuals, the lightly retitled Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 sports a pixel-perfect 16-bit role-playing aesthetic, all the way down to the boxy menu screens and fuzzy text. Like Zeboyd's previous games, it's a loving tribute to that era, albeit one filled with a lot of comedic elements. And considering the license here, it's expectedly hilarious. We chuckled aloud multiple times during a quick demo based solely on the conversational text a very good sign!

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
Wait, Xbox Live Indie Games?

Wait, Xbox Live Indie Games?

Why release it through the Indie Games channel? Both of Zeboyd's previous games were released in that space and still achieved recognition, but Penny Arcade's senior sales manager, Jeff Kalles who's acting as an in-house producer alongside the developer's two-man team says it's more due to the fact that they want to offer a lower price point. Cthulhu Saves the World launched for just 240 Microsoft Points ($3), and the third Penny Arcade entry is slated to sell for a very similar amount.

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
It's been a couple weeks

It's been a couple weeks

By the time the third entry releases this summer, it will have been almost four years since Episode 2 dropped in the real world though in the game, only a couple weeks have elapsed. Detective Tycho Brahe and his sidekick Jonathan Gabriel receive a curious phone call with silence on the other line; but what could it mean? In the early bits of the game, we'll hear rumblings of a third god causing mayhem in the world two have fallen already in the past episodes and that seemingly kicks off the storyline, which Kalles says won't require knowledge of the past titles or the written online chapters.

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
It's a turn-based RPG

It's a turn-based RPG

Depending on where you roam, you may be affixed to a navigational grid or given some flexibility on where you walk. Initially, in the demo, we traversed from point to point on a fixed map, triggering some narrative bits along the way. But shortly thereafter, we were able to walk freely around a boardwalk setting, walking up to visible enemies to trigger fights.

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
It'll be optimized for touch devices

It'll be optimized for touch devices

Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 is set to come out later this summer.

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
CATEGORIES
Android iPhone PC Gaming Xbox Platforms Mobile Gaming
Andrew Hayward
See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 screenshot of J.J. Hardwell standing with a handgun and looking warily at the shadow of Evil J.J. looming behind him
Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is the first "survival horror comedy RPG metroidvania" I've ever played, and that sure is a lot of words
Mina the Hollower
The Shovel Knight devs' Steam Next Fest gem is such a perfect homage to Zelda: Link's Awakening that I wish I was playing on an actual Game Boy
A screenshot shows the pixel art characters of Angeline Era floating through stars.
Oblivion Remastered is cool, Clair Obscur is good, but I just want this bizarre Legend of Zelda disciple that emerged from the sea of RPGs like a fish with legs
Deep Sleep: Labyrinth of the Forsaken screenshot
Deep Sleep: Labyrinth of the Forsaken puts an Inception spin on PS1-era survival horror games, and I totally get why it's winning pre-launch awards
Blighted character with glowing eyes receives a revelation
The devs behind one of our favorite Metroidvanias are making an action RPG with a Hades look to it, and I'm convinced this studio just cannot miss
Moonlighter 2
Moonlighter 2 is one of the biggest roguelikes at Steam Next fest, but I might prefer its shop management sim gameplay to be an arcane adventurer
Latest in RPG
Cyberpunk 2077 DLC screenshot
5 years after it was kicked off the PlayStation Store, Cyberpunk 2077 joins the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog
Faelian
Bethesda decides Oblivion Remastered players were right, adds a new difficulty mode to "act as a better bridge between 'Adept' and 'Expert' for players"
Oblivion Remastered
This Oblivion Remastered player "killed the entirety of the Mythic Dawn cult" at the start of the RPG: "Problem? Solution? Remove problem"
A zoomed-in screenshot from Deltarune, showing Susie, Kris, and Ralsei posing with other characters.
Deltarune just got another small update, but I'm more interested in this brief, fine-print teaser for upcoming patches containing "some extremely slight adjustments to gameplay"
Baldur's Gate 3 screenshot showing Astarion, a pale male elf with short curly white hair and red eyes, looking over his shoulder with a smirk on his face
Baldur's Gate 3 dev secretly wrote the D&D RPG's release date on a whiskey bottle in a bar 5 years ago, but somehow "nobody found it" and it "never leaked"
Karlach uses her fire powers to light a cigar in Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach actor says the biggest misconception around the Tiefling is that she's a "sweet" and "happy-go-lucky person": "She was a piece of work in hell"
Latest in Features
Superman kisses Lois Lane in James Gunn's Superman
After years of loveless Marvel and DC movies, I hope Superman and Fantastic Four prove romantic relationships are just as important as world-saving spectacle when it comes to superhero flicks
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gameplay running with the Switch 2 upgrade
I wanted to make a beeline for Tears of the Kingdom's ending, but Zelda's Switch 2 upgrade has forced me to slow down
Heroes 3 screenshot
The greatest strategy RPG ever is making a comeback with the publisher behind Manor Lords, and I'm ready to relive my Behemoth-collecting 2000s
Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2017) screenshot showing Darth Vader walking through a hangar flanked by two stormtroopers
I've spent 11 hours fighting AI in EA's Star Wars Battlefront 2, and it's taking me back to the glory days of PS2 skirmish modes
Dollman is lost in thought in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
This is now a Dollman fan account: Death Stranding 2's puppet pal makes for my favorite PlayStation duo since Ratchet & Clank
Agent 47 on a mission in Hitman: World of Assassination
I'm loving Hitman: World of Assassination on Switch 2, but the game's always-online requirement is worse than ever
  1. A Gundam style mech in Mecha Break
    1
    Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
  2. 2
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  3. 3
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  4. 4
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  5. 5
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  1. David Corenswet as Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's Superman.
    1
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  2. 2
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  3. 3
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  4. 4
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  5. 5
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...