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
  • Summer Game Fest
  • New games for 2025
  • Upcoming Switch 2 games
  • 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
Monoco readies for battle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
One of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's funniest moments was actually "random improv"
Hytale
Hytale's original dev wants to buy it back from Riot, but "a lot of content would be cut early on" to release it as quickly as possible
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster image showing a giant city built upon a hill by the sea
Bravely Default's remaster is secretly the Switch 2's must-play RPG, but it's still flying under the radar
Fallout
After revealing he was ordered to destroy his copy of Fallout's source code, OG lead Tim Cain says we're losing game history because companies "take authority but not responsibility" for preservation
A zoomed-in screenshot from Deltarune Chapter 3, showing Susie, Kris, and Ralsei participating in the cooking show.
Deltarune Chapter 3 was originally supposed to be even longer, as the devs "made most of" a third TV Time gameshow round before it was cut
The Witcher 4 tech demo trailer screenshot of Ciri chatting in a market
The Witcher 4 narrative lead says CD Projekt Red "can't break" the stuff that people want from a Witcher game: "We have to do that"
Latest in Features
Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Mister Miracle as the Justice Gang in Superman
The Justice Gang explained - The non-Justice League in James Gunn's Superman may be influenced by team of classic DC supervillains
Team Fortress 2 characters looking at a map
I have 464 games on my Steam wishlist, 23 games in my Steam Summer Sale shopping cart, and I can feel my already overstuffed library giving me the side-eye
Heavy Metal Death Can demo screenshot
I got a nicotine rush and set zombies on fire in this PS1-style survival horror demo, and it's basically Resident Evil on a submarine
A PSVR 2 review image next to the marketing reveal image of the Meta Quest 3S, separated by an orange line
Xbox finally has a VR headset, but it's not the PSVR 2 rival I was hoping for
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster image showing a giant city built upon a hill by the sea
Bravely Default's remaster is secretly the Switch 2's must-play RPG, but it's still flying under the radar
Rematch players celebrating in a large stadium
"The essence of football is not in the rules": Rematch's creative director on nailing that five-a-side feeling and making a game "about kicking a ball rather than kicking heads in"
  1. Sam fires at the ghost mech squid boss in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
    1
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  2. 2
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  3. 3
    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"
  4. 4
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  5. 5
    Dune: Awakening review: "Both extremely compelling and extraordinarily boring, sometimes at the same time – yet still a true Dune love letter"
  1. A T-rex in Jurassic World Rebirth
    1
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  2. 2
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  3. 3
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  4. 4
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  5. 5
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  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...