Penumbra

[Noceur]

The first game (or tech demo) was mentioned in this thread (2006): http://rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php ... t=penumbra

This was the tech-demo for episode one. Episode two is getting released rather soon I think.
Anyway, it's a rather interesting FPS puzzle/adventure game of the horror-school. From the demo I played (Overture) and from what I've read on the game forums, fighting is possible but only as a last resort. You can change interface mode and use the mouse to manipulate things in the 3D world and thus solve puzzles. You actually open doors and stuff manually this way.
It looks rather fancy and the sound/music is of high quality. The voice acting was OK, but the only voice acting was at the beginning so if you hate anything but class A voice acting it shouldn't discourage you that much.
Flash light that run on batteries (non recharging) + glowsticks and flares galore.

Tech demo: http://www.penumbragame.com
Episode one: http://www.penumbra-overture.com/
Episode two (no real site yet) http://www.penumbrablackplague.com/

Trailers and stuff:
Penumbra Overture: http://www.gametrailers.com/game/3388.html
Penumbra Black Plague: http://www.gametrailers.com/game/5752.html

 

[VonVentrue]

That looks absolutely fantastic! How come I haven't been aware of the existence of this project thus far (and I am trying to keep an eye out for every adventure game on the horizon)?

I must have been living under a rock for the past year.

 

[SuicideBunny]

That looks absolutely fantastic! How come I haven't been aware of this project thus far (and I am trying to keep an eye out for every adventure game on the horizon)?

I must have been living under a rock for the past year.

probably because it's a survival horror fps and not a point and click adventure, and it's been developed as a result of positive feedback to the tech demo of their supposedly next gen fps engine.

 

[Dogar]

I have it, and it's a decent game all-around. It's worth the price tag imo, but just barely. The enemy animations are horrible, and the voice acting and writing is terrible later on. The puzzles aren't too involving, and the game has a very minimalist feel to it.

But on the good side the original physical interaction system, creepyness, exploration and sense of vulnerability give the game a very unique feel and make it worth it if you're looking to try something a little different.

Oh, and if you loved the atmosphere of the Thief games then it's a must get. Absolutely.

 

[Noceur]

Dogar: How much fighting is there compared to puzzle solving? I personally would've preferred that there was no fighting at all (but if you fucked up, you'd become lunch or worse).

 

[Section8]

I remember playing the tech demo a while back, and just grabbed the (disappointingly short) Episode 1 demo. I like the concept and the aethetic they've established, plus I do genuinely want to explore and discover what's going on... but... puzzle wise, it's a bit lacking. Even if you resorted purely to trial and error, the available options are few enough in number that you wont be trialling for too long.

And that's the only thing putting me off a purchase. Well, that and my current lack of income.

 

[Dogar]

Dogar: How much fighting is there compared to puzzle solving? I personally would've preferred that there was no fighting at all (but if you fucked up, you'd become lunch or worse).

There's much more puzzle solving than combat, since combat is never complusory while puzzle solving is. Despite the ways to avoid direct combat, imo it was often a more preferable option to running or hiding, since the player is often forced to backtrack through monster-infested areas. That's my feeling anyway, though I was playing on medium difficulty, so maybe playing on hard(which makes monsters much more stronger and faster) would make combat less desirable.

But still, it only takes about 3 hits to kill you, and there are many situations in the game where the only way to deal with monsters is to Get the Fuck out of Here Now. There's certainly more than one fuck up and die scenario, and combat is far from one of the main features of the game.