Combat and challenging puzzles
Although the puzzles that we encountered were fairly difficult (this could be to do with the fact that we started the game half-way through) they did involve a decent blend of logic and the use of interaction. For example, there is a battery contained in a sealed cardboard box that you need to break. By using an axe, which you have previously found, you equip it, swing it at a wooden fence that surrounds a pit to break it and then push the box into the pit, where it smashes. All of this is done by physically moving your mouse and the movement is fluid and responsive.
An example of one of the easier puzzles saw us trying to escape an excavation site through a hole in the ceiling. By stacking some crates and placing a broken ladder onto a hook we were able to climb out to safety; only to be chased by some nifty spiders. The puzzle scenario is fairly straight forward, but it's the interaction that makes it fun and involving.
Click for larger imageThe inventory in the game is used to store and mix objects (we didn’t mix objects in this preview) and is simple, but effective. There is room to store 30 objects and by right clicking on an object or dragging it into a numbered slot that correlates with your keyboard command you can equip items and use them in conjunction with other objects. For example, near to the end of the preview we picked up a saw. We equipped the saw and moved the saw icon over a fence door. Once the hand icon had turned green (meaning that you can interact with an object) we used the mouse to create the sawing action and smashed the door with ease!
Click for larger imageWe fought against a number of spiders in the murky depths of the underground base and it did affect our normally composed demeanour, mainly due to the fact that it threw us physically into the action rather than letting us sit back in our normal relaxed state (leaning back on our chairs like naughty schoolboys). We’re not going to over exaggerate about how great the combat is in Penumbra Overture because it is not, nor does it pretend to be, anywhere near as complex or visually astounding as the likes of Dark Messiah of Might & Magic. But, the amalgamation of the different playing styles and a decent combat system do make for a nerve-racking intense experience and we were impressed with how fluid and responsive the controls were.
It’s hard to know just how well the combat will work against other larger creatures as we haven’t had the opportunity to test it out (we did see a wolf lurking about in the caves, but he disappeared before we could attack). As is stands, we have only fought against the spiders and it was a fairly simple, but smooth interaction where you need to drag the mouse in one direction and then move it in the opposite way to swing the weapon.