Penumbra: Overture Demo

While games like Doom use jump scares and gruesome monsters to get an emotional response out of the players, others have chosen a different path, albeit one that is less guaranteed to succeed if it is not done properly. Hence, the fear of the unknown can be much more terrifying and long-lasting than regular horror cliches, especially when it is provided with a good story to support it.

Penumbra: Overture spawned from an experiment, because the developers tried to showcase their latest graphics and physics engines to the public when they got the idea to turn the tech demo in an actual game, eventually. However, they did put a lot of work into it, rather than just take advantage of the smooth lighting effects and the convincing physics simulation.

As previously mentioned, a good story is required in order to maintain a solid atmosphere throughout the game, which is exactly why the title at hand manages to do it so well. While the plot itself is not exactly top-notch, the way in which the story is told does the trick, not to mention the fact that you are all alone and you also happen to be somewhere in Greenland, deep underground, with layers of ice and snow above you. Here, your character hopes to find the truth about his father and come at peace with his past.

Along the way, you encounter a variety of obstacles that need to be tackled, if you want to move on further and get to the bottom of the mystery. Naturally, the game takes advantage of the advanced physics engine to create some interesting puzzles, all of which require you to interact with the objects by dragging them around using your mouse. This simple act of dragging things can work wonders for the atmosphere, since you really feel like you're part of the action and you don't just click for stuff to happen.

Lastly, the graphics engine deserves a mention as well, thanks to the incredible lighting effects it can produce, not to mention the detailed environments and smooth animations. While the monsters might be a bit too poorly modeled and their movement very rigid, you don't really have time to admire their behavior, because you'll be occupied trying to stay alive and using everything at your disposal to kill them before they kill you.

Penumbra: Overture is definitely a must-try game, especially if you are on the lookout for a thrill and you enjoy the survival-horror genre. You might also enjoy the nicely written story and the incredible visual quality.