Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 3 takes the series back to the early days of the genre, exchanging the slick cel-shaded graphics of the first two episodes for 16-bit sprites in the process. It’s not a bad move. While the previous chapters were solid enough in their own right, they definitely suffered from a sense of diminishing returns. The retro look offers a feeling of refreshment the series probably needed.
Among the positives is that the new look puts an increased emphasis on the dialogue between Tycho and Gabe, which is a good thing given that their interplay is the source of much of the comic’s humor (in addition to oddities like the Deep Crow). It also gives new developer Zeboyd an opportunity to utilize their own trademark brand of humor, which is heavily dependent on classic RPG humor. One of the game’s best moments come when the group is opening vaults in the “Bank of Money” to discover a rendition of the original Final Fantasy — complete with classic 8-bit sprite work.
