[Mini] Penumbra: Requiem




[This is a Mini Review, shorter and more direct]


Penumbra: Requiem is a first-person, adventure puzzler expansion for Black Plague. Developed by Frictional Games, published by Paradox Interactive, and released in August 2008. Six months after Black Plague's release.


/// Premise

An expansion pack focused on strict puzzle-focused levels, absent of survival horror mechanics, with bits of lore that further explore some underdeveloped side characters.


/// Is Requiem is Episode 3?

I gotta get this out of the way. People often confuse Requiem as Penumbra 3, or Episode 3, when it is just an expansion DLC for Black Plague.

"Requiem won't be the 'third episode', though. It's less the series conclusion, and more the epilogue. I consider the story to have ended with Black Plague" - Tom Jubert, lead writer of Penumbra series. 2008 interview with RPS.


/// Structure

Penumbra: Requiem is an abrupt switch from the survival horror genre to a horror-themed puzzler. It consists of nine linear levels focused on physics-based puzzles. In these levels, the player must interact with the environment, solving puzzles to collect Keys that will open a portal to the next stage.

All the survival horror aspects associated with Penumbra are absent from Requiem. The Player has infinite batteries, there are no hub areas to explore, no monster chases, no tension.


The change in puzzle design

Overture and Black Plague had a very particular kind of puzzle design, they involved an adventure game style "item hunting" in hub areas, combined with physics interactions. It wasn't just key hunting or box pushing, but a little bit of both, that made for the perfect mix that fits into the in-game world like a glove.

That balance is lost in Requiem, relying mostly on just the physics side. By also taking the horror and exploration out of the equation, all that's left is Half-life 2 esque physics puzzles in vaguely atmospheric locations with a bit of platforming..?

It becomes dull and uninteresting very quickly, despite its shorter length of about 3 hours.


Of all nine levels, only two were truly enjoyable and felt like a cohesive experience that would fit into the Penumbra world. The rest felt experimental at best and erratic at worst. One of them introduces anti-gravity devices, a disintegration field that teleports items, and... explosive ketchup bottles. Once the level is over these mechanics are never seen again or built upon in any way, it comes from out of nowhere and it goes nowhere.


As the interview snippet below shows, a lot of my complaints about Requiem were intended by the developers. There's no story here of publisher meddling, deadlines, or lack of funding.

"Requiem is going to shift [in design] again, to the other extreme. In terms of plot and setting, the expansion is much more abstract, which frees up the puzzle design, [the plan] is for Requiem to really deliver on the promise of the physical interaction system. It's going to be a very different game. The boys hate it when we get compared, or I compare us, to Portal [...] but structurally it's (coincidentally and non copyright-infringingly) similar. We have nine or ten discreet, linear levels - no more hubs. [...] we're going to deliver a pure, physics puzzle experience." - Tom Jubert, RPS interview.

The team was not afraid to break the mold and experiment with what they deemed interesting, and I commend them for that. But as far as expectations for a Penumbra expansion go, Requiem is severely disappointing.



/// Conclusion

To be fair, what was delivered here is what the developer promised. A pure physics puzzler. I can't fault Frictional at all for it, and I genuinely prefer when developers decide to take chances and do weird stuff, rather than making some pointless prequel DLC or something.

However, even when ignoring the Penumbra IP and the expectations associated with it, I still can't really recommend Requiem on its own as a puzzler. Its mechanics are dull, often poorly communicated, or just simply unengaging. Some things are introduced only to be then unceremoniously discarded by the next level. It doesn't build towards anything, feeling more like a collage of random levels and ideas to show what the engine is capable of, leaving the after-taste of a tech demo.



req·ui·em - noun
/ˈrekwēəm/
· A musical composition setting parts of a requiem Mass.
· An act or token of remembrance of the dead.






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