Penumbra: Requiem is the expansion to the original game from Frictional Games called Penumbra: Black Plague. Requiem take place a few minutes after the end of Black Plague and changes the gameplay direction from the story driven game to a puzzle driven game. If you were a fan of the original game this gameplay change is actually not a bad thing, but nice change.
Unfortunately like many other puzzle games, Requiem does not have a fleshed out story and lacks the narrative direction of the original game. Much of the games story is lacking and you can ignore it, but all is not lost if what I have written here is beginning to turn you off, as the gameplay, graphics, mood and overall value of the game is well done and a worth while expansion especially for the price.
Gameplay
If you played Black Plague, the first thing you will notice gameplay wise, is that Penumbra Requiem is not the game you played with Penumbra Black Plague. Much of the gameplay which made the original game so much fun with plenty of terror inducing moments has been removed for some creepy but less harrowing gameplay which fail to get your heart rate moving.
Using a puzzle based system similar to many 3D puzzle games such as Portal and Half Life 2 you drag and drop items to open, close, activate and more actions and if you are familiar with the puzzle side of things in those games you will find Penumbra Requiem fairly straight forward. Pull the box on to a pressure switch, drop a box down a shaft, and grab an item and then end the level is the basic gameplay side of things.
The game uses different mouse cursor icons to tell you if you can interact in some way with objects and various items spread out across the levels. An “eye” lets you investigate the object, a “hand” is for direct interaction such as pulling or using a lever. What is interesting, but far from revolutionary is the speed you move your mouse when interacting with items is how fast they move. Pull a drawer out of a desk slowly or fast, open a door slowly or fast, it adds a bit to the gameplay.
Disappointing is the best word to describe the game when it comes to how the games levels tie together, because they really do not and in fact they seem to be more like Portals with just separate levels, you finish one and move on to the next. A more cohesive story would be nice, or actually a real story when compared to the original games story this one just lacks the narrative punch to make it memorable.
Graphics
Being an indie title the game does have some good graphics, even compared to some big budget titles but if you get up and close to the in game objects, that is when the lack of texture quality really shows. . But beyond some nice lighting and interesting puzzle based level design sometimes the graphics become boring and rather bland, failing to be interesting at times and then there are other times when the game has some incredible moody graphics and creepy level design which keeps the game fun interesting.
Audio
The mood of Penumbra: Requiem is almost entirely driven by the audio, with some freaky sound effects, music and environmental audio pushing this game to some fun and scary heights. Overall the environmental audio is excellent and is just spooky enough at the right time to give you that spine chilling feeling of dread we all need to feel. The musical score is just as good as it was in the previous games, adding to the overall gaming experience and not being annoyingly repetitive, something we have been seeing more and more in horror based games.
Value
This expansion is rather short on actual game play time and in fact it is almost disappointingly short if it was not for the overall fun and replay value the game offers the Requiem has a very high replay value.
Bottom Line
Penumbra: Requiem is a genuinely spooky game and this is mostly due to the excellent sound effects and so if you enjoy being scared this is a great game for that, and with the budget price the game is worthy buying for most adventure game fans.
+ Wonderfully scary and spooky
+ Audio is excellent and adds to the mood
+ You can repay the game to find all the hidden goodies to flesh the story out more
+ Interesting game that is different then most adventure titles
+ Graphics are good for an indie title
+ Game is hard but rewarding
Cons
- Controls are not exactly solid at the best of times
- Low presentation values
- Short game
- This expansion is different then the original not bad, but I would have liked it to have been closer to Black Plauge
- Narrative Direction (story) is almost non-existent
Here's a small guide to help you understand our evaluation of games.
PRESENTATION GRADE
Can be from the game's box to the contents of the booklet, and even the game introduction. (Intro, menus, options, etc)
GRAPHIC GRADE
Up to what point the graphics have been worked on my the developper. The design type, the effort used for textures and environments, as well as animations and framerate.
AUDIO GRADE
Is the soundtrack a good match to the game's style, he ambient sounds keeping with the gameplay and the sound effects clear and convincing?
GAMEPLAY GRADE
Placement of the controls and the inferface that the player with be using during the game.
REPLAY VALUE GRADE
The most important factor in the evaluation of a game. It identifies the lifespan of the game and the fun of coming back again and again.
I’ve always been an advocate for cheap and easy...Er...when it comes to gaming, that is. Unfortunately, it’s because of this that I’ve missed out on some of the bigger titles over the past few years. (CoD4, anyone?). Buying used games, ordering online from sites like Amazon or Ebay, is a simple way to avoid high pricing, (at least until you factor in...
I’ve always been an advocate for cheap and easy...Er...when it comes to gaming, that is. Unfortunately, it’s because of this that I’ve missed out on some of the bigger titles over the past few years. (CoD4, anyone?). Buying used games, ordering online from sites like Amazon or Ebay, is a simple way to avoid high pricing, (at least until you factor in... 
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