Now with fewer mimes, but a lot more dudes on walruses.
Apocalyptics expert Tycho and devil-fighter Gabe are back for their series’ epic conclusion in Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 4. This fourth and final entry into the duo’s retro-RPG shenanigans will take place in the Underhell, where the party has been sent after the epic final battle of Rain-Slick 3.
Zeboyd Games stepped in and took over development of the Penny Arcade series with episode 3, after its cancellation by original developer Hothead Games. The creators of Breath of Death VII and Cthulhu Saves The World, Zeboyd primarily focuses on 2D RPGs due to its two-man studio size (made up of Robert Boyd and Bill Stiernberg) as well as an obvious appreciation for 16-bit era gaming. Rain-Slick 4 will thus continue in the art style of Rain-Slick 3 as a SNES-style, turn-based RPG complete with classic job system. Thanks to fan feedback, however, Rain-Slick 4 will feature a less linear adventure with more secrets, optional routes, and an entirely different overworld to explore as heroes Tycho and Gabe make their way through the Underhell.
Rain-Slick 4 was developed as even more of a collaboration between Zeboyd Games and the Penny Arcade team of Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, allowing both teams to put their creative spin on the series and create “something that’s better than either of us would have written on our own,” Boyd told IGN in a recent interview. Although Penny Arcade references and in-jokes are frequent, Boyd admits that their focus is on memorable characters that will stick with the player. “I think the key to great humor in games is strong characters. You can get some easy laughs with pop-culture references and by making fun of clichés (as we’ve done so many times), but I think the better route is to create interesting characters and place them in unusual situations and see what happens.”
With the previous games as any indication, there should be plenty of those unusual situations—and hilarious meta-game commentary—to enjoy when On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 4 releases later this Spring.
