The Penumbra Collection Review
MandaloreGaming・35 minutes read
The narrator plays "Amnesia: The Bunker" after a hiatus, embarking on a journey to Greenland to uncover his father's secrets in a series of nightmare-inducing games. The game focuses on exploration, puzzles, and minimal combat in a stark and eerie setting, with immersive sound design and interactive gameplay that emphasize stealth and resource management.
Insights
- In "Amnesia: The Bunker," players follow Philip's journey to Greenland after receiving a letter from his deceased father, encountering nightmare-inducing games and emphasizing stealth and resource management in gameplay.
- The "Penumbra" series, including "Overture" and "Black Plague," presents a narrative that delves into eerie atmospheres, challenging puzzles, and encounters with mutated staff infected by a virus, all while exploring the complex dynamics of the Tuurngait hive mind and the potential for humanity's redemption through individual actions.
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Recent questions
What is the gameplay like in "Penumbra: Overture"?
Interactive, exploration-based with minimal combat and puzzles.
What is the setting like in "Black Plague"?
Modern research facility with mutated staff enemies.
Who are the key characters in "Black Plague"?
Dr. Swanson, Clarence, and the Tuurngait virus.
What is the overarching plot in the "Penumbra" series?
Uncovering family secrets, facing mysterious enemies, and survival.
What expansions are available for the "Penumbra" series?
"Requiem" for "Black Plague" and "Necrologue" mod for "Amnesia."
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Summary
00:00
Exploring nightmares in "Amnesia: The Bunker"
- "Amnesia: The Bunker" is a game that the narrator decides to play after a long break from the "Amnesia" series, starting with "Penumbra" and leading up to "The Bunker".
- The protagonist, Philip, receives a letter from his deceased father, Howard, urging him to destroy certain items and travel to Greenland to uncover his father's secrets.
- Philip embarks on a journey to Greenland, facing a storm and finding shelter in a mysterious metal hatch that leads to a series of nightmare-inducing games.
- "Penumbra: Overture" is the first game in the trilogy, focusing on exploration, puzzles, and minimal combat, with a lonely and isolating atmosphere.
- The game's graphics are stark and dreary, reflecting the remote setting, with dense areas becoming more lived-in as the player progresses.
- The sound design in "Penumbra" enhances the eerie atmosphere, with background noises, whispers, and tension-building music adding to the immersive experience.
- The game features interactive gameplay, requiring players to physically interact with objects, push and pull doors, and solve puzzles realistically.
- Combat in the game is intentionally clunky, encouraging players to use stealth and environmental objects to deal with enemies effectively.
- Philip's flashlight drains quickly, but he can gain night vision by staying still, emphasizing the importance of stealth and resource management.
- Enemy encounters in "Penumbra" offer various options for dealing with threats, including stealth, distractions, and combat, with tension arising from unpredictable outcomes.
10:53
Darkness, Survival, and Mutated Enemies: Black Plague
- The story is episodic, with the main meat of the plot in the next game, "Black Plague".
- The setting is a disjointed place with various uses over the past century, including a dangerous lead mine.
- The mine was later converted into a British command bunker during World War 2, where strange artifacts were found.
- The Shelter, a research facility, was set up to study the strange occurrences, with reports referring to ranks by castes.
- Red, a miner caught in a cave-in, has been surviving in darkness for 30 years and begs to be killed.
- "Black Plague" picks up immediately after "Overture", with Philip imprisoned in a modern research facility.
- The game features improved graphics, lighting, and sound, with a variety of locations to explore.
- Puzzles in "Black Plague" require more unusual solutions, like extracting blood for a door lock.
- Batteries are now an item in the game, providing power for the flashlight, and the dark is a friendlier environment.
- Enemies in "Black Plague" are mutated staff infected by a virus, intelligent and dangerous, with no weapons for the player to fight back.
22:07
"Tuurngait Hive Mind Threatens Shelter Cure"
- The modern version of the Archaic resembles Black Mesa, complete with slide shows and warnings about cyanide capsules.
- The Shelter research station faces technical difficulties, prompting the need for personal cyanide capsules.
- Dr. Swanson, a Shelter scientist, may hold a cure for an infection, while Clarence, the infection inside Philip's brain, poses a threat.
- Clarence, a complex character, demonstrates the ability to manipulate senses and warp reality.
- The Tuurngait virus, released from an ancient tomb, is an intelligent life form with hive mind capabilities.
- Howard's final theory involves communicating with the Tuurngait hive mind, aiming to destroy all information about the Shelter.
- The Tuurngait hive mind tests Philip, believing humanity to be destructive as a group but potentially good as individuals.
- The Tuurngait reveals its history as an ancient alien, once viewed as symbiotic by some cultures.
- The expansion "Requiem" for "Black Plague" focuses on puzzles and lacks enemies, offering two different endings.
- "Penumbra: Necrologue," a mod for "Amnesia: The Dark Descent," provides an extensive experience with multiple endings and new challenges.
