Buy Penumbra Collectors Pack

One of my favorite games

>Cut power
>Open Locked door
>Hear noise
>Hide behind desk
>Monster walks in with lantern
>Sees me and starts attacking me
>Pause game before he hits me again
>Exit game

10/10 Great Atmosphere

Puzzles that actually make you think & Fear that prevents you from thinking straight. Approval. \(I_I)/

When in doubt, throw a brick at something.

I won't go on and on with this one, but let me just say that before Frictional Games' Amnesia: The Dark Descent became synonymous with fear, they were perfecting their craft with the Penumbra series.

Black Plague is the second of their three-part Penumbra series, but in this man's humble opinion it tops even their most successful of games.

Yes, I said it. It's better than Amnesia. Now before you get to the hate let me just say that I adore Amnesia. It introduced me, as it did so many others, to Frictional Games' work. But once I finished it up I wanted more. I was lucky enough to see this package come up during one of Steam's classic Halloween sales and decided to snag it. For some reason or another, I started Black Plague first, and I couldn't have made a better choice.

This game has it all. From the atmosphere that breathed down my neck, tingling my spine and darkening my thoughts to the gameplay immersing me into the world, this game hits all the right notes. But this one does what I hope Soma (Frictional Games' next title) will do again - make a great story.

I won't spoil anything, but let me just say don't let the atypical setting of a mental asylum fool you. It's much more than that, and giving this game enough of your time to find out why is well worth the investment.

I highly recommend this game.

Gives you more street cred than Penumbra : White Plague.

My recommendation: Buy it.

Pros and Cons:

+ Great, creepy atmosphere
+ Interesting puzzles
+ Good story

- Small variety of enemies
- Simple AI

To avoid any spoilers, I'll just say that the game starts right where the Penumbra: Overture ended. You still play as Philip, in his search for his father and the truth behind the mysterious events in the Greenland mine.
While the game preserves most of the features from the first episode - like exploration, puzzle solving and stealth - the combat system has been completely removed. Personally, I think that the lack of ability to fight back makes the game a lot more tense, especially because of the very creepy enemy design.
However, enemy variety is still quite poor, but for one there is a lot less of them than in the first episode, and I've never felt that enemies were there just for the sake of it.

The plot really develops in this episode, it's well written and interesting. There is a lot more interaction with characters, and some of them may even "grow" on you (pun intended), and the whole setting is much more twisted than it was in its predecessor.
Voice acting and dialogues are also much better, while sound assets, musical score and graphical capabilities remain pretty much on par with Overture. There is also a lot more variety in level design and in the overall environments. While it's not that important, it's worth mentioning that the AI is still fairly simple, and that it's not particularly difficult to lose pursuing enemies.

In general, it's a great sequel, especially in it's story. While it's scarier than Overture, it doesn't rely on jump scares, but on it's fantastic atmosphere. Definitely play it if you like horror games, but make sure to play Overture first for the complete experience.

Click here to read my Penumbra: Overture review

More reviews on my Tumblr page.

I can totally recommend this game to all horror fans(that arent searching for action horror) and everyone that liked the predecessor. Thick atmosphere, creepy experience. Good and clever puzzles without being too hard, but more challenging than in Amnesia. You can tell some good thought went into the puzzle design. The unkillable enemies arent as annoying as I expected, you can handle them with a bit effort or run from then in most cases. Story is also intriguing, finally you can make something out of it, more clear than in the first part.
Furthermore, really appreciate the way the story is told: Reading notes, checking logs etc. Very fitting for a game like that.

Graphics arent too hot, especially for today standards, but you cant really say it aged bad. Enemy animations look a bit clunky, but overall the whole thing works for an atmospheric horror game like this.

Afaik there is no way for steam to get German language for all the text, which might be an issue for some people.

This is the kind of game you'll have to play with a pair of headphones and no source of light because only then you'll experience its true power.

The game's overall story is deep, unpredictable and intriguing, making it very interesting, which is a big plus for a horror game. (It even has a few emotional moments!) Even though at the beginning there is a short recap of the events that took place in Overture, I highly recommend playing the first game first in order to have a full understanding of the story. (You can only buy the package containing both games, so why not give it a try?)

Both games are similar in terms of gameplay, but Black Plague improves a lot on about every aspect of the first game, making it more solid. There is no direct way of fighting with the enemies in this installment, so the combat system, which, in my opinion, wasn't that awful, should no longer be a problem for those who complained about it. Another important aspect of the game are puzzles: being the second episode, Black Plague is also filled with intelligent puzzles that require reading (in-game "notes") and thinking, but this time they are just a little easier than those found in Overture.

The graphics may be a little outdated, but there's nothing to worry about because it doesn't break the immersion; they are decent and have successfully created a terrifying atmosphere that will constantly make you scared of the unknown. (For that to work at its full potential, I recommend lowering the gamma a bit, until you can't see anything in places without any source of light.) With its impressive sound design and voice acting (at least for a low-budget game), the developers managed to create their own world filled with few, but believable characters.

For such a low price, I can recommend the Penumbra games without a doubt! This package is a must-have for every horror enthusiast, as it delivers a frightening experience!

The sequel to Overture, Black Plague further tells the story of Philip which eventually comes to an end. In fact, it turns out, this is not the final episode (as Requiem includes further chapters) but for me it seemed like the final chapter of his adventure.

The story now continues and tells us much, much more. Running and hiding is even more frequent and from this episode we can clearly see the couple of places that inspired Frictional Games to make Amnesia. The game is also somewhat longer.

Since this is an essential part of a great survival horror trilogy, look for discount on the trilogy pack (if there's any) so that all episodes can be purchased at once. The story and gameplay are both well worth the ride!