A couple of days ago, I announced that I would be giving away the entire Penumbra trilogy for Linux as a prize for winning my puzzle concept contest. After having been in contact with the author of the games, they have graciously decided to let me trade in my code for the Linux versions if the winner of the competition would rather have the games for Mac. Sadly I can’t give away the Windows versions.
The competition is still going, so if you enter now, you have a pretty good chance of winning this great series of games. For more information on how to enter, go check out my announcement post.
Are you an avid gamer with a thing for horror and great puzzles? If so, you now have a great chance of winning all three games in the Penumbra series! The series represent the very best in native Linux horror gaming - or dare I say the best horror gaming on any platform? The games are available for Windows Linux and Mac OS, but I’m only able to give away either to Mac or Linux versions here.
As you may know, I’m currently working on a 2D point-and-click adventure game, currently called Project Subterranean. While the success of an adventure game may depend on a good story, great puzzles are almost equally important. Therefore we’re looking for your help to come up with puzzle ideas!
In order to compete for the grand prize, you need to submit an idea for a puzzle to be included in the game once it is released. Whomever comes up with the best idea will receive all three Penumbra games for Linux or Mac, depending on which version they want.
Rules
Come up with and formulate an idea for a game puzzle. The first chapter of the game will be set in an office environment, so that could be a good starting point for you.
Fun and humor will win you major points. We are after all not making a horror game.
Leave a comment letting me and everyone else know that you’re in the competition.
Your idea has to be original in the sense that you can’t straight out copy it from some other game. However, you can of course draw inspiration from other games.
Multiple entries from the same person are most certainly allowed.
Any entries may be used in the game, even if the author did not win this competition.
The winner will be announced in around two weeks, so if you haven’t heard anything from me yet - keep sending in those ideas!
Please do help spread the word about this competition by using the social media buttons below, telling your friends, posting a link here on forums and mailing lists, or any other way you can come up with! I would really appreciate it.
You know how Linux really lacks in the gaming department? Well, the people over at Frictional Games and Paradox Interactive have certainly done their part by porting their popular horror game triology, The Penumbra Series, to Linux! That’s right. No Wine, no Cedega. A native port of one of the most well-made horror game series ever made!
But not only that! They’re actually selling all of the games in the series for a total cost of $5! For the cost of a pizza you’re getting three very high quality games, running natively in Linux.
Any screenshots, trailers or anything?
Sure thing! Here are the trailers for all three of the games, along with some screenshots and a review.
Players immerse themselves in Penumbra’s chilling world through a plucky, inquisitive physicist named Phillip. After his dear old mum kicks the bucket, Phil receives a letter from his father, Howard, a man supposedly deceased. The message is full of cryptic directions to somewhere in Greenland, as well as a plea to destroy all evidence leading to it. Instead, Phillip decides to journey to the ends of the earth to determine what exactly mortified his dad.
The biggest draw of Penumbra, aside from its creepy, subterranean locales, is the real-world physics engine players use to solve puzzles. While exploring a vacant mineshaft whose tunnels house a highly advanced research facility, players can mess with the world around them in a simple, logical fashion.
[...]
The story matches the characters, boasting a top-notch narrative and a tendency to wax philosophical (anything that calls human existence banal gets brownie points in my book). The ending to the first episode is anti-climactic at best, and the third episode is devoid of plot advancement all together. Still, the tale told in episode two makes up for everything.
[...]
Penumbra brings back everything good about Survival Horror and Adventure games at a time when the first genre is dying and the second is already a corpse with an occasional, involuntary muscle spasm. The game rewards scheming and advance planning over the more conventional “make ‘em all dead” approach the big studios cling to like gospel.
At the risk of sounding pretentious (which with me is like saying there’s a chance reading the Nation/World section of a newspaper could depress you a tad), Penumbra is a thinking man’s — or lady’s — Survival Horror Game.
Either way, I hope you’ll support this brave move. The best way to show developers that it’s worth their time to make games for Linux is to buy the games that are already available. At only $5 there’s really no reason whatsoever to not buy them. So hurry up and get yourself some of the best Linux gaming available before this offer expires (July 19).
Another week has passed, so I figure it’s about time to give you an update on our progress with Project Subterranean - the quest to create a free, open source adventure game in the style of Monkey Island.
Since last week, I’ve been busy with getting my driver’s license, so I haven’t really been able to contribute a whole lot. However, our lead programmer Kalle has been cranking out code like a programming machine - on crack!
It’s been a week since I introduced Project Subterranean to you, so I figured I’d give you a little bit of an update on how things are progressing and what our plans are.
*“Soon” can refer to 6 months, a year, or an eternity.
