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Macworld's Game Room has published a preview of Hothead Games' upcoming Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness. The episodic adventure game will allow players to create their own character and dive into a zany adventure with Gabe and Tycho.

The game combines the look and feel of the Penny Arcade comic strip with a 3-D environment. You explore different parts of the city, collecting clues, picking up various power ups like bandages, armor potions and defensive weapons, such as liquids that cause your enemy’s defenses to fall.

When you encounter the bad guys, the game utilizes a turn-based combat system that’s not unlike a classic Final Fantasy game; you have a limited amount of time to either stage an attack or defense. In a nod to Penny Arcade’s geek gamer Dungeons and Dragons roots, you “roll for initiative” with a 20-sided die at the start of each combat sequence to see whether your party or the enemy gets to attack first. Others, like Tycho and Gabe, for example, will join your party. Plus you can pccasionally call in additional help from other friends.

There is a fair amount of exposition and storytelling that goes on here, as well. It unfolds in cartoon-style panels complete with dialogue bubbles – yes, the idea of Gabe and Tycho as real characters (in your head) is maintained, as there are no voice actors to ruin the illusion.

Macworld's Game Room: Penny Arcade Adventures First Look

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Penny Arcade Adventures (add to watch list)

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