Everybody loves the circus. I use to love it as a kid, and to be honest, I still do. So, upon reading a little bit into Penarium, a fairly recent title released on the Xbox One, I was quite excited to get my hands to try it. I associate big magic and silly tricks at the circus, with clowns flying about on big structures and cannonballs being lobbied halfway across the big top. Now, while there is certainly flying around in the circus of the Penarium, is it for the crowd`s amusement? No. It`s for survival.
Developed by Team 17 Digital, it`s the latest game that take a step down retro street, as we talk gladiator style, and fighting for survival in the demonic and crazed circus which is known as the Penarium.
From the start, we are introduced to our main character, Willy, a farm boy who works on the farm day in day out with his dad, who is offered a chance by a mysterious masked man who asks him to jump into the back of his bandwagon (don’t worry, it`s not going anywhere dark) for an “extraordinary adventure” into the Penarium. From there, Willy believes it is a chance to become a big circus star, completely unaware to what the Penarium really is. From there, he must survive traps and weapons galore to stay alive and to collect a variety of objects across the levels. From collecting barrels to potions, I found myself within a few minutes of playing the game getting myself indulged into it, getting killed many a time (and gaining some pretty easy achievements too, 60g for dying, who`d have thought that) and working my way up through the campaign to help Willy survive.
Now, graphically, it is great. No, it`s not like a mainstream game and doesn’t use the graphical capabilities of the Xbox One, but it really is a throwback to the olden days of the SNES era, and the 2D style graphics. It is a real treat for the retro gamers who remember spending hours and hours playing the retro consoles, and remembering those graphics that you don’t t tend to see anymore. You get more and more use to what modern day technology and graphically can be pulled off, you forget about the original graphics from years and years back and it truly is a treat.
The game campaign is broken down into several levels broken into different arenas. From within those arenas you have to dodge your way through missiles galore, collecting a certain number of objects to complete a level. It is quite a simple concept, but also a very, very fun one. Control wise, it is also reminds me very much of an old retro style game. Remember having controls to just move left, right and to jump up and down? That is literally it. That`s all there is to it.
There`s no easy feat and no easy way to plan your way through the Penarium. Obstacles occur at every level and will come across in a variety of ranges. They are all unique, and will never be the same in any level. Certain weapons will track your movement, and when you have cannons firing from above, Chinese dragons flying from below, aswell as rocket launchers firing at you all in one level, it can be utter chaos. But hey, that`s the Penarium for you.
Alongside the campaign, you have two other modes on offer. The bog standard Arcade mode, where you have vy to get yourself onto the leaderboard and to put yourself on the board and try to take the bragging rights home, and the Multiplayer, where two of you can go online and work together to see of the Penarium. We are introduced to Willy`s friend Rajiv, as they versus dodging traps and obstacles to stay alive.
It`s one of those games that once you`ve read a review into, it makes you want to go and watch some gameplay of it, and that leads to purchasing it. It really, really is a fun game, and for me is one of the best games I`ve enjoyed playing on the Xbox. The only thing that lacks this game for me is that there is so much room for expansion. The arenas within the campaign mode tend to feel quite similar (I know circuses are all quite similar anyway) and Multiplayer mode can be quite limiting. If you like going online with lots and lots of people, then this isn’t the game. But it is one of those games where you and a friend can take it, have fun with it and try to see out the Penarium.
Overall, I`ve absolutely loved it. It`s what you love in an arcade game. Fun, all the way throughout, but also frustrating at times. There`s nothing more frustrating that being so close to ending a level, just to get shot down right at the end.
It`s a huge thumbs up from me, and a seal of approval.
A huge thank you to XCN for supplying us with this review copy of Penarium.
