Interview with developer Jens Nilsson - Penumbra Overture - PC

Locations, puzzles, fighting mechanics

HEXUS: What type of locations can we expect to see in the game? Is there a mixture of indoor and outdoor environments?
J.N:There will mostly be in-game environments, since this is what the engine is optimized for, but there will be some outdoor areas too. We have tried to vary the locations at much as possible so that the player will always feel that game world is fresh and exciting to explore. Since exploration is a big part of the game we do not want to bore the player with repetitive locations.

Puzzles are going to be an integral part of the game-play, can you give us a specific example of a puzzle that we’ll have to solve.

The puzzles span over a wide variety of styles, one of the few features they all have in common is that they will not require the player to be a skilled marksman with his keyboard and mouse. You'll always have plenty of time to solve the puzzles and be able to do so in more than one way.

We do not want to be too specific as it will spoil the game.

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HEXUS: Will there be an inventory in the game that we use for solving puzzles or will all puzzles rely on interaction with objects?
J.N:There is an inventory and most puzzles are a combination of the physics interaction and use of objects in the inventory.

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HEXUS: Penumbra: Overture will also incorporate a fighting mechanic. Can you explain how this will work and which, if any, weapons will be made available?
J.N:The fighting mechanics has been developed to give the player a last hope in times of certain death. The fighting have two major areas, one where you wield a weapon and swing it using mouse-movements and the other as you pick up objects in the world and throw them at the enemies.

The weapons are in the style of practical beating tools such as a hammer and a stick. They are mostly used to solve puzzles and destroy the environment with, the usage as a weapon is more of a “side-effect”.

HEXUS: So will killing creatures be relatively easy or are there more innovative ways to dispose of them?
J.N:Killing the creatures will be very hard if you try and do it the normal FPS way. It's only something you will want to attempt if there is no other way out. We aim to make Penumbra: Overture a game where you are afraid of the creatures, where you have to sneak and use your wits to survive.

There will always be options in the levels for the player to trap or kill the creatures in various more creative ways! Perhaps even more importantly, creatures does not have to be killed at all, you can leave them be and they might leave you alone in return. If you are quiet that is...