When comparing Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition vs Alan Wake, the Slant community recommends Alan Wake for most people. In the question“What are the best horror games for PC?” Alan Wake is ranked 9th while Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition is ranked 26th. The most important reason people chose Alan Wake is:
The story of an author trying to break out of a writers block slump, who is trying to meet a deadline, decides to travel to the countryside with his wife in order to relax. Of course the wife is kidnapped as weird events start following the protagonist around. This is just the outline, but it is very fleshed out through great voice acting as well as interesting TV like scripted segments that break up the gameplay. Overall it shows a lot of polish and makes for a story that is intriguing, that player wants to stick around to resolve.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro In game physics provide a sense of immersion
Throughout the game the player is tasked with opening doors, rolling barrels, or pulling open drawers, this is done by using certain mouse motions to complete, so say for instance if one wants to open a drawer they need to not only click on it but hold the click while making a pulling motion with the mouse. It is through this realistic portrayal of interaction that allows one to feel immersed in the game environment.
Pro Intuitive puzzles that can be solved realistically
Penumbra offers puzzles in a realistic setting where if one wants to get pas say some oil barrels, the obvious solution is that you can burn them. It is through using puzzles that ask for logical solutions that the game sets itself apart from many puzzle games where solving is not quite so logical.
Pro Immersive story
The story of an author trying to break out of a writers block slump, who is trying to meet a deadline, decides to travel to the countryside with his wife in order to relax. Of course the wife is kidnapped as weird events start following the protagonist around. This is just the outline, but it is very fleshed out through great voice acting as well as interesting TV like scripted segments that break up the gameplay. Overall it shows a lot of polish and makes for a story that is intriguing, that player wants to stick around to resolve.
Cons
Con Sub-par graphics
While the gameplay itself is pretty good the graphics hold the game back as they look pretty poor.
Con Late game drags
Sadly the late game story and gameplay drags a bit, making for a title that is stretched just a bit to long as the written and played scenarios get more and more outrageous.