Software:Penumbra: Requiem

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Penumbra: Requiem
Developer(s)Frictional Games
Publisher(s)Paradox Interactive
Designer(s)
  • Jens Nilsson
  • Thomas Grip
Programmer(s)Thomas Grip
Artist(s)Marc Nicander
Writer(s)Tom Jubert
Composer(s)Mikko Tarmia
EngineHPL Engine 1
Platform(s)Windows, Linux, Mac OS X
ReleaseWindows
27 August 2008
Linux, OS X
17 November 2008
Genre(s)Survival horror
Mode(s)Single-player

Penumbra: Requiem is an expansion pack to the game Software:Penumbra: Black Plague developed by Frictional Games.

Gameplay

Like the previous games, Requiem is an exploration-based adventure game that takes place from a first-person perspective. Unlike Black Plague and Overture however, the focus is almost exclusively on puzzle solving. No enemies are encountered, meaning that the player can only be injured by environmental hazards.

Plot

The game begins as the last one ends, with Philip sending the 'kill them all' message. As soon as he finishes, one of the Infected barges in and hits Phillip on the head with something unseen. The player then controls a character in some kind of tomb. Items need to be collected in each chamber in order to move on to the next. In the journey, the player starts to see familiar places from other parts of the facility and begins to receive communications from persons who Philip had encountered previously, such as Dr. Richard Emminis who Philip encountered in the Computer Room of Black Plague, a member of the Archaic Elevated Caste called Eloff Carpenter, as well as a person who later identifies himself as Philip's former adviser, Red, from the first Penumbra game.

As time goes on, various strange happenings occur, such as the Computer referring to both Philip and the Player directly by name as well as more bizarre environments and puzzles. The game, and the entire series, has two possible endings. One concludes with Philip joining Red in the incinerator from Overture, deeming regular life not worth living. As the rest of Requiem seems to have been a figment of Philip's mind, this leaves him dead in the room where the game originally began and where Black Plague ended. Philip can also choose to leave Red to die on his own, and return to the fishing boat which was originally used to take him to the mine in the first place. This seems to be a fulfilling of Red's statement that it is "better to have a story and end it than never to realize it has begun".

Development

With the announcement of Software:Penumbra: Black Plague, the series (originally intended to be a trilogy) was reduced to two episodes due to unidentified problems with the previous publisher, Lexicon Entertainment.[1] After the release of Black Plague, there continued to be no indication that the developers intended to expand the series other than an April Fools' Day posting about "Penumbra 3: Back With a Vengeance", a game which promised over-the-top violence and "an action-filled blood soaked ending!"[2]

However, the developers did eventually decide that they would release a third installment in the form of an expansion pack[3] in order to tie up loose ends and more fully utilize some of the series' characters, as well as to create a more puzzle-focused title in order to fully showcase the HPL Engine 1's advanced physics effects.[4] Penumbra: Requiem was officially announced on 16 April 2008.[5] During the expansion's development, work also began on what would become Software:Amnesia: The Dark Descent.[6]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic67/100[7]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Adventure GamersStarStarStar[8]
IGN7.5/10[9]
PC Gamer (UK)60%[10]

Penumbra: Requiem was less popular than the previous games in the series, receiving "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Jong, Philip (25 December 2007). "Jens Nilsson, Thomas Grip, TJ Jubert". http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/293/. 
  2. ↑ "Penumbra 3 - BWaV Announced!". 1 April 2008. https://www.frictionalgames.com/site/node/62. 
  3. ↑ Gray, James (2008-04-25). "Linux Product Insider: Penumbra: Black Plague for Linux". https://www.linuxjournal.com/content/linux-product-insider-penumbra-black-plague-linux. 
  4. ↑ Walker, John (21 July 2008). "RPS Interview: Penumbra's Tom Jubert". Gamer Network. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/07/21/rps-interview-penumbras-tom-jubert/. 
  5. ↑ Rainier (16 April 2008). "'Penumbra: Requiem' Announced". https://worthplaying.com/article/2008/4/16/news/50470/. 
  6. ↑ Walker, John (17 February 2009). "Frictional Games On Penumbra And The Future". Gamer Network. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/02/17/interview-frictional-games-on-penumbra-and-the-future/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Penumbra: Requiem for PC Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/penumbra-requiem/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  8. ↑ Young, Stuart (30 September 2008). "Penumbra: Requiem". https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18211. 
  9. ↑ Onyett, Charles (12 September 2008). "Penumbra: Requiem Review". Ziff Davis. http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/09/13/penumbra-requiem-review. 
  10. ↑ "Penumbra: Requiem". PC Gamer UK (Future plc): 70. 25 December 2008. 
  • Official website
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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