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Published By: Paradox Interactive
Developed By: Frictional Games
Genre: Compilation
Players: 1
Rated: M (Mature)

The third release in the Penumbra Collection, Requiem, is, well, not quite what was expected. It is in actuality an expansion to Black Plague, and not its own complete episode. Requiem doesn't really continue the story in any significant way, there are no survival-horror elements (indeed, there are no enemies at all), and gameplay is comprised of a very linear, disjointed series of puzzles.

Requiem picks up where Black Plague left off but, oddly, doesn't go anywhere. It picks up minutes after the end of Black Plague and finds Philip somehow transported to a ruin. Philip is seemingly at odds with a surviving infected scientist who mocks him over a PA system. He even encounters old friends along the way and is guided by an omnipresent female voice. Without giving away the ending, I will say that Requiem is not necessary to the plot of Penumbra, if that's what you're interested in. If you were frustrated by Black Plague's somewhat ambiguous conclusion, you'll just have to live with it, because Requiem will only tease you if you go into it expecting resolution.

The design is essentially the same, only stripped of some components. For one, Requiem isn't scary�it isn't trying to be. The stealth elements, the monsters, the psychological creepiness is all gone. This time around it's all about those physics puzzles, trying to find the exit portal in each area.

That's right, I said �exit portal.� If this design is sounding familiar, it might be because Requiem seems to be some kind of homage to Valve's brilliant Portal. You travel between isolated scenario puzzles, are guided by a disembodied voice, and you'll spend a lot of time working with cubes of all shapes and sizes. Each environment is different, however; a ruin, a cargo room, a lab, a station out in the tundra�the setting changes with each new puzzle.

The puzzles themselves should be familiar. With each one, you'll be using the game's robust physics engine to create new passageways, manipulate objects, operate machinery, etc. This time around, though, they're a little less intuitive than in Overture and Black Plague. On more than one occasion I simply found myself resorting to trial and error. Furthermore, a lack of explanation for new systems in some of the puzzles led to frustration. For the most part they were still enjoyable puzzles, but the solutions rarely seemed quite as natural as the did in the previous entries. Abstraction isn't a bad thing, necessarily, but when a game has established itself as being one thing, it's jarring when it suddenly decides to change things up. Still, there's something to be said for breaking expectations, from an artistic standpoint, and if you want some good head-scratchers to mull over, Requiem has them.

Along with the Portal-influenced design comes platforming. Ah, first-person platforming, one of my oldest foes. It's a good thing Frictional was able to pull it off, because it would be disastrous if they hadn't. In actuality, Frictional did an excellent job with the platforming elements. On very few occasions did I fall to my death and curse the game for it not being my fault. When it comes to first-person platforming, that's something I consider a success.

Requiem is a little like an add-on pack from back in the day. It doesn't necessarily expand on Black Plague. That is to say, it doesn't extend Black Plague in terms of plot, setting, or character. What it does is add new challenges, not related to the main game. If you liked the Penumbra puzzles, then what you're essentially getting is more of that-- a sort of �challenge mode� without the action bits.

7.5/10

Episode 1: Overture
Episode 2: Black Plague

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