Penarium

 PC
Penarium Image
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 12 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • 10
  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • Summary: Penarium is a frantic 2D arena arcade game in which you take on the role of quirky antihero, Willy. Willy is trapped in a crazy circus show where he needs to run, jump, and avoid an array of killer death-traps while being cheered on by a sadistic crowd that’s out for blood — his blood. [SelfPenarium is a frantic 2D arena arcade game in which you take on the role of quirky antihero, Willy. Willy is trapped in a crazy circus show where he needs to run, jump, and avoid an array of killer death-traps while being cheered on by a sadistic crowd that’s out for blood — his blood. [Self Made Miracle]… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Hooked Gamers
    Oct 1, 2015
    85
    With old-school visuals and audio, simple controls and some devilishly tricky levels, Penarium is a heap of fun.
  2. Games Master UK
    Dec 1, 2015
    83
    A fast-paced test of nerve and skill, Penarium offers all the fun of the fair in single-or multiplayer. [Dec 2015, p.70]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. GameWatcher
    Sep 23, 2015
    80
    Penarium is an excellent game that delivers quality fun with or without friends.
  4. Destructoid
    Oct 23, 2015
    80
    Penarium is incredibly fun, but could have been even better if the multiplayer and arcade modes had taken some inspiration from the campaign. But even then, what's left is overall a fantastic experience.
  5. Gamer.nl
    Oct 6, 2015
    80
    Penarium is an extremely difficult, but also fun game. No matter how much you want to curse and throw your controller away; there is always time for another round.
  6. Everyeye.it
    Sep 22, 2015
    68
    The idea is interesting, but it really lacks variety, and it grows old much too soon.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. Artoorzyn
    Jul 12, 2016
    8
    Naprawdę hardkorowa produkcja, ale też dająca masę frajdy. Smoki będą mi się śnić po nocach. ;)
    Really hardcor game, but it gives a lot of    Naprawdę hardkorowa produkcja, ale też dająca masę frajdy. Smoki będą mi się śnić po nocach. ;)
    Really hardcor game, but it gives a lot of fun. The dragons will be mine nighhtmares. ;)    … Expand
  2. PanMrkvicka
    Feb 12, 2020
    5
    Its fine. Like thats it, it feels more like a flash or mobile game than an actual game. Theres little content but its fun challenge for a few minutes.
  4. Beltala
    Apr 6, 2020
    5
    Penarium is a hateful, spiteful game that aims to make you cry. You know the types of games I'm talking about - Super Meat Boy, I Wanna Be ThePenarium is a hateful, spiteful game that aims to make you cry. You know the types of games I'm talking about - Super Meat Boy, I Wanna Be The Guy - this game operates with the same modus operandi as those two did.

    Unfortunately, Penarium often falls into the same trap the "super hard indie game designed to make YouTubers yell" genre often falls into - a lot of the difficulty isn't so much exhilarating as it is really annoying, and not just because double jumping fails to register about 20% of the time.

    Here's my rule as far as difficulty goes: if you look at something and your reaction is "oh man, this is gonna be tough, can't wait" then you're doing something right. On the other hand, if you look at something and your reaction is "oh man, this looks horrendous, I'd really rather shove a cactus up my ass than have to do this", that's a problem, and that's a sadly far too common feeling in Penarium.    … Expand
  5. Baltifru
    Apr 19, 2020
    5
    A fast-paced platformer arcade mini-game with minimalist gameplay. Funny for a few minutes but quickly repetitive.
  6. TitaniumDragon
    Feb 6, 2016
    0
    A hardcore 2D platform hell game full of fake difficulty and only two hours long even at that, this game is really not worth your time.

    In    A hardcore 2D platform hell game full of fake difficulty and only two hours long even at that, this game is really not worth your time.

    In the campaign mode, the levels are mostly very similar; the main difference tends to be what obstacles are thrown at you, and on occasion, a few alternate tasks to complete. You are subjected to drowning, platforms being blown up, the obstacles being moved around on you, rhythmically crushing walls, dragons that burst out of the wall in long parabolic arcs that you must avoid, and numerous other things. The levels themselves are very small – a single screen wide – and they loop around the edges, so you can jump from the right side of the screen to the left and vice-versa.

    Your goal is to clear all thirty of these levels. If you die during them, you must start that level over again; most of the levels are very short, but even still, they are broken up into multiple (3-4) sections; the longer levels have as much as 10 sections, and can be kind of frustrating to start over. Even still, even with this artificially lengthened gameplay time, it still takes two hours to beat.

    You do learn to get better at the game, which leads to the somewhat strange situation where you are likely to struggle the most with the levels more towards the middle of the game than the ones at the very end, as the difficulty only changes modestly, and there are only a very limited number of platform setups throughout the entire game.

    After you beat those levels, you’re done and the game is over. You can play the arcade mode, which is more of the same but gives you coins which you can use to buy cards which give you minor bonuses periodically in the arcade mode. It is endless, and you can try to survive and get a high score, but it is pretty repetitive and not very entertaining.

    There is just nothing to recommend here. The graphics are unappealing, the levels are bland, boring, and repetitive, the game is incredibly short and yet still too long for the amount of content it has…

    This game is not only not worth your money, it is not worth your time.    … Expand

Current PC Games

Full List »
97 Disco Elysium: The Final Cut
89 Psychonauts 2
89 Chicory: A Colorful Tale
88 Wildermyth
88 It Takes Two
85 The Forgotten City
84 Griftlands
84 Eastward
82 Kaze and the Wild Masks
80 The Artful Escape
78 Imagine Earth
78 Sable
77 Twelve Minutes
76 Unbound: Worlds Apart
73 Idol Manager
71 Boyfriend Dungeon
67 Biomutant
67 Rustler
67 Edge Of Eternity
64 Red Solstice 2: Survivors
All Current Games »