Last May, Hothead Games released their first entry to Penny Arcade Adventures, an episodic series based on the hugely successful Penny Arcade webcomics. The first episode nicely paved the way for things to come by effectively capturing the look and humor of the comic while adding some pretty fun gameplay elements to boot. While the game wasn’t quite perfect (the RPG elements weren’t very fleshed out), it still represented the right way to approach an episodic series.

Now, Hothead have launched the second installment to the series, Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 2. For the most part, the game carries the storyline along while making a few good updates to the original’s gameplay. However, the game is still fairly light on the RPG elements, meaning that those who weren’t a fan of the gameplay mechanics in the first episode probably won’t get much out of this one. Still, if you’re a Penny Arcade fan look for the next piece of the story, then there’s no reason not to hop into this one.

Penny Arcade Adventures Ep. 2 picks up after the first game, following Gabe, Tycho, and your custom-made character after they’ve staved off the attack of nefarious mimes in the city of New Arcadia in 1922. Your group is still on the case of a giant robot that had destroyed a good chunk of your town in the previous episode.

The gameplay in Episode 2 is largely the same, although there have been some nice tweaks to make it more interesting. Some special moves now result in reflex-based mini-games, where the better you do, the more damage you’ll be able to inflict. Additionally, there is now a block indicator that comes onto the screen at the moment that you need to press the corresponding button, which helps make it easier to pull off than last time. However, on the whole the gameplay still feels quite light and doesn’t really compare to most RPG titles out there.

While the gameplay might feel a bit underdeveloped, the real point of the game is not how it plays, but rather how well it can effectively capture the humor of the webcomic. Luckily, as was the case for the first episode, the second entry does this very well. The characters and the dialogue are spot on, and some of the more hardcore fans of the comic will be able to pick up on a variety of in-jokes littered throughout the game’s universe. While the actual plot details of this entry are somewhat underwhelming and don't add a lot to the mythos of the series, what is here is pretty funny and compelling.

Graphically, those who played the first episode (and really, you probably wouldn’t be playing this one otherwise) will know what to expect. The character models and environments aren’t the most detailed, but they boast a stylized cartoony look that reflects the comic very well. There are some situations where you’ll have to retread the same environments, which can feel a bit redundant.

The music and sound effects are also very similar to the original title. The music is the same, and there are some nice, albeit limited voice effects.

There are some enhancements made on the gameplay front, but by and large Penny Arcade Adventures is still a pretty light RPG affair. Still, the gameplay isn’t really the point with this series, but rather the hilarious dialogue and characters. If you’re a fan of the first episode, then you’ll need to check this one out.

Gameplay: 7.5
There have been subtle improvements made to the combat system to make a few functions more intuitive, but the game has mostly the same light and fast RPG elements as the first entry.

Graphics: 8.0
Penny Arcade Ep. 2 has the same stylized look and character models as its predecessor. Some of the environments can get a little redundant.

Sound: 8.0
The game sounds roughly the same as the first, and still lacks the right amount of voice work.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.0
The story isn’t as compelling as the first episode, and feels more like a bridge between the first and third episodes. The dialogue is pretty hilarious though, if you’re a fan of the comics.

Overall: 8.0
Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 2 cleans up the combat issues in the first episode and offers up more hilarity. While the story isn’t quite at the same level as the first game, there’s plenty of reason for fans of the first episode to reinvest.