Penkura
- December 19, 2018
- Lionsart
- 28h median play time
Get on Steam"Penkura is a single-player Role Playing game with a good plot and fabulous visuals. It features a top-down real-time strategy system and first-person exploration, with classic death mechanics that require you to construct your own robotic companions for protection and resource gathering. The game encourages players to choose their own approach, offering a variety of buildings, machines, bots, and items to construct using the Molecular Matter Converter or Command Control Communication."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a lot of potential and offers engaging base building and exploration mechanics.
- The developer is active and responsive to community feedback, which enhances the overall experience.
- The graphics and atmosphere are visually appealing, creating an immersive environment for players.
- The game feels incomplete and lacks sufficient content, with many players finishing the current missions quickly.
- There are concerns about the slow pace of development and the game's long history in early access without significant updates.
- Some players have reported bugs and glitches that affect gameplay, leading to frustration.
- story60 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely praised for its compelling and engaging narrative, drawing players into a mysterious world filled with lore and puzzles. While many reviewers appreciate the intriguing storyline and immersive atmosphere, they also note that the game is still in early access, with limited content currently available, leaving them eager for future updates and expansions. Overall, the foundation of the story is seen as strong, with potential for further development as the game progresses.
“The game draws you in quickly with its storyline and the atmosphere that is created and is very addictive.”
“What is known regarding the lore/main story seems very interesting and engaging - the game is actually more story-led than Subnautica, with the story development keeping a decent constant level of attention.”
“I love the story, it keeps you wondering if there is a solution and an escape.”
“It is not completed, obvious by its early access designation, and even though it has been for 6 years the devs are still active and producing content for the game though I would have hoped they were farther along in the storyline in that time period because I want to play more!”
“The game just stops after completing about 7 missions and 2 missions are started, but incomplete from the developers (a red note appears stating as much in the 'journal').”
“Lacks in content/story for the moment, I blasted through it in about 4 hours, but the game mechanics seem to be in place already and are ironed out, and the upcoming patch 0.2 is supposed to massively expand on content.”
- gameplay25 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
Overall, the gameplay is well-received, featuring engaging mechanics such as base building, survival elements, and an intriguing storyline, though some players note a lack of content in the current version. The game is polished with no significant bugs reported, and future updates promise to enhance gameplay by introducing more areas, NPCs, and automation features. While some find the complexity daunting, many appreciate the intuitive design and potential for exploration and task automation.
“The roadmap shows that, as new updates to the game emerge, players will have the ability to choose their type of gameplay.”
“The building mechanics are intelligently designed, with straightforward recipes and visible material requirements for constructions.”
“The future potential to program bots to automate tasks promises to revolutionize gameplay, freeing you to explore, hunt, and uncover the game’s many secrets.”
“One note though (after watching some playthroughs): the game is not too friendly towards 'monkey in the shop' gameplay style.”
“Lacks in content/story for the moment, I blasted through it in about 4 hours, but the game mechanics seem to be in place already and are ironed out, and the upcoming patch 0.2 is supposed to massively expand on content.”
“Not a whole lot of gameplay has been added yet, but the updates are fairly frequent and the growing community is friendly.”
- graphics18 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive a mixed but generally positive reception, with many players praising the visuals as beautiful and immersive, comparable to modern titles. While some note that the graphics are not AAA quality and there are occasional bugs due to the game's early development stage, the overall consensus highlights a well-executed art style that enhances the gameplay experience. Players appreciate the game's ability to run smoothly on relatively recent hardware, contributing to its appeal.
“Absolutely love this game, it is very well made and I am in love with the graphics and style.”
“The visuals are amazing and the game is a lot of fun to play and explore.”
“The game has a lot of potential, very beautiful graphics and it seems to be a very interesting story - still need a lot of things to be finished!”
“This is a cash grab... the graphics are poor.”
“Graphically it's decent, so any computer built within the last 4 years should be able to run it, albeit with certain buggy-ness to the game - which is expected of an early version.”
“Some levels are fairly dark, unsure if it's intentionally designed as such as part of the aesthetics, or just wrong screen settings on my part.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive qualities, drawing players in with a captivating storyline and a rich, living environment. Reviewers highlight the effective use of sound, lighting, and pacing, which together create a tense yet beautiful experience that enhances gameplay and encourages exploration. Overall, the atmosphere is described as addictive and cohesive, making every element feel interconnected.
“The game draws you in quickly with its storyline and the atmosphere that is created and is very addictive.”
“Extremely atmospheric game, spent way too much time clenching around every corner while appreciating that this game takes the chance to play with lighting, sound, and story to give some serious tense anxiety - alongside with a lot more living alien environment all around.”
“Everything feels like it belongs together, from the atmosphere to the UI to the way you interact with the world.”
“The atmosphere is bland and uninspired, making it hard to immerse myself in the game.”
“Despite the potential, the atmosphere feels empty and lifeless, lacking any real sense of place.”
“The game's atmosphere is overshadowed by repetitive environments that fail to evoke any emotion.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be significant, with some describing it as enjoyable and fitting for survival crafting genres, while others note it can be quite tedious, involving a lot of back-and-forth movement. However, there are plans to improve travel options and automate tasks, which may alleviate some of the grindiness in the future. Overall, the game is appreciated for its engaging story and appealing graphics, making the grind feel worthwhile for many players.
“This game is great if you just want to veg...mostly because it's one of the most grindy games I've ever played.”
“If you like survival crafting games (that are a bit grindy--but in a good way) then you should check this one out.”
“It has a really good story and nice gameplay (except for some running back and forth- but it's a given in survival games and there are plans to add some other means of travel in the future as well as ways to program drones so they perform tedious tasks themselves).”
- stability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game exhibits a mix of stability, with some users reporting glitches and bugs, particularly in its early alpha state, including issues that can break save files. However, many players find the gameplay polished and largely bug-free, suggesting that it runs well on modern hardware. Overall, while there are stability concerns, the potential for enjoyable experiences is acknowledged.
“The gameplay is very polished, good looking, and surprisingly bug-free after about 30-40 hours of playtime.”
“The game has a few glitches, but overall it is an interesting indie game.”
“Graphically it's decent, so any computer built within the last 4 years should be able to run it, albeit with certain bugs in the game - which is expected of an early version.”
“The game is still, in my opinion, in early alpha and has some terrain glitches and bugs that break save files.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game is criticized as a cash grab, with users expressing dissatisfaction over the poor graphics. However, some believe that with better publicity and advertising, the game could succeed, given the potential demonstrated by a small influencer's promotion.
“This is a cash grab... the graphics are poor.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative and detracts from the overall experience.”
“It's frustrating to see so many paywalls in a game that could be great without them.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is well-optimized, delivering smooth performance with frame rates between 60-80 fps on mid-range systems.
“Good optimization and performance.”
“Runs smoothly at around 60-80 fps on my half-decent system.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its seamless integration with the gameplay, enhancing the overall experience. Reviewers note that the sound quality is excellent, contributing to the game's stunning visuals and smooth controls.
“The soundtrack really works well with it.”
“The controls are smooth, the sound and music are great, it looks stunning, and with everything maxed out, my PC barely warms up while playing it.”
