Zeboyd Games' Robert Boyd and Bill Stiernberg have announced a release window and other details for Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 4.
The next episode in the role-playing adventure is coming this spring to Xbox Live Arcade and PC for 400 Microsoft Points or $4.99, according to IGN.
Stiernberg said he thinks "people will see a noticeable boost in Rain-Slick 4’s visuals compared to our previous games."
Many fans complained that Rain-Slick 3 was "too linear," so Zeboyd is adding in more optional areas, secrets, and secondary routes to dungeons.
The game will also feature a "freely explorable overworld," and Stiernberg said he's building more impressive — but not confusing or convoluted — maps.
"The other major feedback we've tried to take into account for the fourth game was the complaint that it was too easy to find a winning strategy early on in the game and then use that strategy with few adjustments throughout the entire game," said Boyd. "We've made a number of adjustments, both small and not so small, to try to encourage the player to play around with a number of different setups and strategies as the game progresses."
Boyd said after the game is finished, he and Stiernberg will move on to a sci-fi/spy role-playing game codenamed CSH.
"Distant future setting, female protagonist, on-map battles, more animated sprites, cool level-up system," said Boyd. "In short: the works. We'll probably be doing a Kickstarter for that project after we have some gameplay footage ready to show since we want to really take things up to the next level. Chrono Trigger has held the position of best 16-bit style RPG for too long — it's time for that position to be challenged!"
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