Black Plague wants to scare you, and apparently figuring that the story, the mysterious artifacts, the voice in your head and the shambling infected aren't enough to do it, it turns out the lights, too. The darkness isn't particularly frightening, though, just annoying. There isn't much to look at, and there's never any real threat of something jumping out of the shadows at you, so the gloom serves little purpose other than making it harder to find the batteries you need to power the flashlight to find the batteries.

Favoring puzzles and exploration over combat is a fine choice, but the puzzles are somewhat lackluster and require a bit too much hunting around in desk drawers and stacking of boxes. There are definitely some truly scary moments in Penumbra: Black Plague, and the story is good enough to make you want to find out how everything all turns out at the end. Don't clear your calendar to play it, but if your gaming slate is clear, and you're in the mood for a bit of horror, consider giving it a try.

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