Second Opinion - Lair of the Seamstress (DLC)

Within the next couple of weeks, Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness will finally be complete with the release of Episode 4 from Zeboyd Games. A few pieces of DLC have been automatically added to Episode 3 since it was first released, two of which (Lair of the Seamstress and The Beginning of the End) actually contribute to the story of the game. Since we're a bit behind on those, we decided it would be a good idea to actually play these bits of additional gameplay as a lead-in to the upcoming Episode 4. Now without further ado, let's take a look at the first of these, Lair of the Seamstress.

As I mentioned in my review of Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3, the gameplay involves Class Pins that offer you new abilities in combat, of which there are 17. Once you reach Level 40 on all 17 Pins, you must go to the top floor of the temple, where a portal is opened that leads you to the titular Lair of the Seamstress. Your entire party (Gabe, Tycho, Jim, and Moira) is then brought down to Level 1 (but only within the DLC area) and must face waves of enemies of increasing difficulty as you Level back up.

While the gameplay isn't any different, it is an interesting experience to be de-powered and then have to fight in order to gain your abilities back. Though some enemies are ones you may have faced in the main game, what I like is that some of the ones chosen are ones that represent each of the Class Pins and what powers they have to offer. As I went through each encounter, I had to really think about what strategy I wanted to use with the abilities I was given to work with. There are also some additional moments of hilarity in the text boxes, on par with that of the game itself, which only enhances the experience of it being a Penny Arcade game. The final boss against the Seamstress is a very difficult one indeed; even after lowering the difficulty to Easy during my multiple attempts, I somehow managed to beat her with what I would consider a great deal of luck, coupled with the strategy I developed over time with the intent to take her down.

One of the most satisfying screenshots you will ever see in DLC for a retro
installment in an episodic game based on a webcomic

Overall, the Lair of the Seamstress DLC, while challenging, is a fairly short but fulfilling side-quest to explore. Your efforts are rewarded at the end, though that's all I'm going to say about it to prevent spoilers for those that haven't played OTRSPOD 3 yet. If you haven't already, have we mentioned it only costs $5?