Penarium Review: Sitting Down Is Hard To Do

Penarium asks players to hold a single position for minutes at a time. That sounds simple. It is not. The 2015 puzzle game for PS4, Linux, PC and Mac turns patience into a test, and it succeeds more often than it fails.

The Core Mechanic

Players sit in a chair, lean back, and move their arms to catch falling objects. The chair itself is the controller. Sensors track how far players lean forward and backward, and the game builds puzzles around that motion. Lean too far and an object breaks. Lean too little and it falls through.

The setup is unusual, and it takes a while to get used to. Players who expect quick action will find the pace frustrating. Those who settle into the rhythm will find the puzzles rewarding.

Level Design

The game’s levels are built around simple physics. Objects fall, roll, bounce, and split into smaller pieces. Players must learn how each shape behaves to solve a puzzle. The early levels teach the basics: catching a ball, stopping a rolling wheel, guiding a chain of blocks.

Later levels add complexity. Objects can split into multiple pieces, requiring players to catch several items at once. Some levels introduce hazards that force players to lean in ways that feel uncomfortable. The difficulty curve is steady, and the game rarely throws a completely new mechanic at players without warning.

The Chair As Controller

The chair system is the heart of Penarium. It works, but it is not perfect. Calibration takes time, and some players report small delays between leaning and the game’s response. This is a problem that affects the whole experience, since the entire game depends on accurate input.

The chair itself is the controller.

That line sums up both the game’s charm and its biggest issue. It is a clever idea, but it also means the hardware can fail. A broken sensor or a misaligned calibration can make a level impossible to complete fairly.

Sound And Presentation

The presentation is clean and minimal. Levels are mostly empty space, with objects floating against a flat background. The sound design focuses on the thud of objects hitting the chair and the gentle hum of the game’s engine. There is no music during puzzles, which keeps the focus on the task at hand.

This simplicity is a strength. Penarium does not try to dress up its puzzles with unnecessary spectacle. The game trusts its core idea to hold attention, and for the most part, it succeeds.

Where It Falls Short

Penarium is not without flaws. The biggest issue is the chair system itself. A broken sensor or a misaligned calibration can make a level impossible to complete fairly. Players who invest time in a level only to find it unplayable will likely feel frustrated.

Some levels also rely heavily on repeated patterns. Once a player learns how a particular object behaves, the solution becomes obvious, and the challenge disappears. This is a common problem in puzzle games, but it shows up more frequently in Penarium than in similar titles.

Replay Value

Penarium offers a mode that lets players revisit completed levels with faster timing. This adds replay value for players who want to improve their scores. The game also includes a mode where players can create their own puzzles, though this feature is limited compared to other user-generated content systems.

The main campaign is short enough that most players will finish it in a few hours. The additional modes extend the life of the game, but they are not enough to justify a long-term commitment.

How The Levels Rank

Here is a rough ranking of the game’s strengths and weaknesses, based on the experience of playing through it:

1. Level design — clear, fair, and steadily challenging
2. Presentation — clean, focused, and easy to read
3. Core mechanic — clever, engaging, and satisfying when it works
4. Replay value — adequate, thanks to the faster timing mode
5. Chair system — functional, but prone to failure
6. Sound design — pleasant, but thin and repetitive

This ranking reflects how the game performs across its different features. The level design is the strongest aspect, while the chair system is the weakest.

Final Score

Penarium is a solid, if flawed, puzzle game. Its innovative control scheme gives it a distinct identity that few other games share. The puzzles themselves are well designed and consistently challenging. However, the chair system’s reliability issues and the occasional repetition keep it from greatness.

For players willing to put up with a bit of technical hassle, Penarium offers a rewarding experience. For those who need a perfectly polished game, the flaws may be too much to bear.

Penarium earns a score of 7.5 out of 10.

game review · Indie Games · Penarium · PS4 · puzzle game