Penny Arcade: Rain-Slick 4 details emerge, features open overworld, less linear locations

I wasn't aware that - deep breath - Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 was getting a sequel, much less one that wraps up the tril...quad...tetralogy once and for all. But it is, it's coming this Spring, and it will be slightly different from the last one. How slightly different? Well, if developer Zeboyd's interview with IGN is anything to go by, very slightly different indeed. How do you feel about an open overworld, in a less linear game with more optional areas/secondary routes and secrets? You feel good, obviously, because those things are great.

"Rain-Slick 3 took place entirely in one city," Zeboyd's Bill Stienberg explains in the interview, "but Rain-Slick 4 takes place in an entirely new world, essentially. That gives us the freedom to really open up the game to a large and varied environment and let players explore." It's down to Zeboyd having more creative freedom in this fourth and final PAOTRSPOD, putting their own stamp on the story as well.

Excitingly, Zeboyd also reveal their plans for the future, which involve a "sci-fi/spy RPG", which they'll probably take to Kickstarter to fund. Robert Boyd spills the beans. "Code name acronym: CSH. Distant future setting, female protagonist, on-map battles, more animated sprites, cool level-up system. In short: the works." Whatever CSH ends up standing for, Zeboyd aim to take their 2D RPGs to another level with this one. "Chrono Trigger has held the position of best 16-bit style RPG for too long -- it's time for that position to be challenged!"