Although the cases are numbered, they're not completed in that order and in fact several overlap, with items gained and locations unlocked partway through some cases that are required for completing cases opened much earlier in the game.
The majority of the game's plot takes place in Case 2: The Game Is Afoot, with other cases being completed to gather items required for the main story.
Prologue[edit]
Four Gods wait on the windowsill,
Where once eight Gods did war and will,
And if the Gods themselves may die,
What does that say for you and I?—The Quartet for the Dusk of Man
Characters[edit]
Aside from the player's avatar, there are a number of characters in New Arcadia who will play recurring roles within the story.
Party members[edit]
You[edit]
The player character's appearance is customized before starting the game. Your home on Desperation St. was destroyed by a giant robot, and you decided to hunt it down, for revenge and for insurance purposes.
- Special attacks: Press
or as the arrow passes over each target; hitting all four will cause your enemy to "bleed" for a short time. More powerful attacks require you to hit moving targets increase damage cause by both the initial strike and the bleed effect.
John "Gabe" Gabriel[edit]
Believing that "all famous people start out as orphans," Johnathan Gabriel left home at an early age. Learning to fight on the mean streets of New Arcadia, this path would ultimately take him to the top of the prize-fighting circuit. Everything was going great - that is, until he fought the devil. It's kind of a long story, ask me later. His parents are still quite worried.
—Official bio
- Special attacks: Rapidly press or to fill the attack meter before the timer runs out, then press it again when the marker passes over the target area. More powerful attacks have a shorter timer, but can stun single or multiple enemies.
Tycho Brahe[edit]
Upon graduating from New Arcadia's Old Academy with a Doctorate in Apocalyptics, Tycho Brahe founded the Startling Developments Detective Agency. With its charter to "Tread, without fear, in the whispering dark," he and partner Johnathan Gabriel take on those cases too startling for their contemporaries.
—Official bio
- Special attacks: Shoot the targets in the order as they appear using the directional keys or ,
, 
and 
. More powerful attacks require you to hit more targets, but can inflict damage on multiple opponents.
Supporting characters[edit]
T. Kemper[edit]
This cat is lazy, even by cat standards. He joins your party during the Tutorial.
- Special Move: Grooming (or Dooming)
Has a 1 in 2,104,294 chance of coughing up a devastating furball, causing 999 damage to all opponents, but usually only inflicts a single point of damage on each enemy.
Anne-Claire Forthwith[edit]
Tycho Brahe's niece is a mechanical genius. She is ordinarily forbidden to see him, so it's lucky that her parents are often on vacation. She joins the party after retrieving the Steaming Bolt during Case 2: The Game Is Afoot.
- Special Move: Flamethrower
Showers enemies with pure butane fury, dealing 100 points of damage to each opponent. Double damage vs. Fruit Fuckers.
Fuchsia[edit]
Anne-Claire's modified robot is mostly reformed. Fuchsia joins the party after Anne-Claire adjusts the inactive robot found during Case 2: The Game Is Afoot to Anne-Claire.
- Special Move: Rainbow
A stronger and stronger blast with each use, starting at 25 and increasing to 300 points of damage.
Other characters[edit]
James Filth[edit]
A sanitation worker in Hobo Alley. There is a poet here, somewhere beneath the rancid butter and the other disgusting shit.
Gerhard Kettle[edit]
A social worker in the east of Hobo Alley. This man is as sensitive and genuine as you are likely to meet, outside of the greeting card industry.
Dr. Ernald P. Wimple[edit]
A hobo scientist in the north of Hobo Alley. This old man, whose suit must have been very snappy thirty years ago, positively reeks of urine.
Kurtis Swindell[edit]
A reputable vendor, who runs the souvenir stand at the entrance to Pelican Bay boardwalk. It seems like he could use medication of some kind. Perhaps many kinds.
Dr. Coriander Stripe[edit]
An ex-mime scientist on the Pelican Bay boardwalk who has lost the tools of his trade. You wonder what strange events conspired to create a mime who is also a scientist.
Locations[edit]
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode 1 takes place in four locations around the city of New Arcadia in 1922.
Desperation St[edit]
Your character's home was on this quiet street until a giant robot smashed its way through.
Anne-Claire's Room[edit]
The bedroom and makeshift laboratory workshop of Tycho's niece, Anne-Claire.
Hobo Alley[edit]
The New Arcadia slums, inhabited by dozens of hobos.
Key:
- James Filth
- Ernest P. Whimple
- Gerhard Kettle
- The Shithole
The Shithole[edit]
An aptly-named apartment complex in Hobo Alley, owned by a golden-haired landlord.
Pelican Bay[edit]
A seaside resort and fairground, populated by mimes, clowns and barbershop quartets.
Key:
- Kurtis Swindell
- Dr. Coriander Stripe
- Flying Pricks
- Madame Zodora
- Vandalism
- Balls and Holes
- The Cataract
- Yog Sethis, The Silent One
Flying Pricks[edit]
Throw darts at the balloons to score points. Score at least 13 points to win a red token.
Balls and Holes[edit]
Throw balls at a target board. The final ball scores triple. Score 1300 points or more to win a blue token.
Vandalism[edit]
Throw stones at stacks of bottles. Press 
or 
to aim horizontally, then vertically. Score at least 15 to win a green token.