Penarium

Arena based bullet hell platformer, oddly addicting. I don't know if the game was the cause, but I was having trouble where jumping wouldn't register sometimes. I thought it might be my controller, so I started using the keyboard, but that had the issue too. Also had lots of slow downs and frame drops for such a small game, but I'll chalk that up to my computer sucking. Story mode is relatively short at around 3 hours long, but I could see how that could be shorter or longer depending on skill.

Penarium, developed by Self Made Miracle and published by Team17 Digital Ltd, is an inventive and darkly humorous 2D arcade platformer that transforms the colorful world of the circus into a violent playground of deadly traps and relentless challenges. The game follows Willy, a naïve farm boy who joins the circus in hopes of adventure but finds himself caught in a nightmarish show where the only rule is survival. The tone is immediately striking: cheerful carnival music masks a grim premise as you’re forced to perform for a crowd that delights in your suffering. What emerges is a frantic, finely tuned game that combines old-school arcade reflex testing with modern precision platforming. The gameplay in Penarium is deceptively simple yet layered with tension and variety. Each level places you in an enclosed arena filled with hazards that trigger in unpredictable patterns—flamethrowers, spinning blades, rockets, lasers, and even falling barrels that fill the screen with chaos. Your only tools are movement and a double jump, but these limited mechanics are honed to perfection. The controls are responsive and immediate, and every success or failure feels earned. The structure revolves…

This game was my childhood

Terrible. Don't do it.

Great game.

I really enjoy this game. It's a pretty simple platformer but the story and things trying to kill you keeps you playing for a bit. :)