Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work at the ESRB? Their description of the new Penny Arcade Adventures episode gives us a pretty good idea of what they must witness on a daily basis.

Players battle enemies using a role-playing game style combat system, taking turns using fists and weapons to harm various robots and humans. Several cutscenes depict ‘cartoony,’ over-the-top instances of violence, including heads being blown off, characters sliced up by lasers, splattering blood and flying body parts. Humor is often based on bodily functions and ‘by-products’ (e.g., syringe injections full of urine) and sometimes sexuality (e.g., robots humping legs, testicles and taxidermy). The game also contains frequent use of strong profanity (e.g., “f*ck” and “sh*t”).

Come on, how could you not want that job?

Six months after their debut episode (add an extra month for this extremely late review), a new chapter of On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness has dropped on our laps. It took balls for the Penny Arcade guys to put out their own game. They definitely proved that they had the cojones the first time around. The real test for this episode is whether or not they can improve the experience. Since I’m not really the type of person to keep you in suspense, I’ll just tell you that they succeeded.

There aren’t that many genuinely hilarious games out there, but even if there were, Penny Arcade would stand head and shoulders over most of the competition. The setting, a delicious brand of steampunk with nods to Cthulhu, was enough to win my heart. Throughout the eight or so hours that you’ll spend playing this game, you’ll visit an insane asylum, a scientific symposium on “the future of man,” the most violent upper-class neighborhood on Earth, and the World’s Fair.

Of course, this is Penny Arcade, so everything is completely tongue-in-cheek. The scientists duke it out with pet monkeys, the asylum is run by a game warden who is crazier than his patients, and steam-powered fruit-raping robots litter the country-side. Even the environments have their own personality, I don’t think that I’ve ever taken the time to examine every object in a game before. It’s a testament to the love that these guys have put into their game that there is basically no filler text. Even if there are a dozen crates in a room, each and every one has a different description.

The setting is just background for the real stars of the show, the characters and dialogue. Those two in particular are Holkins’ forte, so I’d be disappointed if they didn’t shine in the game. If you read the comics on any regular basis, you should know who most of the characters are already. Gabe and Tycho are there for nearly every minute of the game, as are the Fruit Fuckers. Other familiar faces include Twisp and Catsby, Annarchy (as mechanical genius Anne Claire), Charles (the Mac guy), Dr. Raven Darktalon Blood, and a certain drunken piece of obsolete technology. The interplay between these characters is brilliant, dripping with pure unadulterated sarcasm.

I compared the first game to an Adult Swim cartoon, and I think that still stands. This game’s unapologeticly adult content would be right at home on the late-night animation block. Game content, writing in particular, often seems to get watered down for some reason. In some cases, it’s to match with a particular ESRB rating. Even some “mature” games don’t really seem to push the boundaries of the rating. Penny Arcade Adventures is almost a breath of fresh air. It’s a cartoonish game, sure, but it doesn’t tone down the jokes, language, or gore for a second. The creators know their audience, and the content is aimed right at them. So, if you are easily offended by cursing, blasphemous dark gods, mimes, fruit sex or blood, you might want to stay far away.

Rain-Slick Precipice is a role-playing game. Your character (which can be imported from the first game) teams up with Gabe and Tycho to avert the apocalypse. Along the way, you’ll fight a lot of people (actually, nearly everyone you run into). The combat system is a little different from the genre standard. The closest analogue that I can think of is the combat from Paper Mario. The entire thing is pretty heavily based on timing. You have to pay pretty close attention if you want to get it right. On your end, each character has a gauge that fills based on their speed. At first, you’ll just be able to use items. Wait a little longer and you can use your standard attack. If you let your gauge fill, you can unleash a special attack. The special attacks are where the system gets really fun. Once you choose one, you’ll split off into a little minigame that will determine the damage that your attack will do. Gabe’s game is kind of like Guitar Hero – press the right button just as its icon lands on a bar. Tycho’s is closer to the hacking game from Mass Effect. As a “target” pops up, you press the corresponding button. You just have to avoid hitting the button when a friendly target is there. Your character is trying to press a button when their arrow is on the right part of a clock. If more than one character has a special attack ready, they can combine efforts for a massive “team-up” move.

The timing elements don’t end there. You can completely block enemy attacks by hitting a trigger button at just the right time. If you’re really good (or lucky), you can land a counterattack. It’s a pretty awesome system that makes the combat more fun than it is in most role-playing games. My only complaint (which is one that I had for the first game) is that there’s almost no variety in enemy types. Not counting the Fruit Fuckers, every area only has one or two enemy types (and most encounters will feature both of them). In battle-heavy areas, it gets a little boring when you have to fight the same enemies over and over again.

Penny Arcade Episode 2 takes the first game and makes it bigger and better. There are new unlockables, more cutscenes, and a bunch of great little interface tweaks. Really hardcore fans will enjoy the new “insane mode” that is unlocked when you complete your first run through the game. Fifteen bucks for eight hilarious hours is a pretty good deal, especially if you dig the comics and played the first game. If you have a soft spot in your heart for dark gods or steam-powered robots, I can’t recommend Rain-Slick Precipice enough.