Penarium on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Penarium is a frantic 2D arena arcade game where you take on the role of Willy, trapped in a sinister circus show. Run, jump and avoid an array of killer death-traps while being cheered on by a sadistic crowd that’s out for blood.
Penarium is a indie, action and funny game
developed by Self Made Miracle
and published by Team17 Digital Ltd.
Released on September 22nd 2015 is available on Windows, MacOS and Linux
in 5 languages: English, French, German, Spanish - Spain and Russian.
It has received 403 reviews of which 339 were positive and 64 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.9 out of 10. 😊
The game is currently priced at 8.99€ on Steam, but you can find it for less on K4G.
The Steam community has classified Penarium into these genres:
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS *: Windows Vista
- Processor: Dual Core CPU 2.4 gHz
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000, Nvidia GeForce 8000, ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series
- DirectX: Version 9.0
- Storage: 300 MB available space
- Sound Card: Windows Compatible Card
MacOS
- OS: OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion
- Processor: 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M or equivalent
- Storage: 500 MB available space
Linux
- OS: Ubuntu 12.04 64-bit or later
- Processor: Dual Core CPU
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000, Nvidia GeForce GT 7800, ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series
- Storage: 500 MB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
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 around bite-sized challenges that demand both quick reflexes and pattern recognition, and while the levels are short, they are packed with constant danger. Every second becomes a balancing act between caution and speed, and that constant tension is what gives the game its addictive rhythm. Penarium’s campaign mode is divided into several arenas, each with escalating difficulty and new types of traps to learn. Objectives vary—sometimes you’re asked to collect barrels, other times to stay within a moving target zone—but all share the same core principle of surviving as long as possible in an environment that wants you dead. This relentless design philosophy keeps players engaged while ensuring that failure is always one misstep away. There’s also an arcade mode where the traps are randomized, turning the game into a pure endurance test with leaderboard competition. While these modes add replay value, they also highlight one of the game’s few weaknesses: its limited scope. Once you’ve mastered the patterns and completed the main campaign, there’s little new content to discover beyond high-score chasing and unlocking small upgrades. Visually, Penarium stands out through its detailed pixel art and twisted sense of style. The circus setting is rendered in bright colors and lively animations that contrast sharply with the grim fates that await the protagonist. The cheering audience, flashing lights, and explosive traps combine to create a constant spectacle, reminiscent of a deadly carnival show gone wrong. The animation work is fluid, and each death is depicted with just enough exaggeration to be more humorous than gruesome. The soundtrack, built around circus motifs and energetic rhythms, perfectly complements the fast-paced action, driving home the absurdity of the situation while heightening the pressure in every match. The presentation achieves a unique balance—disturbing yet playful, grotesque yet funny—that gives the game a distinctive personality. Difficulty is one of Penarium’s defining features. It’s a game that expects the player to die repeatedly and learn through failure. Some may find this punishing, but the quick respawns and snappy pacing make death part of the experience rather than a setback. Like classic arcade titles, success is based on mastery—memorizing patterns, refining timing, and maintaining composure under pressure. The steep challenge curve rewards persistence, offering immense satisfaction when you finally survive a particularly brutal sequence. However, this intensity also means the game isn’t for everyone. Casual players may find the learning curve discouraging, while seasoned fans of precision platformers will relish the difficulty as a badge of honor. Multiplayer offers a welcome change of pace, allowing two players to either cooperate or compete locally. The cooperative mode encourages teamwork as you try to complete challenges together, while the versus mode turns the arena into a chaotic duel of evasion and sabotage. Unfortunately, the lack of online multiplayer limits accessibility, as local play is the only option. Still, it’s a fun addition that enhances replay value, particularly when shared with a friend who enjoys the same brand of frantic humor. Penarium’s greatest strength lies in its clarity of purpose. It knows exactly what it wants to be—a skill-based, arcade-style endurance test wrapped in a darkly comic aesthetic—and it executes that vision with precision. The tight controls, polished design, and satisfying difficulty make it a standout among smaller indie platformers. Yet its narrow focus is also what confines it. Beyond the core modes and handful of arenas, there’s not much to sustain long-term engagement. Once the novelty of the traps fades and the campaign is complete, the experience relies on player-driven motivation to keep revisiting for higher scores or perfect runs. In the end, Penarium succeeds as a sharp, concentrated burst of chaos and challenge. It’s short, tough, and unashamedly cruel, but its humor and polish prevent it from feeling oppressive. The game thrives on its simplicity, demanding precise movements and rewarding skill with moments of triumph amid disaster. Its blend of dark comedy, old-school arcade sensibility, and quick-fire gameplay gives it a unique charm that lingers well beyond its brief running time. For players who crave fast-paced challenges and don’t mind a bit of cartoonish cruelty, Penarium offers a thrilling, memorable experience under the big top—a circus where every show ends with applause, explosions, and just a little bit of blood. Rating: 8/10
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It's like Super Crate Box but with more of a party game survive the disasters vibe with a bigger variety of objectives and obstacles you're avoiding. I mess with it, good deal on a sale as it's also short and arcade mode's a bit repetitive and not super interesting if you're going for all chieves after beating the campaign.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Penarium is currently priced at 8.99€ on Steam.
Penarium is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 8.99€ on Steam.
Penarium received 339 positive votes out of a total of 403 achieving a rating of 7.85.
😊
Penarium was developed by Self Made Miracle and published by Team17 Digital Ltd.
Penarium is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Penarium is playable and fully supported on MacOS.
Penarium is playable and fully supported on Linux.
Penarium offers both single-player and multi-player modes.
Penarium offers both Co-op and PvP modes.
Penarium does not currently offer any DLC.
Penarium does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Penarium supports Remote Play on TV and Remote Play Together. Discover more about Steam Remote Play.
Penarium is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Penarium.
Data sources
The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.
Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 21 October 2025 02:34 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 29 October 2025 17:00 |
| Steam price | 01 November 2025 04:43 |
| Steam reviews | 30 October 2025 05:53 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Penarium, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Penarium
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Penarium concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Penarium compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
0
Developer
Self Made Miracle
Publisher
Team17 Digital Ltd
Release
22 Sep 2015
Platforms
Remote Play
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