Penumbra: Overture

Notes

Thanks to Frictional Games for creating Penumbra: Overture.

Boots and plays. Confirmed on RG40XX + ROCKNIX. Full playthrough and other CFWs untested.

[!IMPORTANT] This is a paid title. To play this port, you must have a legally purchased copy of the game on Steam or GOG.

Disclaimer

This project uses AI to write code and documentation. All code and documentation generated by the AI are reviewed and tested by a human.

Contents

• Installing
  • 1. Install the port
  • 2. Copy the game across
  • 3. Play
• Graphics switches
• Controls
• Compile

Installing

1. Install the port

• Drop penumbra.zip from the latest release into PortMaster’s autoinstall and run PortMaster, or
• SSH: harbourmaster install https://github.com/omka-1337/PenumbraOverture-PortMaster/releases/latest/download/penumbra.zip

Result: Penumbra Overture.sh + ports/penumbra/ (engine, shaders, OpenAL).

2. Copy the game across

Copy the folders and files listed below to roms/ports/penumbra/ from your game's folder.

[!TIP] For Steam, this is: steam/steamapps/common/Penumbra Overture or right-click the game in your library > browse local files.

billboards/   lights/      particles/    materials.cfg
config/       maps/        sounds/       resources.cfg
core/         models/      textures/
fonts/        music/
graphics/

Leave behind penumbra, penumbra.bin, lib/ and docs.
Do not overwrite rehatched/ — it holds the port’s shaders and overrides; without it the game draws nothing.

3. Play

Launch from Ports menu. First run writes settings (slightly slower).
Saves/settings live in ports/penumbra/.frictionalgames/ (survive port reinstalls).
If it fails, check ports/penumbra/log.txt (GL vendor line shows Mesa/Panfrost vs ARM blob).

Graphics switches

Set in the launch script before ./PenumbraOverture.

Variable	Default	Effect
HPL_SHADOW_BUDGET	2	Point lights with shadow cube maps. 0 = biggest FPS gain (spot shadows only)
HPL_POINT_SHADOWS	on	0 disables point-light shadows
HPL_POST	on	0 skips post-process (no gamma/bloom, saves resolve)
HPL_BLOOM	config	Number overrides bloom; 0 disables bloom but keeps pass
HPL_GAMMA	config	Number overrides gamma
HPL_BUMP	on	0 flat lighting (no normal maps)
HPL_PARTICLE_SCALE	1	Scales all particles

Debug-only (not for everyday use): HPL_NO_LIGHTS, HPL_FRAME_TRACE, HPL_SCREENSHOT.

Controls

Button	Key	Action
Left stick	WASD	Move
Right stick	Mouse	Look / drag (while Interact held)
R1	LMB	Interact (hold + pull doors/drawers/valves)
L1	RMB	Examine
A	R	Interaction mode
B	Space	Jump
X	G	Glowstick
Y	F	Flashlight
L2 / R2	Q / E	Lean left / right
L3 / R3	Shift / Ctrl	Run / Crouch
D-pad ←/→	PgUp/PgDn	Cycle quick slots that hold items
D-pad ↑	Home	Use selected quick slot
D-pad ↓	N	Notebook
Select	Tab	Inventory
Start	Escape	Menu

Face buttons follow device layout (A/B may be swapped). Mapping is in penumbra.gptk via gptokeyb — no in-game remapping.

Quick slots: D-pad cycles occupied slots (names the item); second button uses it. Never auto-uses.

Right-stick acceleration: short nudge = precise, hold = ramps to full speed (~0.5 s).

• mouse_scale in penumbra.gptk (higher = slower; default 6144)
• HPL_MOUSE_ACCEL=<top>:<ramp>:<start> in launch script — lower start if overshooting, raise if crawling.

Compile

Engine lives in HPL1 Fledged; this repo has game sources, packaging and launch script. Clone side-by-side.

Device (PortMaster container):

docker run --privileged --rm tonistiigi/binfmt --install arm64
./build-arm64.sh          # → build-arm64/PenumbraOverture (7 MB, glibc ≥ 2.29, libGLESv2)
./deploy.sh               # push binary + shaders + script over ssh
# override address if needed:
[email protected] ./deploy.sh

Package for PortMaster:

./build-openal-arm64.sh   # OpenAL without sndio
./package.sh              # → build-arm64/penumbra.zip

Releases built by .github/workflows/release.yml on arm64 runners. Tag v1.0 publishes; manual run builds without release.

Desktop:

cmake -S . -B build && cmake --build build
./play.sh

See port/README.md for device layout. capture.sh grabs a single frame for renderer comparison.

License

Port files: GPL