Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2015
Penarium
Developer Self Made Miracle
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. From the Steam store page
189 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy) · newest Jun 23, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
77
LovedLoved
144 positive · 42 negative
95% range 71–83%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 144 | 42 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
3 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
351 of 421 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 189 · most liked firstOur game Penarium did not sell much but I spent my heart and soul on it. The circus has since always been a part of me. #pixelart
unlabelledView post →You know that face you make when your playing an extremely difficult game and your trying to concentrate as hard as possible to not die? Well that's what Penarium does to me. Penarium is a rage-inducingly difficult platformer survival game where you will always feel determined to be able to complete the next level how ever many deaths it takes. In penarium you control a boy called Willy. He strives to become a top circus performer. His wish comes true when a travelling circus man comes and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've got some unused indie game keys for whoever would like them. Hello everyone! Long story short, I have some unused game keys from Humble Bundles that I want to gift to anyone here. Games up for grabs: ~~[Penarium](https://store.steampowered.com/app/307590/Penarium/)~~ [Abalone](https://store.steampowered.com/app/279480/Abalone/) [Sentinels of the Multiverse](https://store.steampowered.com/app/337150/Sentinels_of_the_Multiverse/) [Sentinels of the Multiverse - Shattered…
unlabelledView post →Penarium is a pure platformer. No exploration, no shooting. Only moving and jumping. What else is there? A self-contained level whose borders you can cross to find yourself on the other side, and traps. Tons of traps that cycle during the duration of the level. Machine-guns, homing missiles, bubble-gum to make the platforms sticky while a see-saw journeys across… The goal of the game is to collect items that spawn in the level while avoiding different sets of traps. Simple, and yet effective.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Have you ever felt your life is boring, have you ever wanted some big change? Willy, the farmer's overweight kid, wanted. Farmer's work wasn't exciting at all for him, so when he met a suspicious guy with a mask who offered him a ride in his wagon, he wanted to have an amazing journey for a day. But, oh boy, he was stupid. The masked guy locked up Willy until they arrived to the sadistic circus, Penarium. And now it's up to you - can you survive in control of Willy? Penarium is a platformer…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →tl;dr An unpolished game in the "difficult platformer" genre, with an okay story, decent music, and hit & miss art that suffers from technical issues. The final nail in the coffin is the inconsistent difficulty, and uninspired level design. Short-ish, as well. words Prenarium is a game, that on paper sounds like I'd absolutely love it, but after completing it, I don't have much good to say about it. I'm a big fan of nice pixel art, and Prenarium's artist isn't bad, but the way the art is used…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UllkNvphqo Game: Penarium Genre: Arena Arcade Developer: Self Made Miracle Publisher: Team17 Digital Ltd Copy supplied by publisher DISCLAIMER: the game was played in offline mode, and the actual amount of time is of around 3 hours. Penarium is an arena arcade game developed by Self Made Miracle and published by Team17 Digital Ltd. STORY The story is about a boy who joins a circus, only to be part of life-threatening games. That's pretty much it. Because the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Penarium is a 2D platformer with a very simple premise, surviving in an arena full of deadly traps, all designed to murder you in the most horrible ways. It is one of those games that made me go “Just one more”, despite the many times I fell victim to the treacherous traps. You play as Willy, a boy who’s been bored of working every single day of his life in his father’s farm and who is craving for an adventure. Then, one day, a circus arrives in town and Willy feels an uncontrollable urge to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Chaotic fun for some. Chaotic stress for me. Additional Details Operating System Ubuntu Linux 14.04 x64 CPU AMD FX-8350 GPU GTX 750 Last played March, 2017 Technical Notes No problems
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This key was obtained from evolve.pr for purposes of review Summary: When it comes down to it, Penarium does dazzle at some of the basic chaotic platforming elements, but does not have the staying power to stick around for a period of time. While some level designs and use of traps do well, it can't keep that consistency going for a long period, and ends up showing you what it has over the first hour in its entirety. There are some good traps, like the bouncing bowling ball that attempt to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A little over two hours in on Penarium and I think I figured out why I'm not a fan. Most difficult platformers that I've played utilize really well designed levels with tons of freedom of movement. Penarium doesn't do any of that, with its pretty generic platform stages and simple double jump movement. Instead, Penarium creates difficulty by hurling obstacle after obstacle at you until you inevitably make a mistake and run into one of the obstacles or fall off of the stage. This results in…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly it's just simply not very fun. The only options available to you are jump and dodge. Sure the maps and weapons being fired at you may change, but the game play is still the same endless loop of survive. Not very fun.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An extremely repetitive and annoying survival platformer with a high difficulty level and frequently unresponsive controls. The point of the game is to jump around the map avoiding traps while collecting barrels. You slip up once, you die and have to restart the level which can be extremely annoying when you're one barrel away from finishing. I seem to find a lot of these types of games in my library that have snuck in as filler from various indie bundles. I didn't enjoy it, and unless you…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Penarium is fantastic, it's such an addicting game. The art style and soundtrack are incredibly charming, the controls are very fluid and you never feel like you die in an unfair way. My only flaw with the game would be that the music does get kinda repetitive, but that doesn't bother me that much, since the sound that is in the game is really appropriate and great to listen to while dying to all kinds of different traps! As for the gameplay itself, there's 2 modes, Arcade and Campaign.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Penarium is an arcade platform game set in a circus where you have to complete a given challenge without being killed by a trap or falling off the bottom of the level. The traps appear in the level one or two at a time, and include homing missiles, spiky moving walls, machine guns, deadly bouncing balls and more. Some are quite inventive and are more about making life difficult rather than killing you - check out the thieving bird. There are three modes: campaign mode, arcade mode and local…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beat the full game in under an hour, grinding out these remaining achievments doesnt feel at all fulfilling or rewarding.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →+20 SOCIAL CREDIT ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠟⠋⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⢁⠈⢻⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠃⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠈⡀⠭⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠄⢀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣷⣶⣿⣷⣶⣶⡆⠄⠄⠄⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⢀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠄⠄⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣇⣼⣿⣿⠿⠶⠙⣿⡟⠡⣴⣿⣽⣿⣧⠄⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣾⣿⣿⣟⣭⣾⣿⣷⣶⣶⣴⣶⣿⣿⢄⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⣩⣿⣿⣿⡏⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣹⡋⠘⠷⣦⣀⣠⡶⠁⠈⠁⠄⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣍⠃⣴⣶⡔⠒⠄⣠⢀⠄⠄⠄⡨⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⡘⠿⣷⣿⠿⠟⠃⠄⠄⣠⡇⠈⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠟⠋⢁⣷⣠⠄⠄⠄⠄⣀⣠⣾⡟⠄⠄⠄⠄⠉⠙⠻ ⡿⠟⠋⠁⠄⠄⠄⢸⣿⣿⡯⢓⣴⣾⣿⣿⡟⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄ ⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣿⡟⣷⠄⠹⣿⣿⣿⡿⠁⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄ +1 WAIFU ⣿⣿⣿⣿⠛⠛⠉⠄⠁⠄⠄⠉⠛⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⡟⠁⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⡇⠄⠄⠄⠐⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⡇⠄⢀⡀⠠⠃⡐⡀⠠⣶⠄⠄⢀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣶⠄⠰⣤⣕⣿⣾⡇⠄⢛⠃⠄⢈⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game markets itself as a precision platformer and it doesn't have what it takes to be one. The controls are bad, just because they work it doesn't mean they're fine. Double jump doesn't register often enough and I'm not the only one with this problem. Hitboxes are bad. After lots of time playing it, I don't remember a cool moment where I barely escaped a death, because the hitboxes don't let you do something like this. Also, there's something clearly wrong with the platforms' edges…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game took me an hour to finish, all three chapters are almost exactly the same just a slight variation of platforms, levels are poorly designed with random cheap deaths. Didn't try multiplayer yet, but I can't imagine it not being fun, I don't see my self playing MP much as it's 2 players only, and lacks content. I can't recommend the game with lack of content and fps issues I'm getting on 980m/9700k, its unacceptable, I'm in the top 80 in arcade mode with out any upgrades and on my first…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →★★★☆☆ A short yet enjoyable experience, once you get past the (very) frustrating process of figuring out how each trap works. Pros 👍 The asthetic — overall art style looks and plays really nice 👍 The controls — tight, though unforgiving 👍 The longevity — the campaign doesn't overstay its welcome, and the added arcade mode can provide many hours on top for the fans 👍 The concept — fun mechanics make for an addicting experience of retrying "just one more time" to get things right Cons 👎…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fast trap avoidance platformer with a clever design but limited content. ---- + Plays smooth and has responsive controls. + A degree of thought and strategy is involved. + Has an endless arcade mode. + Is fun! +/- Has local multiplayer only. - Story mode is nicely challenging but short. ---- Penarium is yet another game I recieved in a bundle and thought nothing of until I actually played it. It's a quaint little platforming game where the strategies you create to deal with the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A hardcore 2D platform hell game full of fake difficulty and only two hours long even at that, this game is really not worth your time. In the campaign mode, the levels are mostly very similar; the main difference tends to be what obstacles are thrown at you, and on occasion, a few alternate tasks to complete. You are subjected to drowning, platforms being blown up, the obstacles being moved around on you, rhythmically crushing walls, dragons that burst out of the wall in long parabolic arcs…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Penarium is a game, simple yet very complicated .. The gameplay is easy to master, the difficulty lies in the levels In addition, the story mode is really well done, and is explained accurately.. (Below is the Italian full review) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoHh6QICNi4 Penarium si svolge in una sinistra arena circense in cui i concorrenti, un po' come gli antichi gladiatori, sono costretti a intrattenere un sadico pubblico. In questo irrequieto gioco arcade con arena in 2. Feature:…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is highly addictive. I don't remember being that much hooked up on something since Darkwing Duck on NES.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun game, nice art, great music and lots of fun playing the story line.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the simplest platform you can get: moving left and right and jumping. That’s it. This doesn’t take away from the fact that this game is AMAZING. Both solo and multiplayer modes are amazing. The storyline is perfect and there gameplay is even better
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Jumping around on a fixed screen, avoiding traps and projectiles in order to pick up barrels or balloons until a counter fills is not my perception of a fun game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Challenging? Yes. Fun to play? No.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really enjoyable experience. I had this game sitting in my library for a while and I'm well glad that I remembered and picked it back up. It's not a long game, yet I feel it's one of those small hidden gems of the past that not enough people have paid attention to. The story is brief yet thought provoking. It's bleak yet real still. The sort of obstacle platforming game-play is rather enjoyable and in my experience, it was rather seamless and fluid. I haven't tried out Multiplayer mode in my…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →⠄⠄⣿⣿⣿⣿⠘⡿⢛⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⢻⣿⣿⠃⠸⣿⣿⣿⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄ ⠄⠄⣿⣿⣿⣿⢀⠼⣛⣛⣭⢭⣟⣛⣛⣛⠿⠿⢆⡠⢿⣿⣿⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄ ⠄⠄⠸⣿⣿⢣⢶⣟⣿⣖⣿⣷⣻⣮⡿⣽⣿⣻⣖⣶⣤⣭⡉⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄ ⠄⠄⠄⢹⠣⣛⣣⣭⣭⣭⣁⡛⠻⢽⣿⣿⣿⣿⢻⣿⣿⣿⣽⡧⡄⠄⠄⠄ ⠄⠄⠄⠄⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣌⡛⢿⣽⢘⣿⣷⣿⡻⠏⣛⣀⠄⠄ ⠄⠄⠄⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⠙⡅⣿⠚⣡⣴⣿⣿⣿⡆⠄ ⠄⠄⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⠄⣱⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄ ⠄⢀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄ ⠄⣸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠣⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄ ⠄⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⠛⠑⣿⣮⣝⣛⠿⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄ ⢠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⠄⠄⠄⠄⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠄
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This "game" doesn't even have a volume slider. That's the level of polish Penarium got.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Feel like punching your computer screen? Do you enjoy spending time not enjoying a game, just playing it so you can say you finished it? This game is for you. Although you will rage alot, when you finish you feel much better.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Was Thinking About Life: Wing Let's talk on start about some story [SPOILER ALERT!] Game is about young boy that was took away from his farm and family to be constestant in Circus aka. Penarium, winner becomes a champion, champion becomes a director. Director John, is buffing Willy [young boy] to be stronger than he was when he started first challenge in Penarium, and the cycle ends when Willy, new director is waiting for new contestants to Penarium... Gameplay - Game is divided into 3 arenas…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Penarium is a game that I recommend because: - is a method to banish boredom - is indie - it has trading cards - it has action - it is funny Enjoy!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →super repetitive, lost interest. i don't think i will ever play this again. 0.5 hrs on record, card farming the rest of the time
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beautifully concieved premise, lavishly crafted story & presentation ...and it falls flat. Derivative, repetitive 'hardcore 2D platformer' - without the sense of achievement and discovery necessary to inspire you beyond the frustration. After the first few levels I had lowered my expectations of discovering anything unique or interesting about this game and quit. I do enjoy a good hardcore platformer - Super Meat Boy was awesome.... but if this game *does* infact hold some hidden virtue I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nothing special, dodge traps, crush barrels, take potions and repeat but with harder traps working against you. There are cards that give some variety to gameplay but sadly you can't use them in campaign mode :/ There is not enough variety in in stages you play, almost all are the same. Sometimes due randomness of traps you can encounter some scenarios can't be beaten until restart after death. Story isn't exactly thrilling and quickly become boring and tedious and there is not much to keep you…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Penarium is a fast-paced hardcore platformer. You try to complete the objective while trying to dodge all kinds of traps ranging from lasers, dragons, and birds that steal your objective. Very fun, especially to play with friends. And dont expect the campaign to be easy to beat. Starting at level 5 you will have a struggle. The game is great.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It isn't a terrible game, apparently I don't like difficult platformers.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great little game. It can get frustrating sometimes, especially while grinding the last achievement (I once died at 149 out of 150).
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Penarium is a retro-look platform game with three controls - left, right, jump. That's pretty much all you get. There are 30 levels of increasing difficulty to play through on a campaign 'story' mode, with some funny jokes along the way including the nostalgia reference that reminds me of BBC micro gaming... and then you can play 'arcade' mode on any of the three level designs you encountered previously. The idea of arcade is to survive as long as possible, or in my case to reach a score…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Is this the same circus where Robin's parents died in because that would make a lot of sense.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of those frustrating games where you will die and repeat the levels a lot. It's good if you're into those, not for me though.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played this game for an hour only but I already fell in love with it. It's funny, I like the style and the gameplay is amazing. Fluent movement and real challenges. You have to be quick and precise. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hitbox is annoying as hell, especially on the Spinners. Negative review because it just isn't worth 9 bucks, but on sale it's a little infuriating timekiller. Although you are better off with a better game, there are a lot in this genre (SuperMeatBoy for example).
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Lazy developping and game design all along. You get to a new zone and expect to encounter something a tad bit different, anything new really, until you realize you're up against the same level, only a little faster.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A stunning little platformer that's labeled difficult and not because their hiding bad coding and bugs but because it's one of those patience draining games that has you at your wits end, forcing you to rethink your life choice, then you decide to get up and take a few minutes break just to calm down from that rage inducing gameplay.. After a few minutes you return hell bent on conquering set level. That is what we have here, most platformers enjoy a difficult game whereas some might not so i…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short and frustrating. It's a game to test your focus and skill, while being a platformer with a little story. There is an Arcade mode and a multiplayer, which I didn't try out. But the main campaign had little to do with being rewarded for the effort. I only saw the times I died until I finalle got the last mission done. Yet I didn't encounter any bugs or crashes... just rage... Recommended for players who like this skill proving games. Finished in 3 hours.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If You're masochist: play the game. Otherwise, don't touch it. Main issue with this game is that double jump sometimes works and somthimes dosn't. If You play it for some time You'll understand what I mean. In such unforgiving game, i'ts a disaster...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Did the campaign, I can tell it wasn’t really geared towards the single player experience. But I never got a chance to play it with friends. Either way, the campaign has some pretty bad difficulty spikes and drops. The story was simple, but interesting. And overall I liked it, aside from some of the more poorly designed and frustrating levels.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Oh the joy and the lower back pains this game gave me.. Penarium is an addictive game. It is so simple and I had so much fun, a game you would expect from Team 17. I hope Willy gets to do some other things except from jumping and running in the sequel (if there is one?). 10/10 would recommend! \(^_^)/
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →if dark soul and battleblock theater had a baby it woul'd be this game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →https://youtu.be/HLxMJLWWxig When life is too oppressive for Willy he goes off to join the circus. Fate did not smile upon our Willy when the tents hid a darker purpose. Platforms, traps and barrels await under this deadly big top. A game that will definitely challenge players to stay on their toes. Regrettable while the difficulty is there, the fun is not along for the ride. Restarting long levels drains the excitement from the events and limited maps being boring very quickly.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Save your money and time on something useful
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You will dye the floor red a lot! For extreme hardcore multitasking difficulty in cooperative mode, control both poor farmboys all by yourself.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →4/10 because of the coop being extremely tedious and lame.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a great little game. I received it as part of a bundle. Definitely worth a buy when on sale (currently $6, for example), but $10 might leave you bit underwhelmed. It's a twitch pixel platformer that progresses through beating challenges. Challenges are organized into three areans, with ten challenges per arena. The challenges have a nice variety, alternating between collecting barrels, popping balloons in the right order, playing simon says with buttons, and collecting and depositing…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A pleasant surprise from blind humble bundle. Well executed sadistic circus aesthetics. It provides right exact amount of content in order to entertain without getting dull prior to getting all achievements. It's pretty hard, but not as the most hardcore examples out there. If you like platformers, get it with discount and add another 100% game to collection.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is very addictive, fun, challenging and pretty. I'm normally not a fan of big pixels style but here it works somehow. Combine that with a simple, yet suprisingly effective story, and you've got something really worth its small price. Also there' an endless arcade mode and co-op, thought for some reason my other controller refused to work. My score: solid 7.5/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Get a controller. While this game can be played with mouse & keyboard, it is beyond frustrating (and not in a good way) to do so. This game needs to be played with a controller to get the most out of it. Overall, this is a great game with solid aesthetics and game play and I highly recommend getting it if you happen to have a controller.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.