This is a guide to Penumbra: Overture, a claustrophobic terror adventure by Frictional Games. As usually I recommend playing the game with no guide at all to fully enjoy the challenge, and then using this help if you get stuck or to find any hidden stuff and secret that you missed.

Version 1.0

I hope you like it, if so please rate it.

The boat cabin
Our hero, Phillip Buchanon, starts his adventure/nightmare somewhere near Greenland, in a boat cabin. This cabin serves as a tutorial where you can test the game engine and different interactions.

Pick up Notebook on the table.
Use the Key in your inventory with the padlock closing the cabinet.
Pick up Batteries and Glowstick (hotkey G).
Open drawer on small table and pick up Flashlight (hotkey F).
Open trunk and pick up Note (Fisherman's Wife's Love Letter).

When everything is done, the boat horn is heard.
Get out through the door.

The storm
Soon you find yourself freezing in the storm.

Follow the only available path to find some rocks.
Pick up and hold a rock and continue.
Once you find a hatch, drop or throw the rock to break the ice
Open (drag in circles), then push up the lid and get in.

The old tunnel
The first tunnels are safe and will take you deeper into the mines while testing you with some easy puzzles.

Pick up Steel Rod, on the floor.
Open the box next to it for a Flare, move the barrels at the corner for another Flare.
Go through the open door (the other one is closed) to a new room.
Pick up a third Flare and the Hammer from the shelf on your left.
Move a shelf to find a tunnel blocked by some wooden planks.
Equip the hammer and smash the planks to get in.
Follow the tunnels (turn left, there's no way you can get lost) to a new room with a hatch and a mechanism (you can try to get on the hatch for some fun)
Plug the Steel Rod into the mechanism.
Push the mechanism to open the hatch.
Go down, deeper into the darkness.

The tunnel collapses behind you, now trapped into an old mine. Find the nearest map on the wall, the area is safe...for now. Get to the Storage.

The Storage

Pick up the Lighter on the left shelf. It's out of gas.
Go through the left door (other two are closed) to a room with a box.
Go through the right door to see an artifact, it serves as SAVE GAME point.
Pick up Batteries and Painkillers on the shelf.
Go back to the previous room.

Move the rocks out of the box.
Move the box to find a trapdoor, go in.
Go right and right to find a Flare and Note (Scientific Finfings 1), then turn back.
Go right again (from your new point of view) to find some dangerous gas.
Avoid the gas with a good timing and go left to pick up another Note (Scientific Findings 2).
Turn around and follow the way left, again with care, to reach a room with a fence.
Open the fence with some hammer action.
Pick up the Lighter Gas and fill the lighter.
Open the chest and pick up Batteries.
Go back all the way through the tunnel to the beginning, from there turn around and take the first left to grab a Ladder.
Use the ladder to climb up the trapdoor again.

The two locked doors are now open.
Enter the front door (from the Storage door).
Pick up the Note (Spider Hater's Note) and Key on the desk.
Enter the other door to see a dead spider and a...tongue. Ew.
Go back to the entrance.
Enter the right door.
Pick up the Beef Jerky in the drawer.
Leave the storage ready to HIDE.

After leaving, the area is not safe anymore, as you will notice. You can check the Enemies section for Dogs and choose your way of action, killing or avoiding. It should be no problem as there are many boxes to jump on.

You can also use your lighter to light the oil lamps in the area now.
When ready, get to the Office.

The Office & Surroundings

You can use the Artifact to SAVE GAME.
Grab the Book (Officer's Log) and the Baxtrin (bottle) on the desk.
Open the drawer for a Note (Copenhagen Post Article) and a Key.
Open every other drawer and cabinet around. You should pick up two pieces of Beef Jerky, a Flare and Batteries.
Use the Key you just found on the chest to get another Book (Explosives Book).
After the looting, leave and make your way to tthe north part of the map. But...

In the middle of the area map you fill find a closed fence.
Open the fence with your remaining key (from the storage). Get in and CLOSE.
A dog will come. If it detects you, it will break the fence. If you don't block it with barrels, it will come in. It is your choice to block it and go on or to let it in, to fight or to avoid.

After dealing with the situation, go to the Explosves marked area.
Grab an hold a barrel labeled as TNT, and move it to the Northern Area mark.
Pick up a Note (My Favourite Workshop) next to a blocked path.
Put the TNT barrel in the hole.
Move to the Workshop and get in with the code on the note: 8412.

Workshop

Another Artifact lets you SAVE GAME here.
Pick up a Flare next to it, on the shelf.
Pick up a Cotton String from a box on the left.
Go to the pile of rocks at the back of the room and move them to find a Pickaxe.
Go through the remaining door and through the gate.

Take the first left, breaking the planks with your hammer.
When passing next to some barrels, grab a Flare on the floor.
You'll find an improvised electrified fence.
Use any boxes, barrels or planks you need to get over the fence without touching it. It should be easy as there's a lot of them to make stairs or even a ramp. Your choice.
After jumping over, you can remove the battery to disconnect the electricity.
Hammer down the door and enter the room.

Pick up a Dynamite Stick from the box.
Pick up Painkillers on your right.
Break the gunpowder barrel with the Pickaxe or Hammer.
Use Batxrin on the Cotton String, then the Cotton String on the gunpowder to make a Fuse.

Go back all th way to the TNT barrel in the hole (Northern Area on the map).
Put the Fuse on the TNT Barrel.
Light the Fuse with your Lighter.
Run away!

Go through the new tunnel.

New area, new map on the walls. Beware, there will be some dogs around after you open a fence, but you already know how to deal with them, there are objects to jump on or containers to trap them in.
Follow the right wall around some corners to find two interesting rooms.

Small Storage & Communications Room

The small storage is the first door you'll find following the right wall (an unmarked very small room at the bottom center of the map).

Pick up a Note (Emergency Procedures Pamphlet), Beef Jerky and a Flare from a shelf.
Pick up a new Fuse on top of the other shelf. You can use boxes to climb, throw it down with boxes or a broom, or jump from a box and click really fast.
Leave the room and continue right to the Communications Room.

Pick up the Note (Foreman's Warning)and the Radio.
While you mess arround with the radios you will hear some beeping. It's actually morse, which you can decipher with the note.
The morse message is a code:
5738
Leave for the Power Room.

Power Room

In this room you will need to turn on the generator, which is missing a battery.

Pick up some Batteries and a Note (Generator Manual) on your right, you can also SAVE GAME there.
Use pickaxe to break the planks that enclose the big hole on the floor. Don't fall, please.
Push the batteries box into the hole to gently open it.
Go down the ladder and recover your Battery.
Go up and put the Battery in the battery socket of the generator console.

Now, according to the manual, you must activate the generator systems from the console in order to make it work.
Solution of the puzzle:
1. Secondary flow - Valve with an almost erased and illegible roman II.
2. Cooling system - Valve with horizontal waves for coolant.
3. Release steam - Valve with vertical waves for steam.
4. Grease flow - Valve with a black drop.
5. Primary flow - Valve with a roman I.
6. Pull the lever on the generator.

If done right, a fuse will blow up at the lower part of the console. But you are ready.
Use the new Fuse to replace the old one and repeat the process.
Pull the lever again and shall be the light!

Leave and go to the fence with the padlock separating this area from the rest of the map.
Introduce the morse code (again, 5738) in the padlock and get rid of the dogs (dogS!).
Then to the Excavation site.

Excavation

Pick up a Note (Excavation Findings) from the table, you can also SAVE GAME.
Grab and hold the broken ladder (biggest one) and look up. Jump to hang it from the hooks beneath a high tunnel.
Move some boxes to climb until you reach the ladder. You can put one box down the tunnel and move another one up the small hill (follow the wall from the entrance) to push it on the first one.
Climb up the ladder.

You may want to read all this part at once as you need to perform some fast actions.
Go straight, ignoring the first left path till you see blood stains, then turn left.
After crossing a puddle of parafin, quickly light it with your lighter.
Move the big round rock to open a tunnel and close the other one with it.
Go through the newly opened tunnel, RUN! Big boulder chasing you!
When you see a green hole jump over it. You can also grab a rock and throw it in to make it easier.
Go across the plank bridge, turn around and smash it to stop the boulder.
Jump down the hole to the Storage Room.

Storage Room

Pick up Painkillers from a medical cabinet on the wall.
Go through the corridor, passing next to a vent duct, to a room with shelves.
Pick up Beef Jerky, Batteries and a Flare from a shelf.
Move aside the door of the green cabinet on the wall to pick up a Large Key.
Go back to the starting room (pasing next to the duct) and go through a door on your left.
Pick up two Flares on the floor, behind the shelves and go back to the starting room.
Now go to that duct you passed a couple of times, break the lid and go through to another room.

Theres an Artifact to SAVE GAME next to the controls of the crane.
Pick up a Book (Greenland Myths)from a locker.
Use the boxes and crane controls to create a way up to the upper vent duct. The best way is to land the crane box on top of the other one creating some steps.
Get into the upper duct, avoid falling in the hole (jump) and reach the end of the duct.
Break the lid to fall in a new room.
Pick up the Gas Canister.
Go back to the duct but fall through the middle hole to get to the other side of the gas escape.
Move the wooden board to get back to the starting room.
Break the planks on the blocked door to leave the Storage
Get to the Tool Shed.

Tool Shed & Surroundings

Pick up the Saw, Batteries, Note (Xeno Report) and Flare from the shelves.
Now go all the way to the unexplored east part of the map.
On the way you'll find a fence blocked by a plank.
Use the Saw to open it, and beware of the dogs while you go north.
Pick up a Note (Excavation Log)on the table.
Get to the Auxiliary Shaft.

Auxiliary Shaft

You can SAVE GAME at the Artifact here.
Grab the two ends of the power cable to connect it both to the generator and the control panel.
Use your hammer on the Gas Canister to open it.
Use the Gas Canister on the digger (It has a Fuel sign on one side)
Use the Large Key in the keyhole on the control panel.
Push the lever up to DIG! till it advances no more.
Get through the new discovered door.

You find yourself into a new corridor, with a big hole and some planks crossing it. Cross with care.
At some point before you get to the door, you'll know it's time to run. Run back across the planks to save yourself. Once it's safe, you can cross the door.

The left door is locked, but remember where it is as it is your goal.
Take the right way, beware of spiders (Check the Enemies section for more tips) and reach the end of the corridor alive. I recommend stealth first and speed later.
Press the button and run back to the locked door, which will be slowly closing, and go through it on time.

New area, new map. You already know it: dogs around, boxes, barrels, gas bottles, suit yourself.
Your first stop will be the Tool Shed.

Tool Shed

Just get in and grab a Screwdriver and a Bolt Cutter from the shelf and the wall.
You can check the door to Section C, but you need a code you don't have yet.
So, leave to Shaft 13, dealing with any dog.

Shaft 13

Go across the bridge and take the tunnel on your right. MOVE!
Run your way to the exit avoiding spiders (flashlight highly recommended). If you have trouble finding the way: go straight at the beginning, ignoring the first left tunnel, then follow the left wall all the time. You will reach a locker room.
Open the exit path blocked by a boulder and use it to block the hole you came from. Just in case.
Open all the lockers to pick up some Painkillers, Batteries, Beef Jerky, a Flare and Dynamite.
Pick up a Note (Trapped Miner's Final Words).
Pick up a hidden blank paper under a mining helmet in one of the lockers.
Leave through the opened hole back to the bridge, then out of Shaft 13.
Now move to the Refinery.

Refinery

Go up the stairs to the control panel.
You need to press the buttons to put all pistons up. From the beginning position, if we give numbers to the buttons (left to right, two rows, 1 to 7), the easiest sequence would be:
4 6 7 3

Jump on the conveyor belt and from the other side enter the room.
Pick up two Flares and Batteries.
Grab and hold the Motor.
Go back to the other side of the conveyor belt.
Put the motor (or a rock) on the other conveyor belt on one side. It will fall moving a ladder on the other side.
Climb the ladder and push the button to open a new conveyor belt.
Put the motor (or the rock) on the way of the big fan, it will break.
Grab the motor or put it on the new conveyor belt, then follow the tunnel to another room.
Put the motor in the space for it next to the sign on the wall.
Press the button and jump on the conveyor belt to another room.

Observe the steam puzzle to find way. Stand in front of the first steam tile, and wait for it to be steam free. Then follow the next steps, from square to square, one steam-venting every step:
Jump in, Straight, Right, Back, Right, TWICE Straight, Left AND Straight, Straight, Straight, Right, Right, and Straight!

Don't bother trying to open the upper door, it won't.
Move the barrels and break the lid of a vent duct.
Follow the tunnel right into Shaft 12.

Shaft 12

Push the cart until it stops moving.
Use your Bolt Cutter on the chain stopping the cart.
Now push the cart further, it will go downhill and break the wooden wall.
Follow the cart to an office where you can SAVE GAME.
Pick up three Notes (News Clippings) hanging on the wall and around the place, and another Note (Rock Worm Study).
Pick up an Old Newspaper from a drawer.
Use the newspaper on the closed door nearby.
Use the screwdriver on the same door.
Pull back the newspaper to recover a Key
Use the Key on the door to open it and get in.
Press the button on the left to turn on the UV lamp.
Look at your blank paper (the one from Shaft 13, under the helmet). You will be able to read a code now, but only while inside this room. The code is 1371.
Leave through the main door, where the cart was at the beginning.

Go to Section C and use the code on the keypad, time to go.

Guess what? Dogs around. Any question related on the Enemies section.
Let's take a walk to the Chemical Storage, left door (the other one won't open).

Chemical Storage

Time to RUN.
Enter the first door and press the button on your left to close it. KEEP RUNNING.
Jump through the green goo and push another button. RUN EVEN MORE.
Break the planks with your pickaxe.
Throw two boxes into the green goo and use them to cross it. BUT RUNNING!
Hit the wooden pillar with your pickaxe to cause some destruction. Now you won the race.
Turn the valve, open the door and get in.

You can SAVE GAME here with the Artifact.
Open and move every piece of furniture here to find and pick up some Chemicals labeled A to F.
Pick up a Note (Chemist's Notes) from the table with a list of chemicals and a puzzle.
Pick up Beef Jerky and two Flares.
Use the other door to leave the Chemical Storage and let's go to Lake Utuqaq.

Lake Utuqaq
Now this is beautiful.

Follow the cave to find a Note (Explorer's Last Will & Testament) and a backpack, and check it for some Painkillers.
Continue to an Artifact where you can SAVE GAME.
Now you must cross the lake, but walking on ice will kill you (though it's fun to try).
Break down the small wooden hut next to the Artifact to get some wooden planks.
Use two wooden planks (or more) to go across the lake without directly touching the surface.
Once you reach the other side, you will see a hand raising from the ice. Not the lady of the lake, but the Crowbar is more useful than any sword.
Use your saw and pick up the Crowbar from the ice. (MAKE SURE YOU PICK IT UP!)
Use the same plank method to go back all the way and then leave Lake Utuqaq.

Now to the Incinerator. Use the crowbar to break in.

Incinerator

Ignore the blocked path but remember it. Then turn left.
Quite obvious, but just go through all this part and don't fall. Get into the room at the end.
Pick up two Painkillers from the right cabinet and
Pick up the Glass Container from the table.
Pick up a Fuse from the drawer.
Use the gas canister next to the burner to open its valve.
Use your Lighter on the burner.
Use the Glass Container on the burner.
Now, with your Big Book of Explosives, the Chemicals List and the Chemicals, you should be able to create something useful.
If you need help: Mix Chemicals labeled D (Barium) and F (Phosphorus) to create the Death Mix.

Now grab and hold the EXTREMELY VOLATILE LIQUID EXPLOSIVE and go all the way back through the planks without touching anything with it, to put it on the blocked path (don't let it fall, it will fit automatically)
Use the fuse on it.
Use your lighter on the fuse. TAKE COVER.

Go downstairs to a new room with three doors, but only the rightone is open. Meet Red.
Push the button on the right side of the incinerator.
After the BBQ, open a drawer on the bottom of the incinerator and pick up Red's Key.
Go to the previous room and open the left door with the Red's Key.
You can SAVE GAME here if you want.
Open the last drawer to pick up a Note (Young Red's Predicament).
Go into the small room.
Move the shelf behind the hanging rope to find a power box.
Use the Screwdriver on the power box.
Use the Bolt Cutter on the cables.

Leave Red's room and go to the central door. Use the crowbar to open it.

Pick up the Note (Welcome To The Shelter)on the floor and go downstairs.

Welcome to the Shelter.

Penumbra is definitely not a FPS. Fighting, even being an option sometimes, is never necessary to finish the game. Stealth is encouraged and will give you better results. Use your surroundings and tools to win and you will prevail. For reference: if you are able to take pics like these, it's too late for you.

Dogs
Dogs are quite common in large areas, but also quite dumb. They won't see you if hiding, can't climb boxes, and will die after some hits with a hammer. You can also use Beef Jerky as a distraction, or to lure them into gas traps or containers. Dogs will also be attracted to Flares, which yo can grab and move. If you trap a dog in a container, don't forget to block the door with something heavy. The commando option is sometimes at hand: light a dynamite stick or hit a propane bottle and throw it to the enemy for fireworks.

The best fighting strategy to get rid of them and relax is to lure them with light or noise from atop a box, then hit them with a hammer every time they attack. But be careful, as they can push boxes and make you fall. You can always carry a box when exploring a new area to use it.

Spiders
Spiders come in groups, and may be wandering or appear if you break some eggs (DON'T) or if they just break by themselves (RUN!). They are hard to hit, but have a weakness: they will run away from your flashlight (for a short time). So maybe it's good to save batteries for them and use the Glowstick as your everyday lamp.

Rock Worm
The unstoppable foe. Fast and deadly, worms are not normal enemies but more a test or puzzle, as they are scripted and don't roam freely around. Can't be killed, they are a signal to run away. Just run and put any obstacle you can between death and yourself.

Not many peple around, although the story is very rich and others are named, and even may have a role in the game events... but everything is clearer in Black Plague.

Horror references
In the introdution text, Phillip mentions some unknown H. P. Redfield bank. This is a double reference to H. P. Lovecraft, as well as to Chris Redfield from Resident Evil, being two of the inspirations for Frictional Games.

Cthulhu is everywhere
You can find "Uncle Cthulhu's Squid Soup" on the table right at the beginning of the game.

Let's avoid trademark trouble
If you carefully read the whiskey bottle in the boat cabin, you will realize it's actually... Jake Aniel's?
The real brand can still be read in the small text anyway.

Hello, Dolly!
Next to the bed some pics can be seen. Looking closer, Phillip comments a Playboy poster and the fisherman's wife. But if we get closer we can find... Dolly Parton!

It's been some time, Gordon
After you find the crowbar, look at it to find a name engraved. Obviously a reference to Half-Life's iconic weapon.

Creepy Swedish
There are many moments through the game when scary strange whispers are heard. They are actually speaking swedish... but backwards. This is what they say:

Det är ett väldigt trevligt spel, har du någonsin spelat ett sådant spel?
It's a very nice game, have you ever played a game like that?

Du kan resa med kameran om man springer fram och tillbaka.
You can travel with the camera if you run forward and back.

Akta dej lite lilla flickan det är farligt. Akta dej lite lilla pojken, det är farligt.
Be careful little girl, it's dangerous. Be careful little boy, it's dangerous.

Och så kommer en hund. Vad fan ska jag göra? Du måste slå dem med en riktigt stor hammare mitt på näsan.
And then comes a dog. What the hell am I going to do? You have to hit them with a really big hammer in the middle of their nose.