Pendulo Studios

Pendulo Studios is a Spanish game development studio founded in 1994 in Madrid. It specialises primarily in story-driven adventure games and is one of the best-known European developers to have continued the tradition of classic point-and-click games even after the genre had faded from the mainstream.

One of the studio’s first titles was the adventure game Igor: Objective Uikokahonia. However, its first major success came with the game Runaway: A Road Adventure, which launched Pendulo Studios’ best-known series.

Runaway follows the story of Brian Basco and Gina Timmins, who become entangled in an adventure full of criminals, mysteries and unexpected situations. The game captivated players primarily with its distinctive cartoon-style graphics reminiscent of an animated film, its humour and its classic adventure puzzles.

The first instalment was followed by Runaway 2: The Dream of the Turtle and subsequently by Runaway: A Twist of Fate. The series gradually made its way not only to the PC but also to the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS consoles.

Another well-known adventure game is The Next BIG Thing, which combines humour, cinematic stylisation and a world inhabited by both humans and all manner of monsters. Players control a pair of reporters, Liz Allaire and Dan Murray, who become embroiled in an unusual case.

The game Yesterday offered a somewhat darker atmosphere. This thriller centres on a series of attacks on the homeless and a mysterious organisation, with the story gradually evolving into a much larger mystery. It was later followed by the sequel Yesterday Origins.

A notable more recent project is Blacksad: Under the Skin, a detective adventure game based on the well-known Blacksad comic series. The main character is the anthropomorphic cat and private detective John Blacksad, who investigates the mysterious death of a boxing club owner.

Blacksad: Under the Skin combines investigations, interviews, evidence-gathering and decision-making, which can influence relationships between characters and the further course of the story. The game makes use of the distinctive noir atmosphere of 1950s America.

Pendulo Studios also created Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo, a narrative adventure game loosely inspired by themes from Hitchcock’s famous film. This is not a direct game adaptation of the original film, but a new psychological story exploring themes of obsession, trauma and vertigo.

The studio’s more recent projects also include Tintin Reporter: Cigars of the Pharaoh, an adventure game based on the comic book stories of Tintin the reporter. The game combines exploration, puzzles, stealth and other action elements.

Throughout its history, Pendulo Studios has developed a distinctive style based on a strong narrative, memorable characters, humour, mysteries and cinematic presentation. Thanks to series and games such as Runaway, Yesterday, The Next BIG Thing, Blacksad: Under the Skin and Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo, it ranks among the most significant Spanish studios specialising in modern adventure games.