The player controls Pengo, a red penguin that resides in the Antarctic. The game takes place in an overhead maze made of ice blocks, where Pengo fights the trolling, blob-like Sno-Bees. The objective of the game is for Pengo to survive a series of rounds by eliminating all Sno-Bees, while amassing bonuses by bringing together the three diamonds dispersed in the maze.
Released on
Genres
Reviews View More
I think it's fascinating that upon discovering that I can kick the blocks my natural next thought was, "I can kick these at the creatures to murder them". Turning the maze into your weapon is a neat idea here, and while I think the enemy AI is a little too eager to chase you down, it does force you to stay on your guard at all times and utilize the stun effect on the outer walls. The use of the song Popcorn by Hot Butter for the stage music and a bit of Ode to Joey between rounds is inspired.
its mfin PENGO baby
The core gameplay loop revolves around navigating the mazes of each level while kicking the blocks that compose each level into the enemies to defeat all of them. The enemies are also able to destroy the blocks (with the exception of 3 specific unbreakable blocks), and the walls can be kicked to stun any enemy on the edges of the levels. It means that you've gotta really improvise as the level layout is constantly changing and theres a really nice risk/reward factor in that being in open spaces makes dodging enemies easier but there's nothing to actually kick around to defeat them, and while being in a tight alleyway makes pengo vulnerable to attack, there are tons of blocks around to use as ammo. It basically combines maze, action, and puzzle gameplay to make something really engaging. Scoring is also rather in-depth as well as lining up the 3 unbreakable blocks nets a huge score bonus as well as stunning every enemy on the map, and while camping the edge and constantly wall kicking is a solid survival strategy, the point payout for killing stunned enemies is miniscule. This game has a low skill floor and high skill ceiling, truly the mark of a great arcade game. Best of all, the music is fun and catchy (even if it is an unlicensed use of a licensed song which explains why this game never gets rereleased like literally ever.) It's a very good arcade game and I'd absolutely pop off if I ever see a cabinet out there in the wild.
The core gameplay loop revolves around navigating the mazes of each level while kicking the blocks that compose each level into the enemies to defeat all of them. The enemies are also able to destroy the blocks (with the exception of 3 specific unbreakable blocks), and the walls can be kicked to stun any enemy on the edges of the levels. It means that you've gotta really improvise as the level layout is constantly changing and theres a really nice risk/reward factor in that being in open spaces makes dodging enemies easier but there's nothing to actually kick around to defeat them, and while being in a tight alleyway makes pengo vulnerable to attack, there are tons of blocks around to use as ammo. It basically combines maze, action, and puzzle gameplay to make something really engaging. Scoring is also rather in-depth as well as lining up the 3 unbreakable blocks nets a huge score bonus as well as stunning every enemy on the map, and while camping the edge and constantly wall kicking is a solid survival strategy, the point payout for killing stunned enemies is miniscule. This game has a low skill floor and high skill ceiling, truly the mark of a great arcade game. Best of all, the music is fun and catchy (even if it is an unlicensed use of a licensed song which explains why this game never gets rereleased like literally ever.) It's a very good arcade game and I'd absolutely pop off if I ever see a cabinet out there in the wild.
The only good arcade game.