Game Reviews

Air Penguin

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Air Penguin
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| Air Penguin

What's with the resounding love for all things feathery on iPhone and iPod touch?

First the behemoth that is Angry Birds stole our hearts, then Tiny Wings hopped into the nest. Now it's time to head south with Air Penguin, a charming arcade game that's easy to pick up and play thanks to intuitive controls and simple rules.

With 100 stages to hop through, not to mention an infinite Survival mode, you're going to be bouncing penguins for a good while.

Catching some air

Separated from his family as a result of the melting ice caps, the little penguin under your control must navigate ice floes, growling bears, and myriad other obstacles in his quest to reunite with his family.

Tilting your device bounces your penguin pal from platform to platform, dodging the water and keeping his feet dry. Naturally, the gaps become wider and dangers lurk at every bounce the farther you advance.

At certain intervals you land on the back of a giant turtle, navigating around icebergs and nasty sharks. There's also the chance to dash along ice walkways, with cracks to dodge and fat seals to bounce on.

Fish scattered throughout each level can be used to buy power-ups, allowing you to survive one contact with the water or stopping some of the nastier enemies in their tracks.

Over the edge

The gameplay is varied enough that you'll want to keep playing without taking a break - indeed, I blasted through all 100 levels in one sitting. Buoys in the sea also keep track of how far you've travelled on one life and challenge you to beat your last run.

Once you've mastered the Story mode, Survival mode pits you against an infinite path of platforms, icebergs, and enemies, the objective being to see how far you can make it.

As entertaining as it is, there are shortcomings that freeze Air Penguin in its rise to the top. The game can be harsh with collision detection at times. On several occasions, I was confident I landed safely on the edge of a platform, only to sink into the water.

The power-ups are structured unfairly, too. If you buy a power-up that stops a shark from eating you and then accidentally fall in the water, you lose the power-up even if you didn't make use of it. It would be better if you kept power-ups until you use them.

Even with these gripes, Air Penguin is good fun. Like the melting winter ice, its staying power is limited, but it has solid gameplay while it lasts.

Air Penguin

Air Penguin is a charming arcade game with solid controls and plenty of replay value
Score
Mike Rose
Mike Rose
An expert in the indie games scene, Mike comes to Pocket Gamer as our handheld gaming correspondent. He is the author of 250 Indie Games You Must Play.