Penguin Brothers

Penguin Brothers is a circa 2000 arcade game featuring two penguins, Ping and Peng. The pink and green penguins live on an ice flow until a whale appears, throwing bombs into their beloved homeland. Players control these penguins as they try to save their home.

Throughout the game the penguins can jump, dodge and throw bombs of their own. As the storyline progresses, the whale comes again, throwing them into the human world, where they have to put their bomb throwing skills to the test again to escape back home.

The game has a few twists down the road, culminating in an unexpected final boss. If you like games like Super Bomberman where strategy is needed to defeat the boss or other enemies, this game is a cuter version.

Quality Graphics and Sound

Arcade games aren’t known for having amazing graphics, but Penguin Brothers manages to perform well, even when you consider it was made over 20 years ago. The colors are clear and bright, blend well together, and has basic shading.

The sound is also well done. The bombs have a realistic popping sound, and different areas have different sound. Unfortunately, the boss music for levels 1-6 are the same, but there’s a secret boss you can unlock that has its own unique sound.

Co-Op Available

Another enjoyable aspect to this game is the co-op feature that lets two people play together. This can be used in two different ways. Players can either work together to defeat bosses, or compete against each other. The cooperative aspect is wonderful for parents with kids who want to play. The co-op allows parents to help their kids win the game, while still letting the kids experience the game. Players as young as 5 have been able to get through the entire game successfully with a little help from the parents. Using the co-op aspect competitively also adds a fun edge to the game. Players will always be more intelligent than AI, so playing against another player can make the game more challenging. How ever you play it, Co-Op is a great feature that makes this game even more fun to play.

No English Translation

One downside to this game is that there is no English translation available. The game itself is simple enough to pick up without needing it, but some of the story is lost when you have no idea what they are saying. This is a relatively small thing, but it would be nice to have English subtitles at least available for the game.

Pros:

• Quality graphics for the time period
• Co-op adds multiplayer fun
• Easy to understand and play

Cons:

• No English Translation

Penguin Brothers is an adventure platformer that follows two brightly colored penguins as they traverse a dangerous world filled with other animals. Cute as those other animals are, their continued existence is not going to fly with the penguin brothers as they are systematically wiped from the earth along their journey. Jump around, battle enemies, solve minor puzzles, and throw bombs left, right, and center as you journey through a stunningly realized world filled with vibrant stages, beautiful backdrops, and interesting enemies. It’s a simple game but it really reels you in. If that sounds interesting, keep reading!

Gameplay

As stated in the intro, this game focuses mostly on you controlling a penguin and having him defeat everything in his path as he runs around throwing bombs. There isn’t much more that that. But just because the theme is simple, doesn’t mean that it is not engaging. If you are after a simpler game because you do not want to think too hard, or if you have a younger audience, this is easily the best game for you.

You run around these stages, beating up the present enemies with a pretty decent move set. It’s not Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but it gets you there with what its offering. There are a handful of powerups that you can get, as though it was a Super Mario Bros. game, that change aspects of the gameplay, like making you invulnerable or something.

There is also an ever-present function of rotating platform segments that spin, allowing you to move between floors easily. But they also have an additional function of allowing you to slap shot your bombs across the screen. It’s surprisingly intuitive and adds this whole other dimension to the gameplay. For a classic sidescroller, it’s really something unique.

Visuals

The visuals of this title are actually pretty good. It has this interesting faux 3D aesthetic that makes the game feel like it was designed recently and not a good few years ago. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how diverse the enemies, the backdrops, and the stages all are. This game has a lot to offer the discerning player, even though its story is nearly nonexistent and its themes are nonsensical.

Music and Audio

Yo, the music in this kind of slays. Pretty much every song on every level is a bop that you will find yourself vibing to. There is a lot of great tunes from start to finish, and the sound effects are all very fitting in the game as they match its colorful, cartoony presentation. Of all the games that I have played in this genre, this is probably the one with the best music. I’d suggest getting this game for that reason alone, but its also fun to play.

Pros

• Great gameplay
• Excellent visuals
• Awesome music

Cons

• Story is basically nonsensical