Mutant Penguins

Mutant Penguins is a fun, cute little action game that plays a bit like Lemmings crossed with real-time strategy games like Command & Conquer.

The largely irrelevant plot begins with radio and television transmissions from Earth bouncing around the universe for decades before finally arriving in the galaxy of "Bleurgggh" (no, I'm not making this up). This dingy part of the cosmos is home to an evil race of aliens who become inspired to conquer the Earth after being convinced by the transmissions that the planet is ripe for conquest. Unfortunately for the slimy green aliens, their plan gets off to a rocky start after the last transmission they receive, a wildlife show, convinces them that penguins are the dominant species here. So, the outer-space nimrods take the form of the kings of the frozen tundra and launch their attack. As the attack begins, the player’s job is to guide his or her character, either Rodney or Bernard, through increasingly more difficult levels in an effort to thwart the mutants’ attack.

The focus of each level is the Doomscale -- a basic weight-scale that determines whether the planet lives or dies. The mutant penguins win the level if they are able to get more soldiers to the scale and tip it in their favor. The player wins if his or her character is able to lead the good penguins to the scale and tip it in the Earth’s favor.To help in the fight, players can find various weapons on each level including bats, frying pans, and the super club. Whack a mutant with a weapon such as the frying pan, and the evil penguin will release several power-ups that can be collected and used to improve your character’s weapons. The improvement of the weapons is critical as an endless stream of marching mutants on most levels offers little hope for the player to be successful unless he or she is armed to the teeth. Knowing how to use the weapons though is not enough. You must develop a strategy for each level or even the strongest attacks will fall under the marching webbed feet of the aliens.

With graphics that are adorable and gameplay that is surprisingly engaging, Mutant Penguins is a nice diversion that isn't nearly as inventive or original as Lemmings, but does evoke a fond memory or two about that classic puzzler. If you are looking for a similar game with more focus on action, Mutant Penguins more than fits the bill. Thumbs up!

Review By HOTUD