Page 12 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #7

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By Scott Alan Marriott

T
here is a deep-rooted fascination with penguins in Japan,
which explains why there are more than a handful of video
games starring the flightless bird, with Sega’s Pengo being
the country’s most famous offspring here in the States. At
first glance, Penguin Kun-Wars is yet another bright, bouncy, and
cheerful game from the Land of the Rising Sun. Yet underneath its
charming exterior is a devilishly challenging game that’s sure to ruf-
fle a few feathers.
Though the title suggests a blast-fest or possibly a strategy game
for control of Antarctica, Penguin Kun-Wars is a sporting event of
sorts, with gameplay a strange mix of dodgeball and ping-pong. You
are, not surprisingly, a penguin, and you have apparently signed a
waiver to compete in a 16-critter tournament against a lineup of
adorable koala bears, pandas, beavers, and mice. The main view-
point is not unlike tennis, with the camera fixed behind your penguin
in the foreground and an opponent in the background. In the first
match, a crowd of energized animals lines the stands, though none
appear to be penguins.
Is the character alone in his athletic pursuit? Is this penguin the
last of his kind? These questions are never fully answered, so we
must instead focus on the tournament at hand. The field of play is a
wide table, with one character appearing on opposite ends. Five red
balls are lined up on either side, and the object is to make sure your
opponent is stuck with all ten balls on his side of the table. Doing so
ends the game, but there is also a 60-second time limit to keep
things interesting. If time expires, he who has the least number of
balls (on his side of the table) is considered the winner.
Winning isn't easy, as balls that collide with each other ricochet in
different directions, and with the often frantic shuffling left and right,
the game often degenerates into a heated “hot potato” contest. Of
course, with two characters sliding balls across a table, you might won-
der how the game avoids becoming a continuous stalemate. If a ball
manages to hit an animal, the critter will fall backwards, momentarily
stunned. This is the key to victory, as you’re allowed to keep slinging
balls at the paralyzed foe until your side is cleared. Needless to say,
anyone who was pelted at gym class will find Penguin Kun-Wars a
cathartic experience.
Despite the ability to knock your opponent into a daze, Penguin
Kun-Wars is a frustrating game. The animal rivals are cuddly cut-
throats that seem to recover a tad faster than you after a hit and can
toss balls at a faster rate. Perhaps flippers are no substitute for
paws, which may explain why you’re the only penguin brave enough
to enter the tournament in the first place. At any rate, each game is
considered a “set,” and you have to win two sets to advance to the
next opponent.
The game also throws in a few surprises at various points, including
a jellybean/slug-type creature that acts as a moving barrier, and a ticking
bomb that results in an instant win if it explodes near your opponent. In
between matches are three types of mini-games played for bonus
points, including air hockey and whac-a-mole variants. Overall, Pen-
guin Kun-Wars is a simple yet surprisingly addictive game thanks in
part to the aggressive -- some would argue downright nasty -- play of
your computer opponents, who, by the way, laugh mercilessly when-
ever they hit you. Filthy animals!

Classic Gamer Magazine July 2004 12