I love the penguins in the Madagascar movies.  In fact, they’re the only reasons why I watched all three films.  Apparently, I’m not the only one who likes those penguins, because a few years ago they were in a cartoon series on Nickelodeon, and now they have their own feature length movie in theaters.  And now you can join in the adventures of Skipper, Kowalski, Rico, and Private as they embark on a mission for their favorite Cheesy Dibbles snacks, and rescue other penguins in the process.  The Penguins of Madagascar video game is based on the new movie, and is available for all current Nintendo consoles, but reviewed on 3DS here.

The game is a 3-D stealth puzzler adventure.  You’ll play as the four penguins, switching between them on the fly.  You’ll sneak past octopus guards; activate switches, climb, jump, and more.  Each penguin has their own special skill.  Little Private can fit through small pipes to get around.  Rico can use explosives to blow up doors, and brainy Kowalski can hack into computers.  You’ll use each penguin’s skills to collect cheese snacks and rescue trapped penguins.

The main problem with this game is the way it saves your progress.  You pass checkpoints all throughout the levels, but they only serve to take you back if you get caught.  If you need to turn off the game, it won’t save your progress.  I was on the first level for an hour and a half and needed to quit.  When I came back later, I had to start the whole level over again.  That’s never good, especially on a handheld system.

Kid Factor:

The Penguins of Madagascar is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Comic Mischief.  If you get hit by lasers or caught by enemies, you’ll just be sent back to the last checkpoint, so it’s not too violent at all.  Reading skill is a must for the text, and younger gamers may get frustrated by the tedious gameplay and lack of a good progress saving system.

Tags: Game Reviews, Movies with Children, Television