Forums > Submission Feedback > dementedhut's Pengo review

When I play a game like Pengo, I remind myself that at the time of its release, it was a lot more "cutting edge." There wasn't as much competition. However, it also cost a lot more than we would ever consider paying for such fare today. It feels like a miracle the medium developed past simple games of that sort, which sound more punishing than tough. Nowadays, I just don't have a lot of patience for a 64-stage adventure that might make me replay its earliest stages a bundle of times to get to the later ones. From your descriptions, it sounds like it is indeed well suited for the Game Gear, but I don't feel bad about missing out on it. You did a great job of getting into the nitty-gritty of how it feels to play. Nice work!

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world2

I quite like these types of games, but only if the core gameplay is entertaining on a repetitive scale, if that makes sense. Something like Pac-Man works better because you're always on the verge of losing due to its "survival" elements in play; though, the quality wildly varies depending on the Pac-Man spin-offs and port jobs you decide to choose.

Then there's something like the Bomberman series, where it's a its best with its multiplayer component. A lot of the games in the series just.... stink if you only play them for their single-player mode, which is more of an afterthought.

I enjoyed Pengo, but having to survive its 64 stages (which I think wasn't a thing for the arcade game, someone correct me?) can be a bit too much for some players, especially with its base mechanics not changing at all throughout the game. Still, I guess it's a testament to its structure that the game doesn't become downright boring as you play the whole loop.

Thanks for reading!

I head spaceshit noises.