Penguin Micro: The Game

Penguin Micro: The Game is an 8-Bit arcade game found in public buildings and arcades throughout the USA and Dorkugal. It was based off the movie of the same name, and the character that inspired it. Rated E for Everyone by the ESRBA (Entertainment Software Rating Board of Antarctica), and U by the NESRBD (Nerdy Entertainment Software Rating Board of Dorkugal). The South Pole Council, egged on by brothers Explorer and Fred, rated it UCK/ICK for "Unacceptably/Inacceptably Cruddish Knowledge".

Background
Back in 2013, when a megacompany bought the rights for the permission to produce the DVD of Penguin Micro: the Movie, a bunch of other companies tried to buy them out as well, some with unfortunate results. When Snowtendo approached the company, at first, they stoutly refused their offer of making a videogame, but once they began reconsidering, they decided that it would be a big mistake, so they accepted the offer.

Excited by the chance to make more money, Snowtendo's game developers ran riot with their ideas. The office for making the newly-named Penguin Micro: The Game never stayed still, and within a week, the basic plot was outlined. Then, the developers decided that an 8-Bit game would be good to make it seem "old", "retro" and "classy/classic", and so it was developed under a month and a half.

The reason why Level One has terrible graphics compared with Level Two onwards, is because Snowtendo, for some unexplained reason, shelved the idea as "pointless". However, this turned out to be a mistake at the office, and the files were taken off the shelves again. Instead of entirely re-doing the first level, they just carried on.

When it was released in July the same year in arcades nationwide Antarctica, Dorkugal and UnitedTerra, it had some unsteady footing due to insufficient advertising, but it ended up as a success. Moneybags and coin signs quickly flashed in front of Snowtendo's eyes, as critics and overall gamers rated it an "Excellent" four out of five stars.

Eventually, Snowtendo released it as a video-game disk, allowing it to be released in other countries successfully.

Although the game has been very famous and brought Snowtendo lots of money, it has never been as popular as the movie itself.

Gameplay
The game is fairly simple, being an 8-Bit game.

In Level 1, only one platform is shown. Formatted like an online encyclopedia, one has to move Penguin Micro left or right, to avoid being crushed by the Wikia Buttons. To win, the player has to dodge 15 Buttons. If all three of Micro's lives are gone, then the screen flashes "GAME OVER" with Micro spinning into a tunnel of darkness.

In Level 2, the player can now move further, and the design is more sophisticated. In this level, not only are there Wikia Buttons, there are also puffins throwing walnuts like cannonballs at poor Micro. To win, the player has to have Micro jump on all 5 hidden fruit-stands. If the player loses all Micro's lives, the screen flashes "WALNUT!", with Micro looking like he fainted.

In Level 3, it changes into a snowy landscape. The Wikia buttons never go, but this time, there are mini snowstorms that threaten to freeze Micro. To win, the player has to bravely throw bricks at all six. If the player loses all his lives, the screen flashes "BLIZZARD!", as Micro is blanketed in snow from a torpedo.

So the levels progress, using more and more fiendish, sadistic ways to torture Micro, including, at one point, a horde of Wild Teddy Bears.

Later in the game, at Level 9, the player will gain the ability to throw miniature Explorers at the Wikia buttons to fend them - and other opponents - off.

As the levels get harder (due to having to dodge the Wikia Buttons and fiendish creatures), different and larger buttons will come into play, such as an Infobox, the Category unit, and eventually the Edit Box. The Infobox gives a general idea over what the opponent is like; the Category unit is for collecting and using items collected on the way; the Edit Box, introduced in Level 15, has only four allowances. It just speeds up the defeat of his opponents.

There are 18 levels in the game, with the final boss being the Sidebar.

Winning the Game
On the final level, the objective is to shoot the Sidebar boss with miniature Explorers, while avoiding its Wikia Button projectiles. Once the Sidebar is mostly defeated and 85% of its health is gone, it vomits out all Micro's previous opponents. This is when the Category Unit really comes in handy - he can whip out, say, a rock, and battle a Flying Puffin with it. Once they are all defeated, a spade should be found and thrown to the Sidebar, so it collapses.

Upon completing the level, a short, slightly touching cutscene will have Penguin Micro saving the world, everyone believing him, and getting a big hug from everyone (except Winston, who is an opponent in Level 17, and his enemies).

Reception
The game was met with mostly positive reviews, earning a 8.9 out of 10 on the rating scale.

Penguin Micro himself had this positive reveiw to share: "I... I... I hope th-th-this game will br-br-br-bring awareness to the immenent d-d-danger that is s-secretly looming above our h-h-heads."

Falcoz quoted:

"'Hmmm.. Wikia boxes for enemies? The final boss, a Sidebar!?!?! It's, well, it doesn't make any sense, but that's what makes it so fun!!!!! 10.0 out of 10.0!!'"

Mabel praised the game, quote: "I hate games (they're quite stupid and time-wasting)... but any interactive piece of software where Explorer is an item to be abused is an instant favorite. I recently bought the deluxe copy and play it every nigh-" Mabel was then whacked mid-sentence with both a shovel and a summation.

Fudd's response: "HAHAHAHA! I love gamesys that break me fourth wallys! But those ain't wikya buttonsys, they're from wikypedia! I gyve it a 10 out of 5! BURP!"

However, like anything, negative criticism existed.

The Antics Brothers both hated the game, each with a different reason.

Explorer's response:

"Why am I a projectile? I could have been a secondary character throwing spades or something! Besides, those buttons aren't from Wikia, they're from Wikipedia!!!"

Fred's response:

"The game's physics are terrible. The mini-Explorers (which I also hate) do not travel as if they were thrown in an environment with gravity equivalent to that of Earth. Also, the falling buttons seem as if they were falling in an environment with gravity equivalent to that of Pluto. Overall, I rate this game 2.71828 18 $\times$ 10-40."

When queried, Penguin Macro's doctor said: "No comment."

Alex12345a being the odd one out, said: "'Using another character as a therozied weapon without any authorization seems very terrible to the victim. However, the game was produced simultaneously and I should rate it 7 out of 10.'"

Trivia

 * Explorer has sued Snowtendo, trying to have the game banned, but has failed every time. He even tried to pass a bill through the South Pole Council to recall the game.
 * Ironically, the Infobox fell on the printer that was printing the bill (Explorer always writes bills on the computer).


 * The game, console, arcade itself and its case are all snowballproof, to prevent a spade/summation attack.