iPenguin (Game)

’11’

North American Wii and DS boxarts

Developer(s)

Outer Limits Co.

Publisher(s)

Platform(s)

Wii
Nintendo DS

Genre(s)

3D Platformer

Release Date(s)

September 28th, 2011 (Worldwide)

Mode(s)

Single Player
Multiplayer

Age Rating(s)

Media Included

Wii Disk
DS Cartridge

iPenguin is an action-adventure game, and the first game in the long-awaited iPenguin series. It was released on September 28, 2011, for the Nintendo DS and Wii. It is a 3D platformer designed to capture the elements of many different games, such as the Super Mario (series). It has many modes and features, such as Minigames, Free Play, and a thrilling Story Mode including 5 chapters and tons of gameplay.

Gameplay

iPenguin is a third-person, 3D platformer. The character can move around in an open environment. You can battle a variety of enemies and bosses with many unique attacks. Each character has their own special ability, Speedy is fast, Climber can climb, Petunia can fly, Ybrik can ground pound, and Grebo is strong.

iPenguin also features the ability to upgrade health and power for each character by collecting crystalline bits that enemies and bosses drop.

During the final battle, Speedy has the ability to fly for a while and can move at faster speeds. His moves are also extremely powerful and could defeat any regular boss with a single blow.

Controls

Wii

A - Jump/Double Jump
B - Attack/Talk
Z - Grab/Back
C - Shield/Next
1 - Special Move
2 - Taunt
Control Stick/Control Pad - Move
+ - Pause
- - Stats
Hold A - Crouch
Control Stick/Control Pad + A - Long Jump

DS

A - Jump/Long Jump
B - Attack/Talk
L - Grab/Back
R - Shield/Next
X - Special Move
Y - Taunt
Control Pad - Move
Start - Pause
Select - Stats
Hold A - Crouch
Control Pad + A - Long Jump

Modes

iPenguin features a variety of modes for you to choose from.

Story Mode

In Story Mode, you can choose between 5 characters, play through 5 chapters of the plot, battle grimacing enemies, and menacing bosses, and complete the quest to gather The Northern Star. Once the game is completed, Boss Battles is unlocked.

Free-play Mode

In Free-play Mode, you can play with your friends and battle each other in 10 different stages, based on areas in Story Mode. You can design your own penguin, equip him with custom clothes, and fight to the finish.

Battle Mode

In Battle Mode, you can choose to battle a set amount of enemies alone, or by your friends' sides. There are 25, 50, 100, 250, and 500. You can also battle each other with a set amount of life. Unlike Free-play, though, there is no time limit, and the last one standing wins, plus, you can't pick up objects on the course, nor can you customize your characters; you must choose between the 5 characters in Story Mode.

Boss Battles

You unlock this mode after beating Story Mode. In Boss Battles, you can battle all the bosses in the game solo or with your friends. You can change their difficulty from Easy, Medium, Hard, or Intense. There is no time limit, and enemies occasionally seem that drop Health and Power Bits.

Minigames

This is unlocked by collecting all hidden items in Story Mode. There are four different Minigames that you can play with your friends, or master alone. Each of the minigames has a variety of power-ups to boost your power.

Batting Cage - Practice your skills alone or challenge your friends to see who has the hardest hit. You can choose from a variety of courses and players, and use items to your advantage.
Whack-a-tack - Play against tough computers and fight to the finish with your friends. This minigame is simple; you run around with a hammer hitting each other, and the person with the most points after 5 minutes wins.
Swimming - Time yourself in the lanes or see who is the fastest swimmer among your friends. In this thrilling game, you can test your strength in a variety of fun swimming missions.
Hot Potato Bomb - Pass the bomb with a computer or choose your unlucky victim. In this game, you pass a bomb along your line of friends in a circle, and the one who gets blown up loses. The last person standing wins.

Plot

Prologue: iPenguin

Speedy, a super fast, red penguin, has just turned 13, and has been accepted into iPenguin, a special agency that requires members with unique abilities. Upon arriving at iPenguin HQ, Speedy meets Climber and Petunia.

Meanwhile, in a dark and gloomy landscape, Agent P., an evil and menacing penguin, has planned an attack on Pengville using fleets of canons and catapults to destroy whatever lies in his path.

Professor Dune is alerted of this by one of his agents, and sends Speedy out to Petal Field on his first-ever mission to investigate. Climber decides to assist him on his mission, and the two set off.

Speedy reports back a while later stating that they found destroyed canons and catapults. Professor Dune is worried and demands the two of them return to iPenguin agency pronto.

They arrive, and Dune tells them that Agent P. used to be a member at iPenguin 20 years ago. He was their top member, and always solved every case. But one day, exactly 20 years ago, he tried to kill a fellow member due to bringing corrupt with evil thoughts and was banished from Pengville. Ever since then, he has tried to destroy iPenguin. Luckily, iPenguin members have successfully defended themselves against him. Now, though, he fears Agent P. has grown stronger.

But Dune feels hope and tells the children of a mysterious object named the Northern Star that grants its user superpowers and that in order to defeat Agent P. this time, Speedy will need to collect the 6 pieces and become a powerful warrior. Dune pulls out an old, dusty, brown box. He blows the dust off and opens this. He pulls out a glowing, yellow triangular object, and hands it to Speedy. He tells him that this is one of the Northern Star pieces. He says a few years back, he stumbled upon it outside the agency. It had a note, that said "To Uncle Dune, from your nephew, Charlie".

The star piece glows and shows a picture of a strange canyon-like place. Professor Dune tells Petunia to accompany Speedy and Climber to The Great Canyon, as that is where the next star piece is, according to the piece they have. The three pack up and head off for The Great Canyon.

Chapter One: The Great Canyon

The trio arrived in the Red Rocks, a mountainous plain just south of The Great Canyon. They stumbled through the many rocks and boulders and avoided the many menacing scorpions wandering around.

They ventured through the seemingly endless desert when they stopped in awe. They looked down and saw the biggest and most beautiful thing they had ever seen. The Great Canyon was very large, with cacti along the outermost edges. The canyon was tinted a very bright red and had humongous boulders carved into a vast majority of shapes.

The group saw stairs carved in the rocks, leading into the canyon. They went down and still gazed in awe until a giant boulder barely missed Speedy's head. They turned around and saw a fat, old man standing in between two large, wooden catapults. He loaded them with more boulders, and lifted the metal pins, letting the boulders fly forward. The star piece shone, and Speedy knew this must be who was holding the next star piece.

The trio prevailed in the fight, and the star piece rose from Canyopult. Speedy grabbed it and saw an image of a large beach, with miles of shining water surrounding it. The trio was clueless as to where this was, so they headed back to iPenguin to get Professor Dune's help.

Once they arrived, Dune sprang from his chair and greeted them. He asked if they had retrieved the next star piece, and Speedy pulled it out. He told Dune that they didn't know exactly where this was and that they needed help. Dune stared in amazement. He told them that the next star piece was located in a luxurious place called Water Shine Beach. He says if they head to the West Gate, and keep going west, they will eventually come across a ship that will take them across Pengau Ocean, and into Water Shine Beach.

Before they head off, he also alerts them that one of his interns, Ybrik, is currently taking a vacation there, that they will meet him along the way, and that he'll be sure to help them. With that said, the trio headed off to find Water Shine Beach.

Chapter Two: The Waterside Race

The three arrived at Pengau Ocean, and saw the docks that Dune was telling them about. They approached the ship, ready to set sail, when the captain stopped them and said that in order to board the ship, they must have a ticket. The trio, called Professor Dune on their iPenguin phone, wondering why he never told them about tickets. Dune answered and said that they never took tickets before, and were completely confused. He said he would try to find any information about these tickets and hung up.

The three penguins asked the captain how to get these tickets, as they have no money. The captain said that they must do some labor for him, and gave them barrels of fresh, Water Shine water, and told them to take it all to the town square for him.

Speedy, Climber and Petunia lugged all 20 barrels to the town square and returned to the docks. The captain told them that he needed them to tie up all his boats to the dock, and the three did that. They returned once more, and the captain told them to carry a boat from town square down to the docks for him, but Speedy had had enough. He told them no, and that he better give them tickets, or else. The captain laughed and prepared to fight them when he was suddenly knocked out by a couple of large stones being pelted toward him.

Dune walked up and told the trio that he found no evidence on the tickets, but he found out that the original captain was killed a few years prior, and that this phony must have been his killer. Dune tells them to board the ship, and he drives them off to Water Shine Beach.

They arrive in the beautiful Water Shine Beach and were mesmerized by the amazing sights and scenery. Dune and a strange, orange creature walk up to the trio. Dune introduces the three to Ybrik. They all shake hands, and Dune tells them he must return to iPenguin, and to give him a call when they have the 3rd star piece.

Ybrik notices a glowing behind Speedy, and tells him to look. He pulls out the second star piece and looks as if it shows the face of a teal bird. Speedy looks up, and notices the exact same person walking into a dark, eerie cave, just off the beach. They follow him inside.

Once inside, he reveals that he has been expecting them. He reveals his name is Slick, and that Agent P. hired him to defeat Speedy and his friends and steal their star pieces, so Agent P. will be the strongest thing alive. He has heard many things, such as Speedy being extremely fast. He challenges him to the race, and whoever wins gets the star pieces. Slick pulls out a star piece, Speedy accepts, and the race starts.

Speedy is victorious and snatches the star piece from the distraught Slick. The star piece reveals a cave made out of lava, and the four shiver. They call Dune to come pick them up.

When he arrives and sees the image, he shakes and says that is the Magma Cave, a very dangerous place that has killed every living thing that went in it. He tells them no matter what, they must go there, for the fate of the world. Speedy agrees, and the other three stick with him. Dune nods and drives off toward a large, red island that seems to be glowing.

Chapter Three: The Magma Geyser

Dune stopped the ship at the Lava Sea, and the four heroes got off. Dune said he will return later to pick them up once again. Dune drove off, leaving Speedy and them to head off into the Magma Cave.

They ran across the hot rocks and found the entrance to the cave, only, hot, red lava flowed around it.

Climber noticed a strange yellow penguin standing on a hot rock, waving at them. Speedy, Petunia, and Ybrik also noticed, and the four of them hopped from rock to rock over to him.

The Penguin introduced himself as Grebo, a high-ranking member at iPenguin. He says Professor Dune told him to come here to wait for you, Speedy. Speedy was a bit puzzled at first, but Grebo explained he has been to the Magma Cave many a time, and knows the place inside and out.

The five leap from hot rock to hot rock, and Grebo leaps into the hole in the ground. The other four exchange looks, and jump in after him.

The cave's walls and roof are all lava, and the floor is hot rock. Grebo starts running through the cave, and the other four follow him. They come to a large room filled with rocks and a pool of lava in the middle. Speedy pulls out the third star piece while it glows. Speedy knows that the fourth piece is here, but wonders where.

Before anyone could even blink an eye, a giant beast emerges from the pool of lava. He appears to be made up of rock and magma. Speedy notices a glowing inside his head, and sees the star piece shimmering from inside him. He prepares to fight this beast.

Magmyth is defeated and explodes into millions of pieces of rock and lava. The only thing left is the star piece, which Speedy carefully grabs. The piece sparkles, and cracks. Ybrik tells them it must be a fake, and the real star piece is still hidden somewhere in the cave.

Petunia sees a hole in one of the walls and climbs through it. Speedy tries to stop her, and crawls through. What he sees, though, is a small room with a large fountain in the back, and an old chest in the middle of the room. Speedy calls everyone else in.

They enter, and stop, shocked at how beautiful the room looks. With walls made of glass, and water in behind. Speedy tried to open the chest but fails. He tries a few more times, with the same outcome. Grebo stops him and punches the chest. The lid popped open, and the real star piece is revealed. Speedy grabs it, and sees the image of a dark and gloomy palace.

Just then, the room starts to shake, and the floor blasts upward. The floor and the five heroes are blasted out of the volcano that the Magma Cave was based, and land in a strange aircraft, piloted by Dune. He says he's glad to see them all in one piece. Speedy shows him the image in the star piece, and Dune tells him that is the Dark Palace; a haunted castle that has been known to kill its visitors. Speedy is worried yet determined to stop Agent P., and tells Dune he's going. Everyone else seems frightened but decides they need to stick by Speedy's side until the end.

Chapter Four: The Dark Palace

Dune flew over the Black Graveyard, which stretched for miles. He told the five heroes that they must get out here because if the aircraft got too close to the palace, it would blow up. Speedy, Climber, Petunia, Ybrik, and Grebo jumped out, and Dune drooped dome parachutes. Everyone grabbed one except Petunia, who was screaming for help. Speedy moved toward her and told her to grab on.

When they got close to the ground, they pulled on their parachutes. The five of them slowly landed on the ground. They looked. All they could see were gravestones, dead trees, and a tall, golden gate. They ran along a faint, stone path.

They walked for miles, until, finally, the palace was in view. They sprinted toward it, and ran through the open door, into the eerie corridor. They saw two long, spiraling star cases. Speedy decided they needed to split up. Speedy went with Climber and Petunia up the right staircase, and Ybrik and Grebo went up the left.

Speedy's group came across a strange, red door. They went in and found the star piece, just sitting on a pedestal. They approached but were trapped in a cage.

Meanwhile, in Ybrik's group, they found a similar blue door. They opened it and almost fell into a bottomless pit. They carefully inched around it on the little ground supplied and walked through a small, brown door. In the new room, was a hole in the roof, and a ladder, 10 feet from the ground. Ybrik decides to jump and barely reaches it. He climbs to the top and drops the ladder for Grebo.

They climb to the top, and open yet another door in the roof. In that room, is a door in the ground. Grebo decides that this maze will never end, but Ybrik opens the door and tells Grebo to look. Inside the room was a strange blue penguin, and Speedy, Climber, and Petunia in a cage. The two jump down, and Grebo breaks a hole in the cage. The heroes prepare to fight.

The blue penguin hesitates to attack them, and simply talks. He introduces himself as Thug, a loyal minion of Agent P.'s. He says his previous attempt to stop them, pretending to be the captain of the Pengville Docks, failed miserably, but this time, he will win. He then prepares to battle the heroes.

As expected, Speedy and Co. won and retrieved the fifth star piece. The piece rose from Speedy's hands, and the four other pieces rose. They formed a star, and in the empty space in the middle, Agent P.'s face was revealed. Speedy started to disappear, and the other heroes all tried to pull him away from the star, but they were all transported away.

Chapter Five: Agent P.'s Last Resort

The heroes appeared aboard a strange, dark airship of sorts. Speedy looked ahead and saw Agent P. standing and snickering away. He introduces himself, despite already knowing they know who he is. He says he has been waiting for years to finally get his revenge, but he never thought a mere child would be in his way.

Speedy tells his friends to back off, as this is his fight. Speedy is ready to defeat Agent P., but he uses his PSI powers to choke Speedy, steals the star pieces, and runs off. Speedy is let free and falls over. His friends help him up, and they chase after him.

They approach him in a dark room, with a small bit of glow from the star pieces. Agent P. warns them that they are too late. and pulls out the sixth and final star piece. It rises and settles itself in the middle of the star, where a hole previously was.

The Northern Star spins, and Agent P. readies himself for ultimate power, shortly before being tackled by Speedy. The two tussle, taking turns punching and kicking, and the star zaps the two. Speedy rises up, confused, and the star merges with him. Speedy glows a yellow color and falls to the ground. Speedy says he feels a rush of energy inside him, and realizes this is the power Dune was talking about. Speedy gets up and tells Agent P. to fight him. Agent P. mocks Speedy, arrogantly saying he is still more powerful than him, and accepts the fight.

After a long and evenly matched battle, Speedy uses a strange power and zaps Agent P., and destroys his airship. He then falls over, and the Northern Star separates from him. Climber hears a buzzing sound, runs outside, with Grebo behind him, and tells everyone to come out. Petunia and Ybrik help Speedy up and run outside.

The heroes see Professor Dune in his aircraft, waiting for them to come aboard. They jump in, and Dune blasts off shortly before the airship blows up.

Epilogue: The Northern Star

Back at iPenguin, Speedy explains what happened, and Dune realizes a key point in the Northern Star and the way it works. It obviously only answers to one with a pure heart, Speedy.

Speedy is shocked to hear that, and gets back to work with his new friends.

After the credits roll, Dune is seen pulling out a photo of him as a child, he unfolds it, and Agent P. is seen with his arm around Dune, and the caption says "Brothers 4 Life".