The Lost Penguin

[b]7/10[/b] Help a lost penguin make friends and keep eggs and other baby penguins safe in this lovely pathfinding puzzle game. [b]What is it:[/b] A puzzle game in which you must find a way to the flag. You play as a penguin lost in an archipelago of dangerous islands. Here you may find other penguins who are just as lost as you, and it’s up to you to guide them to safety. Or you may find yet unhatched eggs, which you can roll or hatch into penguins. Or you may find a dangerous kraken that try to eat you or any unlucky penguin that steps into its path for too long. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3363673909 The other penguins don't move unless you tell them to, but to do that you have to do one of two things: go right next to it and click on it to tell it follow you, which means that you form a snake-like queue of penguins, or you can send them love letters, which means that they copy your moves from afar. For eggs, you must be next to them and click on them to decide if you want to push them or hatch them. In each level there are a number of flags, and the win condition is that each flag has a penguin on it, so you may finish a level without all of the penguins “safe”. Other mechanics include teleporters, gates and the buttons that open them, and walls you can push against. The main problem is that you only have 10 moves at your disposal, after which you’re out of energy and can't move anymore, unless you find a life replenishing heart, which puts you back up at the maximum 10 moves. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3363675904 So, this is a simple pathfinding game with multiple characters under your control, with an extra layer of difficulty from the need to manage your move counter. The game is cute, with charming graphics and animations, approachable levels and helpful, but gentle hints, perfect for a younger audience or for a cozy, relaxing puzzling time. I didn’t like two main things. The moving animations are cute, but too slow for my impatient mind. And when there's a letter on a tile, you can either click on the letter to activate it, or click under the letter in the little space left on the tile to move there, which is unintuitive and a bit hard to do for those that don't have very precise control of their mouse movements. Still, I think it’s a good game. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3363674993 [b]How hard is it:[/b] Easy to moderate, with a good progression curve. [b]How long is it:[/b] 70 levels, 2-4 hours, a few levels unlocked ahead of your last completed one. [b]Level design:[/b] Good. Unique and interesting levels, some with multiple solutions, but not cheesy easy ones. [b]Quality:[/b] OK. Undo and fast restarts. Good level select. Nice gentle hints. Works best with a mouse, but keyboard and controllers are supported. [url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3363676121]Just two volume sliders as settings[/url]. No cloud saving, a few completion achievements. A few bugs that are getting fixed, and one crash. Small and fast, but the movement is a bit too slow for my taste. [b]Worth the price:[/b] With a little discount. [b]Most positive aspect for me:[/b] Clever use of a move limit. [b]Most negative aspect for me:[/b] Awkward keyboard controls. [b]What would make it better:[/b] Undo through restart. Custom level editor and workshop support. Configurable controls. Input caching and input repeats. More settings, at least a fullscreen toggle. Cloud saving. [quote]For more puzzle game reviews, news and everything puzzle-related, follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/25928931-Puzzle-Lovers/]Puzzle Lovers[/url] and check out our [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/puzzlelovers]Steam group[/url].[/quote] [quote]Follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]IndieGems[/url] for more reviews like this one.[/quote]

The Lost Penguin is a very charming puzzle game. The aim is for you and all your friends to reach the red flags. There are 70 levels of varying difficulty spread over three worlds (1-star, 2-star, and 3-star levels). You can only move as long as you have energy, and moving costs energy. So you have to plan ahead to always refill your energy in time. A couple of unique mechanics make the puzzles more interesting - my favorites are the love letters and the eggs. The game looks really nice and cute. But while the first levels are quite easy, some of the 3-star levels are really tricky and rewarding.

The Lost Penguin, developed and published by OddGinger, is a charming and thoughtfully designed puzzle game that offers a modern twist on the classic Sokoban formula. Released in late 2024, the game invites players into a serene, snow-covered world where careful planning, strategic thinking, and patience are rewarded. Its approachable yet engaging mechanics make it an ideal experience for both puzzle enthusiasts and casual gamers seeking a relaxing yet mentally stimulating challenge. Players take on the role of an adorable penguin navigating a grid-based environment, tasked with reaching specific goal points while managing limited energy. Unlike traditional Sokoban games, each movement depletes the penguin’s energy, requiring careful consideration and planning to avoid being immobilized. Energy can be replenished at designated recharge points, adding a layer of strategy and resource management. The game further enhances the puzzle experience with interactive elements such as eggs that can hatch new penguins, movable snow blocks, gates, teleports, and lurking predators, creating varied and increasingly complex challenges as players progress through the levels. The game features 70 handcrafted stages that steadily ramp up in difficulty, introducing new mechanics at a comfortable pace. Each level is designed to encourage creative problem-solving, rewarding players who take the time to analyze the layout and plan their moves carefully. While some puzzles present a moderate challenge, the game maintains a balance that ensures it remains approachable without feeling trivial, offering a satisfying sense of accomplishment when a particularly tricky puzzle is solved. Visually, The Lost Penguin is both minimalist and endearing. Its hand-drawn graphics and soft, calming color palette create a peaceful atmosphere that complements the methodical nature of the gameplay. The penguins’ animations are smooth and expressive, adding personality and charm to the experience, while the snowy environments feel immersive and thoughtfully designed. This attention to visual detail enhances both the aesthetic appeal and the overall immersion, making the game a delight to explore visually as well as mentally. The audio design further reinforces the game’s relaxing atmosphere. A subtle soundtrack accompanies players through each level, blending gentle melodies with environmental sounds to create a soothing backdrop. While the limited music selection may feel repetitive during extended play sessions, it aligns well with the game’s tranquil tone and does not detract from the overall experience. Accessibility is another strong point of The Lost Penguin. The game supports multiple languages, including English, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese, making it accessible to a broad audience. Controls are intuitive and fully compatible with mouse, keyboard, or controller inputs, allowing players to engage with the game in their preferred style. Though it lacks some modern conveniences such as cloud saving and extensive settings options, these omissions do little to detract from the polished and enjoyable gameplay experience. Overall, The Lost Penguin is a well-crafted and immersive puzzle game that successfully reinvents a classic formula. Its combination of strategic gameplay, charming visuals, and relaxing yet satisfying mechanics makes it a standout title for players of all skill levels. Whether approached as a short, casual distraction or a longer, thoughtful puzzle-solving session, the game delivers an experience that is both rewarding and endearing, leaving players with a sense of accomplishment and warmth after each completed stage. Rating: 7/10

With some more love poured into it this would have been a decent puzzle game with 70 levels in total. Sadly it is pretty damn buggy, particularly when it comes to undoing moves. 55ish levels into the game it also crashed on me taking all my progress I made with it. Shame, if the bugs would get fixed I would recommend it, but in this state I sadly can not. Linux version of the game works fine (except the crash).

I enjoy the fun puzzles and adorable penguins! The twist at each level and the gradually increasing difficulty make it challenging yet approachable. The third part of the levels usually takes more that one tries, but it feels very rewarding when I solve them.

[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43083373/]Clever games curator review: 7/10[/url] Cute and mostly novel puzzler. Sokoban in reverse: instead of pushing crates, baby Penguins follow you. While this does make for some interesting new variants, it's still the familiar block-pushing puzzle at its core, I think. Nonetheless, it's elaborated with plenty of other interesting little twists like pressure plates, limited steps with refill points, and a remote control where baby penguins duplicate your movements remotely at a distance.   The difficulty seems moderate at most, though I've only finished about half of the game. I would say that only a few puzzles have caused me to actually need to think for more than a minute to solve them. But none are so trivial that the only possible moves lead to the solution. Casual, but satisfying. My biggest complaint actually is the extremely repetitive music. Only three songs for the three different difficulty levels. Plus they are very short and quickly become not just background noise but distracting vacuous.

Horrible.