Supertux: Teej’s Review

Here’s another game that I’m into right now. Think of it as an old 2 dimensional Mario game, except instead of the Italian plumber character, you have a little penguin. This penguin, Supertux, has to fight the evil forces of snowballs and ice cubes and more in order to keep his Antarctic home safe. Now I know exactly what you’re thinking right now: that’s the stupidest game idea ever. But seriously, it gets addicting. I mean it. It’s incredibly difficult to beat, and you’ll develop a tendency to play for hours without stopping. It has the same basic Mario style controls, including jumping up to hit hovering blocks, jumping on enemy’s heads to kill them, etc. But it adds more to the game. Secret passages are everywhere, as well as many chances to boost your coin count (you collect coins in this game too, just like the old Mario). In a way, it is a Mario rip-off. But still, there is an originality to the game that shines through all the accusations. But that doesn’t mean the game’s perfect. There’s a tendency that the game has to keep Supertux moving for just a little bit after you make him stop running. The costs include falling off ledges and getting hit by enemies you thought you could avoid. This “glitch” is one that is hard to ignore, but isn’t always that major of a problem. Other features of the game include a strange techno-like music and the ability to get a flower that gives you fire powers, like in Mario. Overall, Supertux is a game that is fun to play, yet frustrating to lose at. And despite its heart and creativity, there always is the feeling it’s a direct clone of the Mario franchise’s game engine. I give Supertux 7 pixels out of 10. Now although it may be frustrating, I still highly recommend it. The game is downloadable at apple.com, and may only work on a mac (never did the research; sorry PC users).