Penguin Puzzler
The backstory of Storked has it that the stork inadvertently dropped scads of penguin eggs all over Antarctica, and using your crack crew of penguin specialists, you must rescue them. What it basically means is that this is a puzzle game, and in each level, your penguins must find an egg, and get it to the baby basket somewhere else in the level.
As typical in puzzle games, there are a limited number of obstacles and elements you must use to solve the level, with additional elements added over time so that you're gradually introduced to the complexity of the system. In Storked's case, you have four penguins, not all of whom appear in each level, each of whom can move and kick the egg (no hands so they can't carry it), but each of whom has some special ability.
Murray throws snowballs, the main use of which is to toggle levers that open doors or cause other changes on the level; Milton can use "gadgets" (gained by visiting "gadget booths" and pressing the up arrow), including a rocket pack, drill, diving mask, and teleporter; Tony is a brick who can hurl the egg over obstacles and lift crates; and Lily jumps. If multiple penguins exist on a level, you can change from one to the other at any time with one of the numeric keys.
Backspace undoes the last action, and "r" restarts the level, so you never get into a position you can't recover from; and the levels are designed with care and cleverness. There are four difficulty levels too, so there's both a degree of replayability, and a difficulty that even relatively small kids can play. There's also a level editor, and a fair number of fan-created levels on the developer's site (in addition to the 100 that come with the full game).
Hugely innovative? No, but cute, well conceived, with pretty good music and sound effects (I particularly like the "crunch" the penguins make when they eat fish), and who really needs more?
The demo contains only a handful of levels, but enough that you should get a sense of whether or not the game is worth plunking down actual samoleons for.
The developer says:
Storked is a puzzle / platform game where you control four different penguins in their quest to protect an egg. The stork in charge of the egg has gotten into an unfortunate accident over the Antarctic and must rely on his flightless pals to roll the egg to safety. Each penguin’s abilities and strengths will be called upon in order to solve puzzles and get the egg to the Exit in over 100 wacky levels.
Over 100 Levels with a Fully Featured Level Editor
- Earn 4 different medals on each level to unlock additional levels by beating par times, completing the level, collecting all the fish, and getting the egg to the Exit safely
- 5 Difficulty Levels! Kid Mode relaxes par times and makes the egg nearly indestructible while expert mode forces you to speed through levels with a very fragile egg.
- 3 unique worlds: Snow/Ice, Grass/Jungle, and Desert
- 3 different weather conditions: Snow, Rain, and Autumn
- Over 18 puzzle objects to interact with including cannons, geysers, switches, magnets, boxes, and more
- Fully Featured Level Editor! Make your own Levels and share them in our forum or download custom levels made by the community
Easy to learn and control
- Move with the Arrow Keys and press Shift/Control - That's it!
- Number Keys 1-6 switch between penguins and cameras
- Change your controls at any time from the Menu
- Restart a level at any time by pressing "R" or selecting Restart from the pause menu
- No time limits, No enemies, take your time and play at your own pace
4 different penguins with different abilities and specialties
- Murray the Penguin is an athlete and can pitch snowballs
- Milton is a nerd who can use 6 different gadgets including a rocketpack, diving mask, teleporter, jackhammer, and more
- Tony is the brawny guardian of the group who can lift heavy boxes and hurl the egg over cliffs
- Lilly is a Rock Hopper Penguin and is the only one who can jump over obstacles and reach higher echelons of the level.
Frustration Free Gameplay
- No time limits
- Infinite Lives
- Pressed the wrong Key and fell off a cliff? Hit Backspace to Rewind & Undo you little mistakes
- Made a Big Mistake? Hit 'R' to Restart the Level.
- Levels unlock based on your skill level, play that tricky level when you are ready
- The game automatically saves your progress
- Need help? Check out our forum or our video section for tips, walkthroughs, and puzzle solutions
Extreme Customization and Modding
- Change the weather, music, controls or background image at ANY TIME during gameplay
- Change the difficulty before any Level on the Level Select Screen
- Draw your own Backgrounds or Select a Photo to display as the background
- Hate our music? Select and play any MP3 on your computer. It will load and play instantly and you'll still be able to hear the sound FX!
- Create your own levels and puzzles with our fully featured level editor
Reviews
"There are five difficulty settings that cater to all players from a very forgiving kids mode to the mind numbingly frustrating expert mode. Later levels are unlocked by gaining medals in the earlier challenges and the game concepts are introduced systematically to a new player, which is a nice touch. The tutorial levels are quite satisfactory."
- Bytten
Awards
Bronze Award, Bytten