 | |
| Original author(s) | Ingo Ruhnke |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Pingus community |
| Initial release | 1998; 26 years ago (1998) |
| Stable release | v0.7.6 / 24 December 2011; 12 years ago (2011-12-24) |
| Repository | |
| Platform | Unix-like, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, FreeBSD, Haiku |
| Type | Single-player Strategy Puzzle |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| Website | pingus |
Pingus is a free software game programmed by German developer Ingo Ruhnke. It is a clone of Lemmings in which the characters are penguins instead of lemmings.
Gameplay
Pingus has 77 levels, grouped into 5 level sets, as well as 21 winter-themed tutorial levels. Pingus 0.7.2 introduced 'levelsets', which are lists of related levels; levels in levelsets usually must be completed in order. However, there are many more levels included with the game not accessible from its GUI, some with entirely different graphics.
Development
Work on the game began in 1998. Version 0.6 was released in 2003 for Linux, and featured new levels along with a level editor. On February 11, 2006 the game began being ported from ClanLib to Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL). On August 27, 2007, version 0.7.0 (the first version to use SDL) was released. In addition to Windows and Linux, the switch to SDL enabled Pingus to be easily built on other platforms, including Apple's OS X. On September 23, 2007 version 0.7.1 was released with a new level editor. On October 31, 2007, version 0.7.2 was released with a set of Halloween-themed levels. There is a Windows 0.7.6 and an Intel OS X binary of 0.7.2 available from the Pingus website. There is a PPC OS X binary of version 0.7.0, while version 0.7.3 contains minor bug fixes that allow the game to work better with the GNU Compiler Collection. The latest version, 0.7.6, adds additional Christmas and Halloween-themed level sets.
In July 2008, the game was relicensed from the GPL-2.0-or-later to the GPL-3.0-or-later.
Reception
This game was the first "Game of the Month" by The Linux Game Tome. Critics were favorable toward Pingus. TechGage named Pingus among the "Top 10 Free Linux games" in 2006. CNN and PC-Welt ranked it as one of the best free games available for Linux. Thinkdigit 2009-05 ranked Pingus among the "Most addictive Linux games". Linux For You September 2009 ranked Pingus 5/5. About.com called it a great game, while acknowledging its debt to Lemmings. In a 2017 review for Windows Central, George Ponder wrote: "The graphics are good, the gameplay is challenging, and overall, Pingus has the potential of being a fun way to pass the time. It just needs a little fine-tuning here and there to make the gaming experience more fluid."
See also
References
- "FreshPorts -- games/pingus: Free Lemmings-like game". www.freshports.org. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- "Haiku Depot Server". depot.haiku-os.org. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- "Pingus - Home". pingus.seul.org. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- "Pingus - news". pingus.seul.org.
- license update
- Rob Williams (19 September 2006). "Top 10 Free Linux Games". techgage.com. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- Discheri, Hans-Christian (22 June 2016). "Die besten Linux-Spiele für Steam, Ubuntu, Holarse, Gog, Shell" [The best Linux games on Steam, Ubuntu, Holarse, GOG, Shell] (in German). PC-Welt.
- Anderson, Lee (20 December 2000). "Top 10 Linux games for the holidays". CNN.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2004. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
- Thinkdigit Magazine 2009-05
- Linux-For-You-Issue-80 in Linux For You (September 2009)
- Haas, Andre. "Linux Game Review - Pingus". About.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
- Ponder, George (1 May 2017). "Pingus, a Lemmings clone for Windows 10 PC game full of penguin hijinks". Windows Central. Retrieved 29 April 2024.