Pengu - Virtual Pets | Game Brain — video game discovery

About

"Pengu - Virtual Pets" is an adventure game that allows players to raise cute Pengus with friends. However, the game is plagued with bugs and features an excessive amount of ads that hinder the overall gaming experience. Despite these issues, the game offers a unique and engaging concept for those willing to overlook its flaws.

Genres & Tags

Adventure

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,870 reviews

graphics4 positive mentions

monetization512 negative mentions

The game is fun and a great way to connect with a partner or friend.
The concept of raising a virtual pet together is cute and engaging.
The mini-games provide a fun distraction and help earn coins for the pengu.

The game is plagued with bugs and glitches, making it frustrating to play.
There are excessive ads that interrupt gameplay and diminish the overall experience.
The requirement to have a co-parent to play limits accessibility for solo players.

monetization
540 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism from users, primarily due to the overwhelming number of ads that interrupt gameplay. Many players express frustration over the frequency and length of these ads, often feeling that they detract from the overall experience and make the game unplayable. Additionally, despite purchasing options to remove ads, users report that ads still appear, leading to perceptions of the game as a cash grab rather than a genuinely enjoyable experience.
- “This game is okay, entertaining, with little to no ads.”
- “Unfortunately you kind of have to pay for no ads for this app to be enjoyable, but if you do then it is quite a fun little penguin guy to raise with your partner.”
- “Fun tamagotchi, no ads, I love it.”
- “I shouldn't have to pay $8.99 just so I can take care of a fake penguin without advertisements.”
- “The game could be fun, but the amount of ads is like nothing I have ever seen in other games... just navigating in the game triggers ads.”
- “The ads are absolutely outrageous. You'll spend more time on ads than the game.”
stability
198 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
1%
98%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting frequent glitches, crashes, and lag that hinder gameplay. Many players experience freezing screens, particularly when attempting to access features or after watching ads, leading to frustration and a diminished overall experience. While the game's concept is appreciated, the overwhelming number of bugs and performance problems detracts from its enjoyment.
- “This game is fun; there are no glitches, but there are quite a few ads.”
- “It would be nice if it wasn't so buggy.”
- “As of now, it's buggy and slow; making it nearly impossible to play some games due to lag because of system load.”
- “The app freezes sometimes and kicks me out of the app entirely.”
- “It freezes constantly and there are too many ads.”
story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
The story aspect of the game is marred by numerous glitches and bugs, leading to frustration among players who find missions incomplete or unresponsive. Many reviews indicate that the quests lack depth and creativity, often feeling like mere tasks to achieve higher ratings rather than engaging narratives. Additionally, the requirement to give a five-star rating for mission progression has been criticized as a manipulative tactic, detracting from the overall experience.
- “Amaze about how many missions.”
- “It was just a mission to rate in order to upgrade level.”
- “I completed the missions but it won't give me anymore to do with my friend, so what am I supposed to do if it won't evolve?”
- “Stuck on level 2 because they don't give you enough XP from quests to evolve anything, and trying to actually earn coins is impossible. Unless you want to spend money, you get a really choppy, ad-blasted game.”
- “The shop page is completely whited out; I can't see anything, and it gets boring really quick. There are no missions or anything to engage with.”
- “A lot of ads, but I'm trying to complete missions, and you have to give a 5-star rating for one of these missions.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the aesthetic and potential, while others criticize them for being glitchy, choppy, and poorly executed. Many users report significant issues such as stuttering visuals and unresponsive elements, which detract from the overall experience. Additionally, the overwhelming presence of ads further complicates the enjoyment of the graphics.
- “Basically very fun, love the graphics and adorable idea - but the ads are the only downside, especially when even after paying to remove them they still are very present in the game.”
- “I love the graphics, but too many ads popping and a bit of lag.”
- “The game offers a lot but has major bugs from graphics to stutter.”
- “And the graphics are pretty awful ever since I downloaded it.”
- “The graphics are really choppy.”
gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The gameplay is generally considered decent but suffers from significant issues, including excessive ads that disrupt the experience and hinder mini-games. Many users feel that the game lacks depth and optimization, with some mechanics being buggy and poorly implemented. Overall, while there are fun elements, the gameplay is marred by its reliance on ads and a lack of clear instructions.
- “Gameplay slows down exponentially during minigames, but overall a fun game.”
- “Aside from that, I would love to see the growth of the game; it seems to require some optimization and additional mechanics/features for it to become fun and addictive.”
- “It's cute, love the concept, but it's obviously a poorly made cash grab that forces a lot of inconvenient ads that make up at least 50% of gameplay.”
- “It's cute, love the concept, but it's obviously a poorly made cash grab that forces a lot of inconvenient ads that make up at least 50% of gameplay, and even makes it hard to play some of the mini games because the ads are literally in the way of help buttons.”
- “This game is literally watch ads to win; there is no gameplay here, please move on from this app.”
- “Meaningless gameplay and no tutorial/explanations.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is heavily criticized for its manipulative mechanics, where players feel emotionally blackmailed by the in-game penguin through excessive notifications and guilt-inducing messages. While some users find moments of joy and connection, many express discomfort with the game's approach, describing it as toxic and inappropriate, particularly for children. Overall, the game struggles to balance emotional engagement with a sense of fun, leading to a largely negative reception.
- “As a wholesome game, maybe it shouldn't make the user feel awful about playing it.”
- “Emotionally abused, gaslighted by a penguin. As soon as you go to bed, you start getting notifications like 'Don't you love me anymore?' and 'Do you love someone else?' I've had no love all day, even though it has had love. It gets deeper and deeper the more you level up, like having your toxic ex as a pet. Pretty weird and creepy; I would not recommend it for kids.”
- “It's nice, but the penguin emotionally blackmails me.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
13%
38%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues that detract from the overall experience. Many express a desire for updates to improve smoothness and reduce lag, as the current state hampers enjoyment despite the game's fun mechanics.
- “It's a fun concept, but it doesn't run smoothly at all.”
- “Aside from that, I would love to see the growth of the game; it seems to require some optimization and additional mechanics/features for it to become fun and addictive.”
- “The progression is fun and all, but the bad performance ruins most of the experience.”
- “Awful performance.”
- “Terrible phone performance.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding it funny and enjoyable, often enhancing social connections among friends. However, some users note technical issues and concerns about data privacy, though they still find the comedic elements, particularly involving a penguin, to be worth it. Overall, the game delivers a lighthearted and amusing experience.
- “Super funny and me and my friends have gotten closer.”
- “It's quite a funny game, a penguin to share and take care of, but it's kinda glitchy on my Android.”
- “I can just feel this app mining and selling my data, but hey, it's a funny penguin, so I guess it's worth it.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's music aspect has received criticism for the absence of background music, with players expressing a desire for the option to mute sound effects and music to listen to their own tunes while playing.
- “It doesn't even have background music.”
- “I love this game, but I need to be able to listen to music while playing. I need a mute SFX and music button, please.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be frustrating, particularly due to technical issues like the broken popcorn mini-game, which detracts from the overall experience. Many feel that the game leans heavily on monetization strategies, making the grinding feel excessive and unfulfilling.
- “It's okay, but some of the games are broken, like the popcorn one. It just keeps spewing popcorn even when I'm not touching my phone. I reinstalled to see if that would fix it, and it worked the first time, but not anymore. The only way to stop it from spewing popcorn is by pressing the volume button, so I don't know. It's just kind of meh, especially since it's a money grab and a grindy game.”