Weird Video Games - Penguin Adventure (MSX) 

That song at the end has been living in my head rent-free for YEARS and I only just now realized where it was from. So good!

First game made by Hideo Kojima. A true genius!

11:31 - I come back to this video every once in a while simply because I need to hear "Penta - The Fastest Thing Alive" again. (AKA "Penguin Adventure Song" by Vincent E. L.)

The Moai thing comes from one of the game's music composers, Moai Sasaki.

3:47 Maybe these penguins live nearby, but Penta is so fast, it would still be quicker to make him go round trip instead of sending someone who lives near the apple tree. And maybe they've wanted to take out the komodo dragon terrorizing their village for a while now, but they haven't been able to. But then Penta came along and finally killed it, so they were nolonger afraid to come out and thank him, like the munchkins.

3:47 : They might be young hostages capture by the comodo dragon, when the comodo dragon is defeated they are freed and dance as their gratitude; and as they are too young for hazardous adventure, they are sent home afterwards.

I still think this is my favourite video game review of all time. I'm so glad my dad told me about this game like 12 years ago leading me to discovering this video (And also Vincent E.L. who is now one of my favourite artists) I find this game to be really fun, cute and charming, and wish the series had continued.

This is still my favorite weird video game review. Love that rap! They need to bring Penta back in a new wacky adventure. I also find it funny that Kojima, apparently worked on this game before the whole Metal Gear thing.

I was rewatching this and got reminded of something: In one Polish city they setup a device called "the rekuperator", which is a slot machine, which is used by throwing dog poop inside (kupa => poop) and if the pictures match, you're rewarded with a ball that you can play with your dog. The story even continues. This device was wrecked by hooligans pretty early on, so they had to hire a guard to stand watch. I am delighted by that idea, and would like to imagine that man looking for a job later in life, and having to explain to his future employer what the rekuperator is!

A badly-timed ad break made me think this had been uploaded without the rap, thank god it’s still here…

Did you know that penguins have one of the highest occurrences of homosexuality in the animal kingdom?

I first watched this video when it came out and some of the lyrics of the rap art the end are still in my mind to this day "penta spends his pentapenergy" is such a great line lmao

I haven't really realized it before, but I've been watching this guy for over 3 years, now! These videos have already become quite nostalgic to me...

10 years later, that song still Slaps!

You can definitely see Hideo Kojima's mind at work here. Great game nonetheless. I think this game is due to a reboot/sequel. Doesn't even have to be gritty since it already has a penguin using a gun and pining for beer plus a dragon.

Penta thinking about beer could be a reference to a series of Japanese beer commercials featuring cartoon penguins. There was also a weird anime movie based on the commercials where a penguin gets PTSD from fighting in Vietnam (I’m not joking).

And now I know where the penguins in Parodius comes from.

Tux is a dedicated prince. ...you know, the Linux penguin that represents speed and grace while being fat and cute? ...nevermind

Damn, never thought Fastest Thing Alive would be *this* nostalgic! It's been a crazy... 5 years or so.

BTW - If penta was moving that fast, then, much like the flash, time dilation due to relativity should kick in and the rest of the world should seem to be moving on much slower time, thus, penta would finish EXTREMELY quickly relative to the time HE feels like he spent on this adventure.

To be fair, running into a log at Mach 58 would be quite painful.

Second comment on here to say that I have a theory about Penta and Penko's universe. Penguin Adventure is Penta's fantasy/daydream. The differences between the universes of Antartic Adventure/Penguin Adventure and Yume Penguin Monogatari are stunning. To the point where you wonder if they really belong to the same universes. In the first, penguins seem to live on glaciers, like in real life ; in the Famicom game, we can see a city, a phone, indications of modern life. So, what if what we see in the first two games is just what Penta wishes could be? Antarctic Adventure was a fantasy he had before he met Penko (the penguin girl in the Famicom game, and the princess in this one). He already wished to be the fastest penguin in the world, and imagined ridiculous speeds he could go at while conquering the Antarctic where he once lived before moving to a city. Then, in that city, he met Penko and had a normal life with her ; but, when daydreaming, Penta's thoughts would now be completely different. He would imagine a classic "rescue the princess" scenario, and maybe Penko would even dress up to play up with him for fun. He'd still be the perfect, heroic, impossibly fast penguin he dreamt of being, but this time there'd be obstacles, as well as helpful people, along the way (like in most fairytales with a princess involved). He would still set that in the Antarctic, but it would be a little bit of an adaptated version. They'd have together with that fictional little play of theirs, the Penguin Adventure. The reason why we see the city and actual world of the series in Yume Penguin Monogatari is because the game takes place in the "real" world of this universe. Penta's been putting on pounds, and Penko, a very exigent girl from the beginning (hence Penguin Adventure being way harder and having actual death hazards, unlike its predecessor) decides to leave him. Cue the events of the game.

And i love this game so much...

7:36 -- this is really the case where one actual image is better than a thousand mental images. I laughed till I had trouble breathing.

Based on the look on his face, I think the dude in the corner is going 'aww shucks, Penta loves the princess so much!' OR 'Oh, damn... he let his princess, who he loved so much, die.' For literally everything else... I GOT NUTHIN'.

We need that Penta song as a standalone video. My music playlist is incomplete without it.

Pentaro is changed into a space destroyer if you have Penguin Adventure plugged into a secondary slot whilst Nemesis 2 is in the Primary slot.

The slot machine would have a gene fingerprinter for fish verification. Of course there is a freezer in the slot machine

The reason that fish leap out of holes underwater and penta taking in massive gulps of water, iz because on MSX there wasn't enough memory to support those accute details

Well, having both games (boxed) I can tell you that the most enemies are coming from other Konami games. This game is almost like Parodius Da or Wai Wai World, strange events from other games, but still in the Konami structure. So I love this game.

The track at the end was the icing on the cake. Nice one!

This is by far the best video of this channel. It's pure genius! And it seems to be the most popular too! BTW, if you add subtitles it might reach a broader audience.

Holy cow that song is amazing. I swear this channel has the best original soundtrack.

PENTAAAA THE FASTEEEST THING ALIVVVEEEE! WHo would though such a simple game can be so deep.

7:38 nice picture xD

Nice. Not too many songs out there with "moai" in the lyrics. :-)

The peguins who appear when you beat the dragon were probably trapped and hold as hostage. In other words Penta wasn't the first to be send. In New Super Mario for DS/3DS, you DO destroy everything in your way, not with the star, but with a Mega Mushroom. The penguin winking with a heart, seem to be a girl if you take a look that it chest.

There are tornadoes and things like that which suck creatures out of the sea and pull them high up in the atmosphere temporarily, this is a common theory for how the plague of frogs could have happened in Egypt, that's what I thought of when I saw Penta collecting fish in Earth's upper atmosphere.

Technology... What took you so long...

Someone probably told you this before, but those black dots are oil, Tom.

Truly the first penguin type game

The gold fish in space are extra lives. The feather let's you change direction mid air when jumping. With glasses you can see the invisible enemies. The amount of useful items in this game is ridiculous. Oh... And the underground caves you fall into are warp zones!

Such a great game I still have the cartridge now.

i can definitely see where Hideo Kojima had his hand in the story lol

Very funny but also thorough and accurate review! I think it does the game justice. As of today, this review is mentioned in the news section of the MSX Resource Center.

yellow and blue helmet protects from 3 enemy attacks (cant remember which enemy) silver helmet protects you from 3 lightning bolts. red vest protects from 3 bat and albatross collisions map any level that has this cannot be finished without it armor protects from barrier collisions crossed tiare protects you from fireballs priest robe protects from rock collisions blue boots faster lateral movement

Still a better love story than twilight

Someone get kojima to make a sequel, please, for the love of god. After all of his own personal development/improvement and experience I am absolutely dying to see what he’d make.. I would say include penta rap and a generally more bitchin soundtrack but let kojima be. Kojima does what kojima wants. Kojima

This is an excellent video. Honestly, your voice turned me off the video at first (since I'd never heard you before and your voice is quite unique), but I eventually found it to have plenty of charm to it, along with the hilarious content you presented. I added this video to my (quite limited) favorites list and will be visiting your videos again. :D

This Game looks like it's fun to play. I like this - even if it is a little weird.

I'll fix this for you for free!: Chuck norris obviously is the pet of Penta The Penguin. Great video, GREAT SONG!.

I did a nuzlocke of this game before. A nuzlocke is a typical rule that makes a simple game difficult. Penguin Adventure nuzlocke: If Penta dies, Penta loses a 1-UP. If Penta can't continue due to missing 1-UPs, I lose the nuzlocke. Penta can collect abilities that will help in his journey, skipping some shortcuts and getting all items, and pause the game to rescue Penguette.

I'd buy an MSX just to play this game.

Ok, is it bad that I like the song at the end better than about 70% of things I hear on the radio?

wait, a moai? who made this ga-... Konami? Moai makes total sense now!

Love that you worked the Sonic SatAm theme into the end song :D

This is one of the best 8bit games ever made ive still got my cartridge, and your review was funny ive never thought of the game in the way you just pointed out.

6:14 Well, yeah! Look at the sprite!

Torches underwater aren't impossible...though that doesn't explain how any torch would help against ink. Magnesium torches burn really well in water, even in depths where diving flashlights get crushed.

You know I love the new and weird words you throw in. Not many reviewers like to flex that vocabulary.

Say, Tom! You may already know this, but Penta also stars in a '91 Famicom game called "Yume Penguin Monogatari". The premise involves Penta's girlfriend leaving him for a jerk penguin with sunglasses because our hero is now obese and he must lose weight and thwart the usurper's minions in order to win her back. And this after all he's done for her! It could make for a great follow-up "Weird Video Game" video, provided you own a Famicom. Also, love the rap at the end of this review...

Tremendous show and great production values here. I'm sold, I will be following this from here on out. Really appreciate you taking such time with this game. I love this little penguin bugger. Funny and informative, great watch.

I'm pretty sure that tiara is a bishop's hat. It has the shape and a little cross on it.

The penguin had to learn how to shoot,because he would also star in Parodius later.

@StrawberryGuy86 Vincent E. L. has it available on Soundclick. You can find it on his website at swenglish dot nu

the clouds shooting lighting were probably reused from Magical Tree.

The song at the end was sick! Go Penta go!!

it's fun how it is , no need for real world stuff in games , how you define real in this? he may have a magic torch like in lotr , neoprane blue boots and putted a red nike shoe on it so what's the problem with that????? that prince penguin looks much real for me than a civil life :D

well chuck norris counted infinity TWICE your move penguin by the way it's great that you upload the videos here is easier to watch them than in the other site

Great video! Pengiun Adventure is considered as one of the best games of the MSX 1 era. This game has smooth controls, great visuals and a superb soundtrack. You forgot in the video that some items can't be bought. You have to find hidden places (without any clues, of course!), then jump and a bag out of nowhere appears.

Penta for Smash

This has to be your finest episode, the ending rap always gets me.

Gotta love Vincent E.L's work.

At 3:47 you ask questions with a necessity for more answers than my Middle School teachers can give me!

In a race, this penguin would win against Chuck, but in anything else he wouldn`t. Chuck wouldn`t die from hitting a log, rock or that other stuff :P

That penguin dude be like "Notice me Penta senpai..."

Penguin adventure isn't a weird game ! It was one of the best 8 bit game ever !!! This game is from my childhood! Really impressive for a 8 bit machine.

That song... "LOL" don't do it justice

That song at the end is epic!

The penguin statues kinda remind me of something...........(never ending story theme begins playing)

It's written by Vincent E. L. Could that be Mr. Weird Video Games???

Santa never gave me the gun i ask him every year T_T

OMG I laughed so hard because of your commentary XD

This is epic. This is there WVG shine.

7:30 best moment of a penguin : BatGuin?

I watch this just to listen to the Penguin Adventure song at the end! Also, for whatever reason, the Bandcamp version of the song sounds way too compressed compared to the MP3 version I found years ago, but sadly can't remember where I found.

Santa's shop was the happiest thing.

@AlexFolland Not sure what to say about the voice thing, but thank you very much. :)

have to say that this is interesting game, if only all games on msx would be like this one....

That theoretical stuff is wrong, the speed force aura protects himself and others from his high speeds, ie if he went high speeds he would destroy the universe but since he has the speed force aura it is fine. So yeah, the flash thing was wrong.

the song is AWESOME

God i remember the rap... So good

Who in the hell did that rap! Kinda had a hint of Eminem. and pinta faster than sonic you think?

LOL that song in the end tho. LOL

Damn, right in the childhood, I had no idea it was made by Kojima.

a truly great video :)

Best game ever...I'll give a note of 10/10

Well, look at Link and Snake, they carrying a lot of stuff too XD

Actually, you're wrong. He goes faster while wearing the small city. :3

Maybe that guard is missing his deceased love life love life