For more on Penguins of Madagascar, check out our full Penguins of Madagascar review. Or, for more of the best Nintendo 3DS games for a 7 year old, why not try our Family Game Finder
Penguins of Madagascar is an adventure game, based on the film of the same name, in which players sneak into various high-security facilities in search of packets of cheese puff snacks, rescuing any trapped penguins they come across along the way. You'll need to sneak past the octopus guards, avoid searchlights and dodge lasers and electrical floors to reach the end of each of the game's levels, and get your hands on the (much vaunted) golden "cheezy dibble".
Each of the four penguins - Skipper, Kowalski, Private and Rico - have their own unique abilities, which come in handy when navigating the game's simple puzzle sections. Kowalski, the brainbox of the troupe, can hack into computers (via a simple hexagon-rotating mini-game) and hover over small gaps, while explosives expert Rico can use dynamite to blast through locked doors (via a basic memory game where you repeat back a sequence of five button presses). Private is small enough that he can squeeze into air vent pipes to reach new areas, and can also disguise himself as a plant to trick guards and spotlights alike, while their leader Skipper can slap ocotopuses to stun them, allowing you to slip past unnoticed.
However, the game isn't voiced at all, and while the dialogue sections at the beginning of each level aren't essential to the overall understanding of the game, you may miss out on a few things by not being able to read, even if it is possibly to fumble through without it. It's also worth noting that there's no tutorial or explanations here whatsoever, so you may need to point your kids in the right direction with regards to which penguin to use where to begin with - more often than not, you can tell who you need by the coloured hatching around the important areas, which matches the corresponding penguin's colour.
Much like the film it's based on, Penguins of Madagascar is a universally appealing game with nothing untoward in the slightest - no bad language, no sex and no gore. The closest it comes to 'violence' is being able to slap the octopus guards, but it simply stuns them temporarily, in a rather comedic fashion.
Age Ratings
Format Reviewed: Nintendo 3DS
