Common Sense Media Review
By Chris Morris
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Amusing tilt game tempts players to download other apps.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Air Penguin
Is It Any Good?
The key to success in the app store, it seems, is to include birds in your game. Air Penguin features another flightless fowl bouncing from point to point. That's much like Tiny Wings, but this game uses the iDevice's tilt function rather than gravity to move the bird around. And that requires the controls to be perfect. Unfortunately, they're not in this app. As you advance through the 100 levels, the obstacles increase, which makes the control problems more noticeable. And while it's a decision that was obviously made for gameplay, it's odd that the game ends when your penguin hero falls in the water. Last we checked, penguins could swim....
The push to earn fish, the in-game currency, by downloading and playing other apps (some of which cost money) is a bit annoying. Parents might want to talk to their kids about this kind of marketing. Since you can earn fish by simply playing the game, it isn't necessary to downloading other apps. On the whole, this app is entertaining, and is the very definition of bite-sized gaming.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Pricing structure :
- Release date : April 14, 2011
- Genre : Arcade Games
- Publisher : GAMEVIL Inc.
- Version : 1.0
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 3.0 or later
- Last updated : November 1, 2022
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate