In my many trips to the Google Play store, I see many interesting-looking apps. Some are games where you simply push a button, others have scary looking talking cats as their logo. And, every once in awhile, an app comes up that makes some serious promises. Flying Penguin, also known as “Flying Penguin best free game” on the app store, looked particularly interesting. I’d never seen a game that advertised itself as the very best. Does it live up to the promise? No, not at all. But read on to find out why.

The Basics

Upon downloading this game I was very surprised to see it had 5 million downloads. 5 million! That’s nothing to scoff at. That gave me the impression that, despite it looking rather generic, the game could be a surprising amount of fun. Basically, you’re a penguin that slides on its belly to avoid a polar bear and eat fish. You must hold down on your Android phone at the right times to slide downward and go faster, or the bear will catch you. Suspense? Zoology? What more could you ask for?

Some Issues

At first, I had a little bit of fun sliding around on my stomach in the snow. However, I decided to run a few tests to see how much your input really matters. For my first experiment I didn’t touch my phone at all. Well, the penguin was eaten pretty quickly. However, for my second test, I touched my phone the entire time, which you’re only supposed to do when going down a hill. I finished each course from then on without even looking at the screen. This means that it really doesn’t matter how much you pay attention, there isn’t that much urgency.

Also..

Is it just me or does everything see a bit lazy? The penguin and fish look pretty generic, and there isn’t much that sets the game apart. Additionally, I figured there was an actual polar bear chasing you during the game. Instead, if the meter catches up, you’re greeted with an image of the polar bear having just eaten the penguin. It all comes off as a bit uninspired. And gruesome.

Best Free Game?

While Flying Penguin may be advertised as the best free game, I didn't exactly see it that way. While there is some fun to be had in sliding up and down snowy hills, there’s just no urgency. Unless you just stop playing, that invisible polar bear will not catch you. If you’re looking for the ultimate penguin-stomach-sliding-from-a-polar-bear app experience, continue looking. It has to be out there somewhere.