Yume Penguin Monogatari
Encyclopedia
Yume Penguin Monogatari is a hybrid platform
/shooter
video game developed by Konami
in 1991 for the Nintendo Family Computer
.
named Penta, who is getting dumped by his girlfriend Penko, because he has become far too obese for her liking. Penta is most likely Pentarou, a Konami protagonist
who has been in several games including Antarctic Adventure
, Penguin Adventure
and the Parodius series
. The game follows Penta's quest to win back his ex-girlfriend by losing weight via collecting diet drinks and avoiding enemies. Penko's new boyfriend, Ginji, is trying to block Penta's attempt by dispatching enemies sent to force-feed him back to obesity.
attack. As more weight is lost, additional types of attacks are acquired. Getting hit by an enemy will cause Penta to regain weight.
Among the six total levels in the game, there are three platforming levels as well as three two-dimensional scrolling shooter stages. In both types, the concept remains the same; collect diet drinks, attack/avoid enemies, and finish within the time limit. The 7th level contains the confrontation with Ginji, and is a behind-view shooting stage. At the conclusion of the game, Penta and Penko fly to a tropical island and everything initially appears to be idyllic. In a surprise move, very uncharacteristic for a NES game, Penko reveals herself to actually be very overweight and Penta slaps his head in disbelief. Penko then proceeds to start binge eating
.
Clocks: These allocate additional time to complete the current level.
H powerup: In stage three, the cake world, this item gives Penta a helicopter beanie for additional mobility. In the shooting stages, the H powerup upgrades the armaments on the plane to missiles.
A powerup: This item works as a "super zapper", eliminating all enemies from the screen.
M powerup: This powerup makes Penta temporarily invincible, similar to the starman from Super Mario Bros.
.
, as being a highly unusual game. The game is also remembered for the appearance of a penguin who is most likely Pentarou, star of several Konami classics. The game is also unique for its handling of obesity
, in that it's making the distinction that being overweight is not a positive action. The game was never released in the United States.
Being a Japanese-only release, the game was widely inaccessible until the rise of console emulation, a fan translation of YPM was initially released in 1998 by Kalevan, with an update that was made the following year. A second fan-made translation of the game was released in 2003 by Vice Translations.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
/shooter
Shooter game
Shooter games are a sub-genre of action game, which often test the player's speed and reaction time. It includes many subgenres that have the commonality of focusing "on the actions of the avatar using some sort of weapon. Usually this weapon is a gun, or some other long-range weapon". A common...
video game developed by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
in 1991 for the Nintendo Family Computer
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
.
Summary
This game is particularly notable because of its highly peculiar plot and gameplay. The player takes the role of a penguinPenguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
named Penta, who is getting dumped by his girlfriend Penko, because he has become far too obese for her liking. Penta is most likely Pentarou, a Konami protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
who has been in several games including Antarctic Adventure
Antarctic Adventure
Antarctic Adventure, known in Japan as Kekkyoku Nankyoku Daibōken is a video game developed by Konami in 1983 for MSX, and later for video game consoles, such as NES...
, Penguin Adventure
Penguin Adventure
is an action-adventure platform video game released by Konami in 1986. It is a sequel to Antarctic Adventure and has the distinction of being the first game that game designer Hideo Kojima worked on; he was an assistant designer. It has been acclaimed as one of the best MSX action games for its...
and the Parodius series
Parodius series
The Parodius series is a series of horizontally-scrolling shooters developed by Konami. The games are tongue-in-cheek parodies of Gradius, hence the name...
. The game follows Penta's quest to win back his ex-girlfriend by losing weight via collecting diet drinks and avoiding enemies. Penko's new boyfriend, Ginji, is trying to block Penta's attempt by dispatching enemies sent to force-feed him back to obesity.
Gameplay
This game is unique in that there is no life bar; instead there is a "fitness meter" that displays Penta's current progress toward being in shape enough to win back Penko. A broken heart marks the weight goal for the current level. If Penta does not reach that weight goal by the end of the level and within the time limit, the level must be restarted. Diet drinks must be collected to lose weight. Initially as a fat penguin, Penta is slow-moving, cannot jump high or far, and has only a blubberBlubber
Blubber is a thick layer of vascularized adipose tissue found under the skin of all cetaceans, pinnipeds and sirenians.-Description:Lipid-rich, collagen fiber–laced blubber comprises the hypodermis and covers the whole body, except for parts of the appendages, strongly attached to the musculature...
attack. As more weight is lost, additional types of attacks are acquired. Getting hit by an enemy will cause Penta to regain weight.
Among the six total levels in the game, there are three platforming levels as well as three two-dimensional scrolling shooter stages. In both types, the concept remains the same; collect diet drinks, attack/avoid enemies, and finish within the time limit. The 7th level contains the confrontation with Ginji, and is a behind-view shooting stage. At the conclusion of the game, Penta and Penko fly to a tropical island and everything initially appears to be idyllic. In a surprise move, very uncharacteristic for a NES game, Penko reveals herself to actually be very overweight and Penta slaps his head in disbelief. Penko then proceeds to start binge eating
Binge eating
Binge eating is a pattern of disordered eating which consists of episodes of uncontrollable eating. It is sometimes as a symptom of binge eating disorder. During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an excessive amount of food...
.
Items
Diet Drink: These items are central to the game, as they increase the fitness meter. There are two varieties: a weaker orange-flavored type, and a stronger strawberry-flavored type.Clocks: These allocate additional time to complete the current level.
H powerup: In stage three, the cake world, this item gives Penta a helicopter beanie for additional mobility. In the shooting stages, the H powerup upgrades the armaments on the plane to missiles.
A powerup: This item works as a "super zapper", eliminating all enemies from the screen.
M powerup: This powerup makes Penta temporarily invincible, similar to the starman from Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
.
Legacy
Yume Penguin Monogatari is remembered, along with Konami's own Bio Miracle Bokutte UpaBio Miracle Bokutte Upa
is a Konami video game that was first released for a Japan-exclusive market in 1988 for the Family Computer Disk System. It was later released as a cartridge in 1993 for the Family Computer....
, as being a highly unusual game. The game is also remembered for the appearance of a penguin who is most likely Pentarou, star of several Konami classics. The game is also unique for its handling of obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
, in that it's making the distinction that being overweight is not a positive action. The game was never released in the United States.
Being a Japanese-only release, the game was widely inaccessible until the rise of console emulation, a fan translation of YPM was initially released in 1998 by Kalevan, with an update that was made the following year. A second fan-made translation of the game was released in 2003 by Vice Translations.