TAGAP 2 – The penguin apocalypse has come again, and this time it has co-op mode

TAGAP 2 – The penguin apocalypse has come again, and this time it has co-op mode:

TAGAP 2 is an acronym for The Apocalyptic Game About Penguins 2, and it’s the very popular sequel to an original side scroller from back in 2007. The sequel doesn’t disappoint in any area and excels in all the important ones. Everything about the game is better, including the story and the overall game immersion.

TAGAP 1 was an underground cult hit in the world of freeware games back in 2007 and it was easy to see why it was such a success. It had tons of great features, decent graphics and some interesting innovations, but what really made it a success was that it was just fun to play. TAGAP 2 makes good on the promise of a bigger and better penguin apocalypse and provides plenty of high quality gaming entertainment at no cost.

When the game first starts, you’re presented with a recap of the first game’s events, in which two penguins Pablo and Pedro are basically vying for control of the world. Good vs. evil, apocalypse now type stuff, only with penguins. At the end of the first game (Spoiler alert!) the two penguins go off as brothers and friends. Now, in the sequel, the two must team up against an all new opponent, a new penguin evil that fights only for himself and his twisted dreams of world domination. You’re thrown into the action immediately as the penguin hero, with your trusty penguin buddy on call to help where possible.

There are lots of ways that TAGAP 2 excels above most freeware games. It has pretty superior graphics for a 2d shooter, with nice clean lines, everything is easy to distinguish and identify. The animated explosions and weapon effects are top notch, flashy without ruining your ability to see what’s happening on the screen. The background music is upbeat, with just a touch of sinister overtones, perfect for the overall ambience of the game. There is even a new multiplayer mode that allows you to play split screen with a friend on one computer, if you have a USB gamepad or other similar device.

The two places where TAGAP really excels, however, are in the control scheme and the storyline. The controls are set up to have one hand on the keyboard and one on the mouse in traditional FPS style. The mouse moves the crosshairs and fires the weapons while the keyboard keys move your penguin hero around. This is a nice way to make people who are comfy with First Person Shooters easily get into this 2D Side Scrolling shooter. It was easy to get into the swing of the controls, and there are lots of great surprises. Each weapon has its own alternate fire mode, like an explosive mine from the shotgun or the really neat way you can aim your dual Uzis in two different directions by holding the right button. You also have the option to use a single key press to call in your penguin buddy to napalm the area, which is very handy for boss fights.

The storyline in TAGAP 2, from beginning to end, feels a lot like a Saturday morning cartoon. This is somewhat at odds with all the gore and somewhat more adult humor in certain parts of the game, but overall it comes off well and leaves the player feeling like they didn’t waste their time. The recap at the beginning is read by a voiceover that sounds barely literate and a bit dopey, but somehow they manage to make it work. The dialogue and the cut scenes are well produced, if not well written. The story isn’t fantastic, but somehow the elements of the entire game combined make it work. It is one of those situations where the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. In conclusion, I feel that TAGAP 2 is a great game and an excellent example of what can be accomplished in the realm of free gaming. A good game doesn’t have to cost fifty bucks, folks, and this one is living proof.

Until next time, my friends.

System requirements

• Microsoft Windows XP / Vista / 7; Windows 98/ME/2000 work with optional patch


• 1000+ MHz processor


• 256 Mb RAM


• 132 Mb free hard disk space


• OpenGL® compatible video card; Intel Graphics is unsupported


• Windows® compatible sound card


• Keyboard and mouse


• TAGAP also supports XInput compatible game controllers (i.e. Xbox 360 Controller and Logitech ChillStream). XInput requires at least Windows XP SP1 or Vista.

Get TAGAP 2 here (~211 megs).