Madagascar: Operation Penguin is a platform game that serves as a tie-in and interquel to the
Madagascar 1 film created by
Activision. The game reuses elements from the
first game as a side story for the penguins and what they did when they weren't on-screen. The game was released in 2005 a few months after the movie on the
Game Boy Advance.
Madagascar: Operation Penguin features the following tropes:
- 100% Completion: There are 1000 medals in all the levels, but there's no reward for getting all of them other than a 100% on your save file. You only need 80% in order to get full health.
- All for Nothing: You spend most of the game trying to get to Antarctica, only to find it's extremely dangerous and the penguins want no part of living there. Fortunately, they're able to get to Madgascar.
- Arc Welding: Alongside what the Penguins went through in the first movie, the game also connects it to the events of The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper, having it be an inspiration for their mission and bringing Mr. Chew in as a boss. Twice.
- Adaptation Expansion: The game acts as both a prequel and side story to the first movie, elaborating how the penguins' plan developed and what did they when the Zoosters were on screen.
- Adaptational Wimp: In a Christmas Caper, Mr. Chew is quite a threat, is this game Mr. Chew is the first enemy you encounter and dies after just a few hits.
- A Day in the Limelight: The game focuses on the penguins, particularly Private.
- Another Side, Another Story: The game retells the events of the first movie from the perspective of the penguins.
- Blatant Lies: To get Alex to retrieve the sleeper darts from the baboons, Private tells Alex that they need them to protect the steak trees. Alex believes him (surprised to learn steak grows on trees).
- Brick Joke: When the penguins land in Madagascar, Kowalski hopes that they can live there because he thinks the boat is out of fuel. After the final level, Private asks Skipper if they should tell the Zoosters about this.
- Characterisation Click Moment: Rico struggled to cough up a paper clip in the movie and dynamite in the Christmas short. This was the moment in the franchise where he was shown able to cough up anything without struggling.
- Characterization Marches On: While based on the first movie, the penguin's personalities were done to be more in-line with how they were written in Christmas Caper (which would define their personalities in the later TV series and movies).
- The movie had Private be...not all there. He barely understood what was going on and sometimes had a dopey smile. Here, Private is pretty average in intelligence and is more characterized by being the nicest of the four.
- Rico was originally more of the strong silent type and only said "Hai". Here, he can't seem to say anything at all.
- Kowalski is depicted as the Gadgeteer Genius (though rather than actually creating devices, he uses normal human objects as gadgets).
- For a version in this game, Private mentions his mom and dad. Their own film would reveal Private's egg was left behind and the other three took care of him.
- Covers Always Lie: Zig-Zagged. The boxart of the game uses a piece of artwork for the movie of all four penguins. Because of this, Skipper is front and center, but it's actually Private you're playing as. However, Private is the sole penguin featured on the Game Pak itself.
- Developer's Foresight: Once you get to the boat, there's no reason to go back to the zoo. However, doing so and returning to the base will have the next level's icon displayed on the projector.
- Edible Ammunition: Private is able to use the fruit from Gloria's baskets as slingshot ammo.
- Gameplay and Story Segregation: In Alex's level, fish still acts as the main health system, when the ending implies he's never eaten fish before.
- Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: When the penguins get to the end of the subway, they're surprised to find Nana from Christmas is there, and she brought her dog.
- Hub Level: The one used for most of the game is the penguin's pen. The last stretch instead uses the boat, though you can go back and forth between the two.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: When the penguins steer the boat to their final destination, Kowalski finds they are in some place called Madagascar. Private thinks it sounds like a movie title, and Skipper calls it out as stupid because no one can pronounce it.
- Reused Character Design: The duckling that helps the penguins out uses the same model as one from the movie.
- Rhythm Game: The Visitor's Center starts with a rhythm game starring Melman.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After they all almost get killed in Antarctica, the penguins decide to find some other place to live.
- Slippy-Slidey Ice World: The Arctic World and Antarctica. Fortunately, the first is not as difficult as most examples since Private can toboggan on his belly.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: The game explains why the penguins are in the subway despite their plan to dig to Antarctica....it's way too far to dig.
- Stealth-Based Mission: A few levels have private have to go through the subway/boat without getting spotted by guards. In the latter case, he also has to knock them all out.
- Truer to the Text: The first game's Game Boy Advance version simplified the penguins by using a sprite based on Rico, a HUD icon based on Private, and voice clips based on Skipper. This game gives each penguin their own sprite and icon.
- Waves of Enemies: The final boss is a group of fossa.
- We Need a Distraction: In order to get the shovels around the zoo, the penguins enlist Melman to dance and attract everyone's attention.
- With This Herring: When the game begins, Private can only give a weak slap. At a certain point, he gains a huge fish that deals more damage to enemies and can knock walls Private couldn't break normally.
- Xanatos Speed Chess: The game shows off how good the penguins are at adapting. Realize you can't dig to Antarctica? Use the subway you found on the way there. Got captured and locked up in a boat? Break out and use the boat to get there.
