Video game *Penguin Colony* reimagines Lovecraft’s *At the Mountains of Madness* through a penguin’s perspective

Consensus Summary

The video game *Penguin Colony* reimagines HP Lovecraft’s 1936 novella *At the Mountains of Madness* through the perspective of a penguin navigating a Lovecraftian Antarctic landscape populated by Nazis and eldritch horrors. Both *The Guardian* and ABC agree the game blends exploration, narrative vignettes, and a critique of Lovecraft’s racism, though they emphasize different aspects. Players control various penguin species—including nimble rockhoppers and tiny chicks—to uncover a fragmented story while collecting words as collectibles, diverging from traditional treasure-hunting mechanics. The game’s semiopen world features low-poly visuals, Nazi expeditions, and Lovecraftian monsters, all rendered in a deliberately unsettling style.

The game’s origins trace back to Lovecraft’s 1930s novella, which ABC notes has been adapted before but rarely with its racist underpinnings addressed. *The Guardian* highlights the game’s technical execution, including audio glitches and control issues, while ABC focuses on its Indigenous design philosophy. Developer Naphtali Faulkner, identified by ABC as Ngāi Te Rangi, frames the project as a critique of colonial myth-making, drawing parallels between Nazi expeditions in Antarctica and settler narratives like Celtic New Zealand. The game’s fragmented storytelling and missable content reflect Faulkner’s rejection of ‘human-centred’ design, instead embracing Indigenous knowledge systems.

Faulkner’s perspective, detailed exclusively by ABC, positions *Penguin Colony* as a deliberate challenge to mainstream game design, which he argues prioritizes unchallenging ‘content.’ He cites Wiradjuri professor Norman Sheehan’s ‘respectful design’ framework and contrasts the game’s approach with commercially driven Silicon Valley models. *The Guardian* does not mention Faulkner’s Indigenous identity or his critique of colonialism, instead focusing on the game’s Lovecraftian themes and its technical and narrative innovations. Both outlets agree the game’s ending—a cosmological map revealing discovered and undiscovered secrets—induces a sense of wonder, though ABC ties this to Faulkner’s broader goals of redefining player engagement.

Key differences emerge in the game’s setting and historical framing. *The Guardian* anchors the story in 1936, aligning with Lovecraft’s original novella, while ABC shifts the focus to 1939, emphasizing Nazi expeditions in Antarctica as a metaphor for colonial hubris. ABC also highlights Faulkner’s personal history, including his earlier game *Umurangi Generation* (set in Tauranga Aotearoa during a climate crisis) and his admiration for FromSoftware’s obscure storytelling in *Dark Souls* and *Elden Ring*. *The Guardian* does not reference these influences, instead describing the game’s visual style and its critique of Lovecraft’s racism as standalone features.

Both articles agree the game is one of 2026’s most original releases, though they diverge on its cultural and design ambitions. ABC frames it as a tool for Indigenous-led storytelling and a rejection of colonial narratives, while *The Guardian* emphasizes its artistic and technical risks, such as audio glitches and the game’s deliberately disorienting structure. Faulkner’s comparison to *Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas* (2004) and its 36 square kilometre map, mentioned only by ABC, underscores his belief that the game’s mystery should be discovered organically rather than gamified. Neither article speculates on future updates or sequels, but both suggest the game’s fragmented design will encourage players to revisit and reinterpret its secrets.