The latest indie about chaotic animals is one with penguin pals pulling heists

A penguin belly sliding under a laser — (Image credit: That Fish, That Other Fish)

Maybe I've just watched too much Wallace and Gromit, but it doesn't take a lot to pitch me on the idea of penguins doing crime. T he Greatest Penguin Heist Of All Time is solely about that.

"One heist will have you stealing boats full of fish, another might have you stealing valuable works of art, and yet another may require you to kidnap an prized chef," says the store page description, going on to clarify that is up to the penguin whether to go in "loud or silent, lethal or non-lethal". I both respect and fear the emphasis put on '"lethal or non-lethal", because I do believe in a penguin's ability to do a murder, if they so choose.

The stealth game is a online co-op game for up to four players, with full character customisation. From the looks of the trailer, this includes hats, glasses, and even little jackets, which is kind of precious. The penguins also have "realistic penguin nooting", as well as the less realistic ability (I hope) to carry around baseball bats to thwack people with.

"Chaotic animal games" is a niche genre, but it's a good one. Untitled Goose Game was a runaway hit, but before that we had Goat Simulator, and Catlateral Damage. Sometimes, you just want to cause havoc: even better to do it with your friends.

The Greatest Penguin Heist of All Time is available on Steam Early Access for £11.39, where it currently has an additional launch discount of 20%.