Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Penguin Colony
ORIGAME DIGITAL · Published by Fellow Traveller
Content notice: This game includes depictions of blood, gore, scenes of sudden and violent deaths, and depictions of self-harm and suicide.
Last updated 28 Sept 2026
Cosmic horror, through the eyes of a penguin. Rival human factions have come to your home in the Antarctic, seeking an ancient and inconceivable being. Observe their descent into insanity in this faithful re-imagining of H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, and other stories.
Action, Adventure, Indie, Casual · 2026 · More free games
Explore the Antarctic under ORIGAME DIGITAL's guidance as you observe human factions' descent into madness. Experience a faithful re-imagining of H.P. Lovecraft’s tales in this unique action-adventure game.
About this game
"I am writing this under an appreciable mental strain..."
A faithful re-imagining of H.P. Lovecraft through the eyes of a penguin. Developed by Origame Digital, creators of Umurangi Generation, published by Fellow Traveller (1000xRESIST), and narrated by Lenval Brown.
“The wind howls differently in the S̴̭̘̥͉̘̤̺͚͈̫̘̎̉̀̊͛̿͗̃́́͐̊̐̓̊͠ͅouth”
The year is 1939, and the Nazis and Kaitiaki are making their way into the deep Antarctic to answer the call of an impossibly ancient being. One group seeks to extract this inconceivable power for its own destructive means. The other, as it has been doing for generations, hopes to return it to its slumber for another hundred years.
“Is it possible that what I have e̸̘̽x̷͔̿p̷̢̓e̴̗͠r̷̫̓ì̷͖ĕ̸͓n̷͇͘c̵̠͌e̸̜̓d̶̗̆ shall be believed?”
These humans, with their strange sights and sounds, will pique the curiosity of the local penguins. Embody any one of these penguins and wander the frozen landscape, following the humans in their discoveries, and witnessing their minds collapse under the strain.
“Or will my wö̴̭̥́̌̓̒̅rds come across like those of a m̴̜͉̻̙̮̳̺͕̼̤̥̯͙̞̉̔͆̀̉̈̃̑̔̀̉́́͘͜ͅa̴̢̛̩͚̣̼̘̱̥̰͉͗̈͌͆̕ͅͅd̷͇͝ ̵̧̗́͠m̵͚͓̎̐ạ̴̠̃n̶̹̾͝?̴̦̞̉́”
Part adaptation, part re-imagination, Penguin Colony is a sincere expansion of H.P. Lovecraft’s mythos. Drawing inspiration from stories like At the Mountains of Madness and The Shadow Out of Time, the game is set just two years after Lovecraft’s death, and carries on his tradition of weird fiction.
About the Developer
ORIGAME DIGITAL is a new media studio located in Ahitereiria. Developers of the IGF Grand Prize Winner Umurangi Generation (2020). Combining the new medium of Video Games with the Original story telling ways that's what ORI-GAME is all about. Next time you feel like something fresh check out an ORIGAME.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: i7
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: GTX 1080
- DirectX: Version 10
- Storage: 2 GB available space
Recommended
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
Supported Languages
*languages with full audio support
Latest news
AnnouncementsOfficial
Siren Song: Inside the horror that made Penguin Colony
While some inspirations for Penguin Colony are obvious (shout-out to The Thing’s title drop), it’s always interesting to dig below the surface and find lesser-known works that stick with developers. Director Naphtali Faulkner has a lot of stories on his mind when it comes to his mind-bending penguin-sliding experience, so today we’ll focus on a very specific one in particular.We love to talk about Lovecraft’s influence, but some of the horror in Penguin Colony can be directly attributed to Siren, created by legendary director Keiichiro Toyama and the team at Japan Studio.Also known as Forbidden Siren in Europe and Australia, this cult-classic PS2 title is remembered for its punishing difficulty and somewhat confusing, nonlinear navigation. Following the success of Silent Hill 2, Toyama left for Japan Studio, where he would create the Siren and Gravity Rush series.Siren's influence can be seen in Penguin Colony’s sprawling, desolate arctic environments. The game’s HUD is minimalist, and as a penguin, you cannot change the world around you. Your only move is to slide, swim, or waddle your way out of danger as you observe the horrors and madness unfolding before you.“Siren’s setting is fascinating. Seemingly out of nowhere, the rivers up high in the mountain become blood. Fog rolls in as the ‘curse’ of the shibito returns," explained Faulkner. “The shibito begin as parallels to mindless zombies, but begin to become more bug-like as the game progresses. This traditional gore brings us to the origin of the curse, Datasushi, a beautiful god-like being which glows blue. I hope you see the parallels to this in Penguin Colony.”(Image of Shibito via Siren Wiki)Players of Penguin Colony’s demo will remember the mind-blowing sign of madness inflicted on the humans who have gotten close to something deep inside the Arctic. What could be causing these abnormal events? There’s only one way to find out this October, and it starts with wishlisting Penguin Colony on Steam today!If yo...Read full article on Community Announcements (nathan)Press Coverage
Cosmic horror and sea bird waddling sim Penguin Colony gave me a genAI fright in its release date trailer, but thankfully there's no actual cause for concern
You might be surprised to hear this given the very indie vibe about it, but Penguin Colony features RTX. It's actually AAA too, and includes DLSS as well. Perhaps most shockingly of all, there's genAI in Penguin Colony. It's true! It's all true! You can see it in the game's latest trailer for yourself. Look, right there, RTX: Real Terror eXploration. And there's GENeral Antarctic Isolation, Does Lovecraft Still Scare, and Ancient Abomination Awakens to boot! Is your brief heart attack over now? Yes, this is all a tongue in cheek ploy to get you to recognise that the next game from the devs behind Umurangi Generation has a release date. Read moreRead full article on Rock, Paper, ShotgunCommunity & EventsOfficial
THREE New Trailers + a Demo for Summer Game Fest!
As a part of Summer Game Fest, we're back with three new trailers for Penguin Colony!Each of these trailers explores a unique part of the game.The Story Trailer shown at our own Story Rich Showcase offers insight into the goals of the Nazi expedition that finds themselves searching the Antarctic for horrors unknownThe Green Games Showcase Trailer offers a look into the environment of Antarctica and its denizensThe Frosty Fest Trailer focuses on the Maori people and the way that their culture has influenced Penguin Colony and the Nazis' rival faction, the KaitiakiDon't forget--Steam Next Fest is coming up soon! Journey into the unknown with the new demo and play it today! Plus, wishlist Penguin Colony for more updates!Read full article on Community Announcements (nathan)AnnouncementsOfficial
Penguin Colony's demo is live!
There's something awakening beneath the ice, and it's calling out...The Penguin Colony demo is out now on Steam! Pick it up to descend into Antarctic cosmic horror and wishlist today!Plus, don’t miss the Story-Rich Showcase, Frosty Games Fest, and the Green Games Showcase for brand new info from ORIGAME DIGITAL!Read full article on Community Announcements (nathan)Press Coverage
Umurangi Generation devs sign up Disco Elysium's Furies to voice their new penguin open worlder, which looks like The Thing
There was really only one way to enhance the prospect of an Antarctic open world game with a choice of playable penguins that's actually a fractious retelling of Lovecraft's Mountains of Madness, created by the developers of Umurangi Generation. And that one way was to hire Lenval Brown, narrator for Disco Elysium's special edition, to voice the first proper trailer. And also, make the trailer look a lot like John Carpenter's The Thing. No further words from me are needed or desired. Find the footage below. Read moreRead full article on Rock, Paper, Shotgun
