(Crowdfund Quest) The Isle of Penguins

Crowdfund Quest is a daily column that takes us on an expedition into tabletop crowdfunding with a look at a current project in the tabletop gaming world.

How many penguins can you rescue before the ice melts? Found out in this penguin-placement game by designer Frank West and The City of Games.

The Isle of Penguins may look passingly familiar, and in a way it is. Styled visually on Frank West’s massively popular 2019 release, The Isle of Cats, you could be excused in thinking it was more of the same but replacing our feline friends with our flightless semi-aqautic sea bird friends. You would, however, be wrong. While you’ll still find something familiar, The Isle of Penguins is not a reskin. It’s a new, faster, more accessible experience that comes with three game modes - a welcoming Family Mode for lighter games, an Advanced Mode for those wanting deeper strategy and resource management, and Expert Mode which is tougher, with harder objectives and for experienced penguin rescuers.

The Isle of Penguins plays for 1-4 players (expandable up to 6 players with the Late Arrivals expansion), takes around 60-90 minutes to play, and suitable for ages 8+ courtesy of the lighter Family Mode of game play.

City legends have long spoken of the great frozen lands of the north, a vast and ancient wilderness of glaciers and ice, home to curious, resilient, and remarkable breeds of penguin. Few from Squalls End have ever had reason to venture there, but rumours reached us that something was wrong, and we sailed to find out. Nothing prepared us for what we found.

The ice is fracturing, thousands of floes drifting out to sea, carrying with them the penguins who have always called this place home. our boat is too small for a rsecue, but we’ll find a way. Leaping aboard the largest sheets we could find, we begin. There is still a chance these remarkable creatures can be saved.

You are a citizen of Squalls End and are on a rescue mission to save as many penguins as possible before their home melts into the sea. You must navigate the frozen floes, rescue penguins, gather ancient relics, and study the lessons of the keepers to learn how best to care for your feathery friends.

As you drift between the floes, you’ll rescue penguins and discover relices. Penguins and relics are represented by tiles of all shapes and sizes that must be carefully arranged on your ice raft. Try to keep penguin families together, complete lessons, and make the most of every inch of ice you hace. But watch out - returning with a half empty raft isn’t going to look good!

The Isle of Penguins is currently funding on Kickstarter, with the campaign running until Thursday 30th July 2026.