''SuperTux'' is a
free and open-source
Free and open-source software (FOSS) is a term used to refer to groups of software consisting of both free software and open-source software where anyone is freely licensed to use, copy, study, and change the software in any way, and the source ...
two-dimensional
platform video game published under the
GNU General Public License (GPL). The game was inspired by
Nintendo
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles.
Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
's ''
Super Mario Bros.'' series; instead of
Mario, the hero in the game is
Tux
Black tie is a semi-formal wear, semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for clothing, attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically ...
, the official
mascot of the
Linux kernel
The Linux kernel is a free and open-source, monolithic, modular, multitasking, Unix-like operating system kernel. It was originally authored in 1991 by Linus Torvalds for his i386-based PC, and it was soon adopted as the kernel for the GNU ope ...
.
History
The game was originally created by
Bill Kendrick and is maintained by the SuperTux Development Team. It is written mostly in the
C++ programming language. Many of the in-game graphics were created by Ingo Ruhnke, author of ''
Pingus
''Pingus'' is an open-source video game programmed by German developer Ingo Ruhnke. It is a clone of ''Lemmings'' with penguins instead of lemmings.
Gameplay
Pingus has 55 levels, grouped into 5 level sets, as well as 21 winter-themed tuto ...
''.
The game was developed under usage of
Simple DirectMedia Layer as
cross-platform middlelayer targeting
OpenGL
OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, cross-platform application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics. The API is typically used to interact with a graphics processing unit (GPU), to achieve hardwa ...
and
OpenAL
OpenAL (Open Audio Library) is a cross-platform audio application programming interface (API). It is designed for efficient rendering of multichannel three-dimensional positional audio. Its API style and conventions deliberately resemble those ...
.
Game engine
A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term "software engine" used in the software i ...
and physics engine are own developed. The game's
metadata
Metadata is "data that provides information about other data", but not the content of the data, such as the text of a message or the image itself. There are many distinct types of metadata, including:
* Descriptive metadata – the descriptive ...
are ''
S-Expressions'' of the programming language
Lisp
A lisp is a speech impairment in which a person misarticulates sibilants (, , , , , , , ). These misarticulations often result in unclear speech.
Types
* A frontal lisp occurs when the tongue is placed anterior to the target. Interdental lisping ...
,
scripts
Script may refer to:
Writing systems
* Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire
* Script (styles of handwriting)
** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...
are written in
Squirrel
Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...
.
Updates
The development occurs in a series of stable milestones, each one improving steadily upon the last:
* Versions from 0.0.0 (2000) to 0.0.6 (2003) were betas with only one level called "Antarctica"
* Milestone 1 (versions 0.1.0 to 0.1.3) was released in 2004
* Version 0.3.0 was released on December 17, 2006, and features a whole new forest world
* Version 0.4.0 was released on December 20, 2015, which features significant improvements to gameplay, all new graphics, a switch to
SDL2, and new features.
* Milestone 2 (versions 0.5.0 to 0.5.1) was officially released as stable in 2016. It adds a built-in level editor and temporarily removes the forest world.
* Version 0.6.0 was released on December 23, 2018 with redesigned Icy Island and Forest, revamped rendering engine and many minor improvements.
* Milestone 3 (versions 0.7.0 to 0.7.1) is planned to release at the end of 2023, which will feature a fully revamped games with new textures for every tile, badguy, character and decal, a ton of new features, including multiplayer, sliding, a world select menu, and revamped powerups
* Version 0.8.0 is planned to introduce a tropical world with volcanos, a temple and 2 new bosses to unlock after Ghosttree is beaten.
On January 13, 2022, ''SuperTux'' was released on
Steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
as an
Early Access game.
Gameplay
Gameplay in SuperTux is similar to ''
Super Mario Bros.''. Tux can jump under bonus blocks marked with question marks to gain coins or retrieve
power-up
In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that can be used at any time chosen ...
s such as the egg, which makes Tux bigger and allows him to take an extra hit before dying. Other objects such as trampolines and invincibility granting stars can also be obtained from these blocks. Tux can defeat some bad guys by jumping on them, and most can be defeated or frozen by shooting bullets after collecting a fire flower or an ice flower. Earth flowers grant Tux a miner helmet with a spotlight for dark areas and can give invincibility for a few seconds, and air flowers allow Tux to glide in the air, jump higher and move faster. If Tux gets hit after he collected a flower, he loses his helmet and transforms back into big Tux. The objective of each level is to get to the end, usually marked by checker-patterned poles.

At the end of each world is a boss, such as the
Yeti boss on Icy Island or the Ghosttree on the Forest World.
Contributed Levels

In addition to the two main worlds, there are contributed levels, which include the 4 Bonus Islands, a christmas and hallowen levelsets and a special retro levelset (Revenge in Redmond) designed to celebrate the game's 20th anniversary (2020). In addition to these, there are installable addons and custom levels added by the player, either created in the internal Level Editor or added manually.
Add-on levels
There are additional add-on levels in SuperTux which can be installed with the built-in add-on manager or manually. The add-on manager lists over 25 add-ons. New add-ons are usually published on the forum or in the
Discord server and can be added to the list after testing.
Plot

In the game, Tux begins in Icy Island. Tux holds a picnic with Penny, his girlfriend. He starts dancing and gets distracted, he doesn't notice that the villain of the game, named Nolok, kidnaps Penny. Once he finds that Penny is missing, and determined to save her, Tux begins his journey. He then navigates the Icy Island and later Forest to find her.
Reception
In 2007 ''
Punto Informatico
''Punto Informatico'' (literally "''Informatic point''", pun for "''Informative place''") is an Italian online newspaper.
Description
Founded in 1995 and established in 1996, it has been the first Italian daily newspaper published online and one ...
'' described the atmosphere of the game as pleasant and praised the
free availability of the game.
In 2008, ''SuperTux'' was used as a game for children by school district #73 in
British Columbia, which had decided to transition to free and open-source software.
Also in 2008, ''SuperTux'' was bundled in the ''
Linux Caixa Mágica'' distribution, known for its inclusion in the Portuguese
Magalhães Magalhães (pronounced or ) is a Portuguese surname, sometimes rendered in English as ''Magellan''.
It may refer to:
General
* Álvaro Magalhães (writer), Portuguese writer
* Ana Maria Magalhães, Brazilian film actress and director
*Antônio ...
computer.
The game was ported to other platforms, including
GP2X,
Pocket PC
A Pocket PC (P/PC, PPC) is a class of personal digital assistant (PDA) that runs the Windows Mobile or Windows Embedded Compact operating system that has some of the abilities of modern desktop PCs. The name was introduced by Microsoft in 2000 ...
,
PSP, and
Palm WebOS
webOS, also known as LG webOS and previously known as Open webOS, HP webOS and Palm webOS, is a Linux kernel-based multitasking operating system for smart devices such as smart TVs that has also been used as a mobile operating system. Initially ...
. The game was also scheduled to be included in the release of the
EVO Smart Console
EVO Smart Console is a line media PCs and video game consoles marketed in the seventh generation of video game consoles. The system was produced by Envizions, a company based in Anniston, Alabama.
History
On August 10, 2004, the company Envizion ...
as of April 2009.
In May 2017 download portal
Softpedia lists for the Linux version alone over 80,000 downloads
Softonicover 750,000 downloads for the Windows version. Between 2002 and May 2017 SuperTux aggregated also over 850,000 downloads via
SourceForge.net
SourceForge is a web service that offers software consumers a centralized online location to control and manage open-source software projects and research business software. It provides source code repository hosting, bug tracking, mirroring ...
.
stats 2000-05-16+to+2017-05-22
on sourceforge.net
SourceForge is a web service that offers software consumers a centralized online location to control and manage open-source software projects and research business software. It provides source code repository hosting, bug tracking, mirroring ...
(May 2017)
Currently, SuperTux has more than 1,000,000 downloads on Google Play and 36,500 downloads on CNET
See also
*''Secret Maryo Chronicles
''Secret Maryo Chronicles'' is a free and open-source two-dimensional platform computer game that began in 2003. The game has been described by the German ''PCtipp'' as a ''Super Mario Bros.'' clone.
History
''Secret Maryo Chronicles'' bega ...
''
*'' Mari0''
*List of open-source video games
This is a list of notable open-source video games. Open-source video games are assembled from and are themselves open-source software, including public domain games with public domain source code. This list also includes games in which the engine i ...
References
External links
Official ''SuperTux'' website
*
Review and screen shots of Milestone 1
at HeadshotGamer.com
{{Tux games
2004 video games
BeOS games
GP2X games
Linux games
Open-source video games
Platform games
MacOS games
Video games developed in the United States
Video games set in Antarctica
Video game clones
Windows games
Single-player video games