Linux Mascot Games. (Yes, they exist.)

[Icey!]

While I was on my laptop being bored as usual I instantly remembered a title that I once heard about "SuperTuxKart" a Mario Kart inspired game but with Open source mascots from the Linux community. Long story short, I download and played it.

Seems like an unexpected topic doesn't it? I thought they where interesting to look at.

1. SuperTuxKart

SKT feels like a Mario kart clone while also being it's own thing. While yes, you can do the usual racing, battling, and time trials. But it also has a graphic settings panel which Mario Kart doesn't have. The only complaint I have with this game is the animations and UI feel a little dated. (9/10)

2. SuperTux

In this game, instead of Mario kart with Tux, you get Super Mario Bros with Tux! This game is pretty good but the only problem is that I suck at platformers. I could be going around killing enemies with my power up until I fall down a pit and move back to the last checkpoint causing me to be more vulnerable since I lost my power up. (7/10)

Current Conclusion

From looking at these games this makes me think about how Linux gaming was back then, especially since a lot of these games are older than me! If there is anything that I missed, let me know in the replies!

[Karius]

Did not expect to see these games mentioned here, ahah. We love SuperTuxKart! We usually play as Xue.

I think that even if some aspects of the game feel dated, it's amazing that it's completely open-source. I think it's a pretty impressive project, even having online multiplayer.

- Alastor

[debleb]

my dad is a certified linux guy and he has a bunch of those linux themed games on his laptop, i remember playing the mario kart one once it was surprisingly fun! also some kind of bootleg minecraft?

[j]

my dad is a certified linux guy and he has a bunch of those linux themed games on his laptop, i remember playing the mario kart one once it was surprisingly fun! also some kind of bootleg minecraft?

you might be thinking of minetest, which is a cool open-source alternative :)

[debleb]

you might be thinking of minetest, which is a cool open-source alternative :)

oh yes i think that is the one! neat, it looks like a lot more has been done with it than i thought     

[j]

oh yes i think that is the one! neat, it looks like a lot more has been done with it than i thought     

yeah!! it's got a really cool community; me and my friends are thinking of setting up a server at some point so we can all play together since we've all ditched steam. plenty of modding support too, though being raised on minecraft has meant that minetest hasnt quite got that nostalgic feel to me - but im sure thatll turn up!

[Gans]

The beauty of open-source games shines with Supertuxkart (STK). Clunky graphics, but lots of creativity in it. Beautiful tracks. Lots of mods. The online races have... incredibly dedicated players. A bit unfortuneatly, Supertuxkart is inefficent performancewise and has problems with older hardware.

Better for those would be Tuxracer, geniunely one of the most fascinating games to open up a virtual room I think. You are Tux and slide down a snowy mountain on your belly, going very, very fast! There is something odd about the atmosphere in this game and it feels like Tuxracer is the absolute best in something. Something like "perspective"?

When I raced my last online race in STK, I had to weep, so deep did it go under the skin. I'm incredibly grateful for this parallel world of non-commercial no-nonsense pure gaming. Like a safe haven? Gaming has lost it's free spirited lightness, when psychologists are hired to extract your money out of your pocket as effective as possible. STK showed this alternative world for me and although it might not look as polished, it's just as intense to race with other players, I can tell you! My favourite Kart is the agile Hexley, excellent for trolling in online races (outsprinting all the Pidgins, getting the first item and cause havoc).

[thesolitarygamer]

One of my friends had started playing Super Tux recently and had me play with her. Didn't realize it was something that was still being updated honestly! Recently got multiplayer which is wild. Also played STK with said friend and it was a fun albeit janky time to have, all things considered.

[Guest]

Super Tux Kart can genuinely compete with most kart racers out there, and Minetest is way ahead of Minecraft in many ways.

[sig]

and Minetest is way ahead of Minecraft in many ways.

I'm curious, in what ways is it?

[Guest]

I'm curious, in what ways is it?

It's more performant, supports more platforms, its modding API is infinitely easier and therefore incredibly expandable without beating around Forge or Fabric, it's free and open source. In general, it's more of a game engine than a game; its mods can make a lot of games out of it.

[TheFrugalGamer]

Oh, oh! I've been doing a series of blog posts on Tux games! Ok, I've only covered the two you listed so far, but I have a good list of games I want to cover:

TuxRacer - https://tuxracer.sourceforge.net/game_info.html Penguin belly sliding game
Tux Paint - https://tuxpaint.org/ Drawing program for kids
Tux4Kids - http://www.tux4kids.com/ This is the full suite that TuxPaint is part of. Includes a typing game and math game
Tuxmon - https://www.tuxemon.org/ Pokemon clone
Pingus – Lemmings clone. It's a bit of a stretch, since none of the penguins are named Tux, but they are penguins, and it's a FOSS game on Linux, so...you do the math...
Frozen Bubble - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frozen_Bubble

Also, if you're interested in open source clones games in general, I happened to come across a huge list of them on Github today:
https://github.com/radek-sprta/awesome-game-remakes

It's more performant, supports more platforms, its modding API is infinitely easier and therefore incredibly expandable without beating around Forge or Fabric, it's free and open source. In general, it's more of a game engine than a game; its mods can make a lot of games out of it.

Agree, Minetest is awesome. I do love Minecraft, but the more updates it has, the worse it runs on all my systems, and I really hate the Java/Bedrock divide and how difficult it makes modding. When I looked at the in-game mod browser in Minetest for the first time it was like seeing the light!

[Icey!]

One thing I just discovered is that there exist a proprietary commercial version of Tux Racer which includes actual 3D models, improved visuals, and questionable music choices. Kinda annoyed knowing that there exists an abandoned polished version of a FOSS game that has it's source code locked so it can't be modernized. For context, the original Tux Racer has a mod called "Extreme Tux Racer" which makes it more playable on modern devices (And adds some features). You can't do that with the Commercial Version unless you manage to reverse engineer it.

Here is Gameplay of the Commercial Version I found (The Player isn't Tux here unfortunately):

Extreme Tux Racer Gameplay for comparison:

The Original Tux Racer for comparison for comparison:

[Gum Skyloard]

All the Tux games (especially SuperTux, STK, TuxPaint, and TuxRacer) were a major poart of my child hood, haha. I still remember playing ST's Milestone 1 builds. God, memories..