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PenBattle Hockey (PenBattle) Strategy Guide
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PenBattle Strategy
5 Tips to Win at Air Hockey

PenBattle (PenBattle Hockey) is a free air hockey game where penguins battle on an ice rink. This guide walks through 5 tips for winning at PenBattle, from defending so you don't give up goals to bank shots off the wall, using real game screens. It also covers the basic rules and the ways to play.

5 tips to win Basic rules 3 ways to play
WHAT IS PENBATTLE HOCKEY?

An air hockey game where penguins battle on an ice rink. Take on bosses in Story, or play against friends with up to 4 players. It's free with no sign-up, and quick to play on a phone or a PC.

Official trailer (32 sec). Narration is in Japanese. The YouTube video loads when you press play. Watch on YouTube

THE SHORT VERSION

The two keys to winning at PenBattle are guarding the front of your own goal first and bank shots off the wall. The rules: get the puck into your opponent's goal for 1 point. Play to 3 pts, 5 pts or 10 pts, and whoever reaches that score first wins.

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5 Tips to Win at PenBattle

Defend · Don't chase · Use the walls · Hit the center · Split roles

  1. Guard the front of your goal first

    Not giving up goals is the shortest path to winning. Keep your penguin on the line between the puck and your goal, a little in front of the goal.

    Hug the goal too closely and you won't reach fast pucks coming from the side. Step out too far and the puck slips past you. When the puck moves, slide your penguin along that line.

    Diagram of where to defend: stay on the line between the puck and your goal, a little in front of the goal. Hugging the goal is bad, and so is stepping out too far. Center line (their side beyond) Your goal Puck ◎ Defend here On the line, in front × Too close × Too far out
    The pink circle is your penguin.

  2. Don't chase the puck too far

    If you chase the puck all the way up toward your opponent's side, your goal is wide open the whole time. Hit it, then get right back in front of your goal. That alone cuts the goals you give up way down.

  3. Use the walls instead of shooting straight

    Your opponent is guarding the front of their goal. Rather than shooting straight at it, bounce the puck off a side wall. It throws them off and slips past their defense much more easily.

    PenBattle Hockey: the puck bounces off the left wall and into the opponent's goal, with its path shown as a dotted line
    Off the left wall and into the opponent's goal. The dotted line is the path the puck took.
    Diagram of how to aim a bank shot: aim straight at where the goal would be if it were mirrored on the far side of the wall, and the puck bounces off the wall into the opponent's goal. Mirrored goal Opponent's goal Shoot from here Wall Aim this line Angle in = angle out

    To aim, just imagine a second goal on the far side of the wall and shoot straight at it. The puck bounces off the wall at about the same angle it came in, so one bounce sends it toward your opponent's goal.

    The puck slows down a little when it hits the wall. Start with the game speed on Slow, and practice getting the angle right rather than hitting hard.

  4. Hit toward the puck's center, from the opposite side

    The puck flies in a line from where your penguin hits it, through the puck's center. Get around to the side opposite where you want it to go and hit toward the center, and it flies straight where you aimed.

    If you just clip the edge of the puck, it veers off somewhere you didn't expect. Don't stop at the moment of contact. Follow through in the direction you want to shoot for a powerful shot.

    Diagram of the hitting direction: hit the puck with your penguin toward its center, from the side opposite where you want it to go. Shot direction Your penguin Puck's center From the opposite side, hit the center

  5. In 2 vs 2, split the roles

    A two-player team has two goals, one on the left and one on the right. Each of you has your own small goal to guard, so if you both chase the same puck, one of the goals is left wide open. When one of you moves up to go for a shot, the other stays in front of the goal, and you'll be much harder to score on.

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The Basic Rules of PenBattle

Get the puck into your opponent's goal for 1 point
  • Scoring: Get the orange puck into your opponent's goal for 1 point
  • Winning: Choose 3 pts, 5 pts or 10 pts. Whoever reaches that score first wins
  • Hitting: Move your penguin into the puck to hit it. On a PC you move it with the mouse; on a phone or tablet, with your finger
  • Players: 1 vs 1, 2 vs 1 or 2 vs 2. The CPU fills in any empty spots
  • Goals: A two-player team gets two goals, left and right (a one-player team has one in the middle)
  • Game speed: 3 levels: Slow, Normal and Fast
TipYour penguin follows your mouse or finger exactly. The faster you move it into the puck, the harder the puck flies.
PenBattle Hockey in 2 vs 2: penguins battle on an ice rink, and the two-player team has two goals side by side at its end
A 2 vs 2 match. A two-player team gets two goals, left and right.
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3 Ways to Play PenBattle

Story · Play Solo · Battle with friends
  1. Story: Travel across three lands and battle your rivals. At the end of each land waits a boss who uses a special finishing skill. Beat the boss and you learn that skill, so you can use it from the next stage on.
  2. Play Solo: Go to Battle → Play Solo to play against the CPU. Choose 1 vs 1, or 2 vs 2 with a CPU teammate. You can also choose the game speed and how many points it takes to win
  3. Battle with friends: Go to Battle → Make a Room and you get a 4-letter code. Your friends just enter it in Join with Code. You can also send the invite URL through LINE or any messaging app. Up to 4 players, and any empty spots can be filled with CPU
Playing with friendsThe person who made the room sets the game speed and how many points it takes to win, in the Waiting Room. Phones and PCs can play together.
GAME FEATURED
PenBattle Hockey
Air hockey where penguins battle on an ice rink. Story, plus Battle for up to 4 players
FreeNo sign-upPC & phone
Play PenBattle Hockey
A 1 vs 1 PenBattle Hockey match: your penguin at the bottom and the CPU opponent at the top, hitting the orange puck back and forth
A 1 vs 1 match. You're at the bottom, your opponent is at the top.

FAQ

What is PenBattle?
It's short for PenBattle Hockey, an air hockey game where penguins battle on an ice rink. You can play it free in your browser, with no sign-up. There's Story, plus Battle for up to 4 players.
How many points do you need to win?
You can choose 3 pts, 5 pts or 10 pts, and whoever gets there first wins. In an online room, the person who made the room decides in the Waiting Room.
Why are there two goals in 2 vs 2?
In PenBattle Hockey, a two-player team gets two goals, one on the left and one on the right (each one is a little narrower than usual). A one-player team has a single goal in the middle. It's a rule unique to PenBattle Hockey.
Can I play by myself?
Yes. Besides Story, you can play against the CPU from Battle → Play Solo. You can also choose the game speed and how many points it takes to win. And once you clear Story mode, a new mode...
Can players on phones and PCs play against each other?
Yes. Even with a mix of phones, tablets and PCs, everyone can play together in a room with the same 4-letter code. On a PC you move your penguin with the mouse; on a phone or tablet, with your finger.

About the author

Kentaro Kawahara

Kentaro Kawahara

CEO of SHIN-YU LLC / Motion designer

Last updated:

A motion designer for 20 years, working mainly on video ads. While making playable ads, where you can try a mini-game right inside a web ad, he got interested in combining motion graphics with programming and taught himself game development.

Books

PenBattle Hockey (PenBattle) is a free browser game developed and run by SHIN-YU LLC.

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