Candy grinding makes every Penguin-kun Gira Gira Wars character better

Every Penguin-kun Gira Gira Wars character starts out as a blank slate. Different characters may feel as though they hit harder or move faster, but such differences are negligible. Unless someone is playing in a versus mode and specifically chooses not to use player data, it is a level playing field. But anyone who spends any time with the game will quickly realize that putting the effort into improving characters is well worth it.

There are six possible people to pull onto your team in Penguin-kun Gira Gira Wars. While Riley is the first member of the crew, eventually Jeff, Cassie, Samuel, Dylan and Alex will come along too. This has quite the added benefit in the campaign. Eventually, you will have matches where you could bring along more than one party member into a matchup. This means having a backup if one member falls, allowing you a second chance at survival.

These characters have four stats available in the menu. You can enhance Ball Speed, Ball Power, Defense and Quick. Ball Speed and Ball Power are fairly self explanatory. This is essentially a dodgeball game. The former makes them fly faster through the arena. The later increases the power, which means someone could take off more of an opponent’s health if it manages to hit them. Defense means your character will hold up better after taking a hit from an opponent’s ball. Quick makes them move faster, which comes in handy for avoiding and grabbing balls.

How do you build up these characters? Well, you grind for candy. Lollipops, to be specific. If characters participate in a mission in the campaign, they will gain a designated number of sweets for their efforts. Up to 400 of these can be collected and applied to stats, with additional points in each area eventually requiring greater and greater numbers of treats. These can also be taken away from these stats and applied to different areas, in case you are unsatisfied with a build and respec a character.

There is no right way or wrong way to build a character. But, I have found it is best to build up characters that either compliment each other or fit a specific strategy you enjoy employing. In the case of the former, it is a good idea to have certain people fill specific roles. Riley, my first character, is my stocky powerhouse. I have been pumping points into his Ball Power and Defense. Meanwhile, both Jeff and Cassie have been my speedier characters. Each one has had points pumped into Ball Speed and Quick, so they fly around the map and send off balls before the opponent can even figure out what is going on.

But there is nothing wrong with being more moderate. Alex is my more well-rounded character and the one I use online. While Quick is a great stat, I sometimes feel like too much makes a character unmanageable. So, Ball Speed and Ball Power are my priorities there. Four points have been popped into defense, enough to be respectable and ensure he can take a hit, and only two are in Quick. He’s great against other characters, at the expensive of other stats.

It is nice that Penguin-kun Gira Gira Wars allows such accommodations. After all, the original Penguin Wars games didn’t consider these things. Every character had its assigned abilities and strengths, and you had to make due. Here, you can go with characters you find aesthetically pleasing and turn them into ones you can constantly rely on. You can make a team of characters that will support one another with varying skill sets. Maybe it could even be easier to win, what with the ability to alter abilities as needed and have exactly what you need for any campaign or versus match.