Rocket Birds: Hardboiled Chicken REVIEW
Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken is the second instalment in the Rocket Birds series, after browser-based game Rocket Birds: Revolution, it is exclusive to PS3 and you can download it from PSN.
So who is Hardboiled Chicken?
Hardboiled Chicken is a chicken’s answer to John Rambo and he’s on a mission to find and kill evil penguin leader Putzki so that he can stop the evil penguin regime from controlling Albatropolis. As Hardboiled Chicken you get to use different weapons to take down those nasty penguins throughout your quest and you can roll, use stealth, move objects, solve puzzles and even fly with a jetpack!
The Single Player Campaign contains 15 chapters and the game is a side-scrolling run-and-gun-style action-platform game. You can pick up objects and move them, solve puzzles and use weapons such as pistols, shotguns, machine guns and grenades. My favourite “weapon” is mind control which is called Brain Bugs. You throw a Brain Bug at a penguin, it jumps up and zaps the penguin in the head. You can then control the penguin and take the baddies down. This comes in very useful when you have levels where you are unarmed! Whilst I’m on the subject of weapons, you can “air-juggle” baddies by shooting them until you run out of ammo which is quite funny.
The only thing I didn’t like about playing through the Single Player Campaign is that it ended too quickly and I wanted more!
There are also some Jetpack levels where you fly around having dogfights. This can be a little tricky though, as you can only fire in the direction you’re facing so you have to spin around fast to kill the baddies.
There is the option of getting a friend round and playing through a Co-op Campaign. Where single player sets you on a mission to kill every penguin, you come across and then blow the hell out of their evil leader, the Co-op Campaign pits you and a friend as budgie commandos on a mission to save the General’s daughter through 10 chapters.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ESa6Op9CJk
The controls are simple and the game instantly has that “pick up and play” feel to it. Walk left or right with the left analogue stick, push down to crouch, jump with X, fire your weapon with R2, and go into stealth by pushing triangle when assigned to do so. Triangle is also used to pick things up. There are no fancy-dan button combinations and it is simple to control but I will say that the jetpack sections are a little trickier. The X button flies you around, R2 shoots and the left analogue stick changes direction, but you just have to be smart by out-manouvering the flying penguins.
The game itself looks stunning with some top-notch visuals which are probably the best we’ve seen in a downloadable title.
LA-based indie rock band New World Revolution supplies the soundtrack which is a lovely coupe and you can unlock music videos as you play through the game.
Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken is an awesome 2D action-platformer and also supports non-dizzying Stereoscopic 3D support for all you lucky rascals that have a 3DTV.
12 second review – A brilliant 2D action-platform game with great visuals, simplistic gameplay and an amazing soundtrack. It’s not a lengthy game but it sure is fun and we’d love to see a sequel!
GamerSpy Rating 4/5
Platform – PS3
