*Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken* is an action-platformer game for Windows.
*Story, graphics, and sound* You take the role of Hardboiled Chicken, a
pissed off chicken who's sick of living under the dictatorship of the penguin
army. There is a *single player campaign as well as a separate co-operative
campaign* where you can play with your buddies locally or over the network.
Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken features 2D graphics but the art is
beautiful. Even though graphics are 2D, there is a sense of depth as it
combines some 3D elements into the environment. The level of detail in the
backgrounds, environment, and character animation all help to make the world
of Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken feel lived in. To help set the tone of
Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken, art, soundtrack, and hilarious writing work
together. There is a surprising amount of back story of our protagonist told
to us with cut scenes. One of the best parts of Rocketbirds: Hardboiled
Chicken is the hilarious script. For example, when you take over an enemy's
body with a mind control bug, he'll say, "I gotta take a huge dump" and will
let out a squeaky fart. Sure, it's a little immature but hilarious
nonetheless. The soundtrack is awesome and there are creepy sounds of torture
that really set the dark mood in Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken. *Gameplay*
While you can play Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken with a mouse and keyboard,
using an *gamepad is definitely the way to go*. Controls are logical and make
learning them a quick affair. Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken features
different weapons that you can acquire throughout the game. One weapon of
note is the mind control bug which allows you to infect enemies and gives you
control of their bodies. This brings in an interesting puzzle solving element
to the game. Speaking of puzzles, Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken is full of
them. Most of your time will be spent trying to make your way through a
level. You have to kill certain enemies that drop color coded access cards to
get to different parts of the level. *The game is very linear but the puzzles
are challenging*. Be prepared to backtrack quite often to solve these
puzzles. In addition to puzzles, Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken features
action-platformer shooting and a unique cover system. You can duck into the
shadows or shallow areas to avoid gunfire. Gunplay in Rocketbirds: Hardboiled
Chicken is also very satisfying as it *rewards stealth and rhythm*. Players
can juggle enemies by timing their bursts of fire, making sure enemies are
incapacitated. Combat is simple and challenging when you have to battle a
swarm of enemies by yourself. Each gun has specific properties but you can
get through the entire game with just one gun. Occasionally there will be
more challenging enemies who don riot shields and batons who will be
impervious to your bullets from the from. You'll have to sneak around them to
blast them from the back. Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken breaks up the
monotony of puzzles and gunplay by having *jetpack dogfights* in between
chapters. Strap on your jetpack and battle penguins in jets and helicopters
with heat-seeking missiles. Refill your health an ammo with the items that
dead enemies drop. *Co-op* There is a co-operative campaign that you can play
and it's solid. Play with your buddies as different birds who have different
weapons. *Each weapon feels weighty and provides a different style of
gameplay*. You'll need to ride on each others' backs to solve puzzles, which
can lead to some hilarious disagreements about who gets to be on top.
Although the levels in the co-op campaign are the same in the single-player,
*there are different puzzle solving elements*. You'll need to work together
and have one player hold a button to unlock part of the level while another
goes to retrieve an item in that area. Players will have work together to
find ways through less obvious levels. The co-op campaign could use some more
variation in gameplay like the jetpack levels and the mind control bug but is
solid overall. *Wrap-up* Ratloop Asia has created a wonderfully fun and funny
game with Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken. *Although Rocketbirds: Hardboiled
Chicken is a pretty standard action-platformer, the combination of beautiful
art, funny dialog, and solid gameplay make Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken a
worth while play.*Download *Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken* in Softonic
