As a British citizen, more than anything else it is my sworn duty to appreciate the works of Aardman Animation. It is hard to argue with the quality and comedy of work this Claymation company puts out, and because of that I’m not sure I’ve ever met somebody who doesn’t like Wallace, Gromit and the rest of their plasticine pals. In fact just last week I went to a museum featuring some of the set of the Shaun the Sheep Movie, and it delighted everyone who walked by it. I may be chased out of the country when admitting that I haven’t yet watched Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, so hopefully this review of Chicken Run: Eggstraction helps my upcoming court case.
Eggstraction is essentially a direct sequel to Dawn of the Nugget, which, yes, was admittedly a bit of an issue for me. Plenty of the cast from the 2000 original are there though, as well as the child of Ginger and Rocky, Molly (played by The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey of all people). There’s also a ridiculous Liverpudlian chicken called Frizzle who is a delight, and the two relative newcomers are pretty much the focus of this tale. The story is all about freeing chickens from various food factories, and that’s where the stealth comes in.
Chicken Run: Eggstraction is an isometric stealth game, where the goal of each level is to rescue a bunch of chickens from becoming incredibly delicious treats for humanity. This means lots of dodging robot dogs and flipping switches to open up barriers, which may not be the most innovative gameplay in the world but it’s absolutely enjoyable enough. It helps that missions are short and sweet too, and this also makes them nice and easy to replay if you want to up your rank.
My favourite parts of the missions were almost always the Eggstraction itself, which sees you guiding a big ole crowd of chickens to freedom. To do this you’ll need to open up safe paths for them to use, and possibly even use your skills to disarm any threats. It’s a fun way to ensure that getting out feels very different to getting in.
Between poultry heists you’ll be able to use the stars you earn to unlock and upgrade various chickens, who fans of the franchise will know and love. Whichever of these chucks you choose you’ll have different abilities, be it Bab’s knack for spotting collectibles or Frizzle’s charge skill that can stun the baddies. After a bit of star investment you’ll have a way more capable gang of chickens to sneak around with, making previous stages a doddle.
If all else fails in your rescue missions, you can always recruit a buddy to play in local co-op as one of their Aardman favourites. The relative simplicity of the game will make it a perfect family game for younger gamers, while still delighting any adults playing alongside them.
More than anything else, it was that Aardman charm and comedy that kept me coming back to Chicken Run: Eggstraction. The cutscenes basically just feel like watching clips from the films, with some genuine laugh out loud moments. It’s in these scenes where you’ll also notice that classic Claymation look, which although present in the rest of the game is harder to visually appreciate.
The visuals were a problem for me in other ways too, with barred off doorways and open passageways often looking identical. The lack of visual clarity is annoying, and often the camera perspective and distance doesn’t help with matters either. The only other real issue with Chicken Run: Eggstraction is that its stealth gameplay is just fine. It’s fun enough in short bursts, but it won’t keep you glued to your screen for hours at a time.
Chicken Run: Eggstraction is an enjoyable family friendly romp that fans of the films will really get a kick out of. It’s not a revolutionary stealth game by any stretch, but it’s absolutely oozing charm and features some hilarious cutscenes and exceptional voice acting. Gamers of all ages will find a lot to love in this sneaky little game, because you’d have to be a clucking misery not to.
