Chicken Run

Friday, October 5, 2018

Platforms:	PC, Dreamcast, PlayStation
Publisher:	Eidos Interactive
Developer:	Blitz Games
Genres:	Adventure / Action Adventure
Release Date:	2000
Game Modes:	Singleplayer

Metal Gear Solid with chickens.

Considering the subject matter of the movie Chicken Run, it makes sense that the game is is a semi-remake of Konami’s Metal Gear Solid, but with chickens. Here’s the idea – you take the role of one of the stars of the movie, such as Ginger, Rocky, or Fletcher, and go on a sort of scavenger hunt around Tweedy’s chicken farm looking for various items. Once you’ve found and retrieved all the items, you’re rewarded with a digitized scene from the movie and access to the next level. Occasionally, there’s a mini-game tossed in.

During the hunt phase, the controls are almost exactly like those of Metal Gear Solid. The camera tracks you from an elevated, third person viewpoint as you sneak around the environments. You can press your feathered back against a wall to make the camera drop level to you, often granting you a straight on view of what’s around a corner. There’s even a scene that pays homage to Metal Gear’s infamous cardboard box disguise, in which you go deep undercover as a big rubber boot.

In place of armed terrorists, Chicken Run pits you against Mr. and Mrs. Tweedy and their guard dogs. Your chicken HUD contains a small radar screen that shows nearby enemies and their cones of perception. Enter one and the attached dog or Tweedy is alerted to your presence and will actively attempt to capture you. While this may sound like the makings of a decent Metal Gear Solid clone, the lack of gunplay to break up the sneaking eventually makes the game tedious and winding.