Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken

Ed said previously, "I love chicken, Eddy."

Developed by Ratloop Asia and published by Reverb Publishing, Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken is a side-scrolling action game that thrives on originality. Instead of taking itself too seriously, it builds an entertaining adventure around the unlikely idea of a heavily armed chicken leading a rebellion against an oppressive penguin regime. While the premise sounds intentionally ridiculous, the game uses its unusual setting to deliver a polished blend of cinematic storytelling, platforming, puzzle-solving, and satisfying gunplay. Beneath its comedic surface lies a surprisingly well-crafted experience that successfully balances humor with genuine action and memorable world-building. The campaign follows Hardboiled Chicken as he infiltrates enemy territory in an effort to dismantle the dictatorship ruling Albatropolis. Spread across fifteen story chapters, the adventure constantly introduces new scenarios that prevent the gameplay from becoming repetitive. Combat sequences are regularly broken up by environmental puzzles, platforming sections, and scripted cinematic moments that maintain a steady pace from beginning to end. Rather than relying solely on endless firefights, the game en…

Short, simple, and fun. Good stuff.

awesome game

This game oozes early indie day charm. The world of chickens vs penguins is very fun, there's surprisingly good music with vocals, and the cutscenes feel like a fun Saturday morning cartoon. The game is pretty short, I finished it in about 2.5 hours which feels just right because towards the end, it started to show some issues. The platforming is not good. Fortunately, there's not really much platforming to be had. While it feels awkward, you can't really fail platforming sections so it gets a bit of a pass. The combat is rather simple, you will not be wowed by it. It's not bad, it's just serviceable. There's also some light puzzles to be had to mix things up. My biggest complaint is that you have to be in a really specific spot to interact, it ends up leading to some frustration in the final boss fight. You have to be quick there and if you're an inch too far to the side, you're going to get punished. It's definitely a product of its era. I don't think it's necessarily a must play but if you like the charm of early indie games, pick it up. While I had some frustrating moments, I still enjoyed my time with it overall.

Cool game! first played this in the PS3 (the demo version) and now finally after idk how many years, my friend gifted it for me when it was on sale