Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken Review

Publisher: Ratloop Asia

Format: PSN

Release Date: Out Now

Christ this game is fun, and there is few enough games that I’d describe that way. Oh sure we have some great games, groundbreaking games, revolutionary games but rocketbirds has pretty much nailed what we seem to forget we’re playing games for. From the second you start the game it’s fun. You play as Hardboiled, the chicken equivalent of Rambo who is out to bring down the tyrannical rule of the penguin army. His story is by no means forced upon you and is almost tacked on for those people who would complain about the mindless slaughter of communist penguins.


The graphics of RocketBirds are fantastic, really smooth and lushly crafted. The game boasts the option to play in 3D (something as a poor reviewer I can’t afford….yet) but on a large HD screen, the screen elements have a staggered effect allowing the player to see what exactly would be presented in 3D, should you be inclined to try it. It works particularly well on the jungle levels where you can see the trees moving at one pace, the building behind at another and the mountains in the distance at another again. The art style is a blend of cartoon-ish characters with landscapes that wouldn’t go amiss in the likes of Crysis. Unlike a lot of contemporaries, you are very rarely prompted when you encounter things you can manipulate around you, be it a rocky outcrop you can climb or a button embedded in the wall but it becomes second nature very fast.

Playing RocketBirds is simply joyful. You have guns and grenades, you can crouch and jump, run and roll and that is pretty much it. There are aspects aswell which appear in later levels to add to this but this is your standard arsenal and it’s more than enough to keep us entertained. Killing opponents is by no means difficult until the harder levels where you’ll have to approach your battles with some form of strategy but it’s still very enjoyable. You can juggle your enemies with bullets, casually reminding me of Dante’s technique from Devil May Cry and one of the more entertaining game mechanics is the ability to control the thoughts of subservient penguins to go on recon missions, perform dangerous tasks and help HardBoiled generally throughout his missions.

There are also several jetpack levels which change the pace slightly. While not quite as flawlessy executed as the general action, it is still good fun flying around the airship trying to take down enemy penguins who also seem to have managed to get their hands on rocket launchers, firing heat seeking missiles. The camera can get a little bit confusing during these which takes away slightly from an otherwise fantastic piece of gaming.

The audio is another thing that has been nailed in RocketBirds. With a heavy rock track, this is something that you’d happily sit down with a few beers with surround sound blaring, and even better again, there is a well set up co-op mode for you to take part in. While it doesn’t contain all the puzzles and jetpack action of the single player campaign, I found it almost soothing to have a game that my brother and I could sit back and play that didn’t require 100% of my concentration. This may be a killer for the more hardcore gamer but as a parent and full time worker, this is exactly the kind of casual action I like to sink my beak into.

Overall RocketBirds is great fun, it doesn’t take itself too seriously and it plays particularly well  for the more casual gamer enjoying a cool down period. While there isn’t a huge amount of re-playability bundled in the game, it’s definitely something I’d happily sit down and play with on most occasions.

Score: 8/10

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