Chicken Run (video game)

Chicken Run
European Playstation cover art
Developer(s)	Blitz Games
Publisher(s)	Eidos Interactive THQ (GBC) Activision (PC)
Distributor(s)	DreamWorks
Composer(s)	Rob Lord (consoles and PC) Allister Brimble (GBC)
Platforms	Game Boy Color Dreamcast PlayStation Microsoft Windows Nintendo 64 (cancelled)
Release date(s)	Game Boy Color Dreamcast & PlayStation Microsoft Windows
Genre(s)	Platform, stealth
Mode(s)	Single-player

Chicken Run is a stealth-based 3D platform video game based on the movie Chicken Run. The game is a loose parody of the famous The Great Escape movie, which is based on World War II. The Game Boy Color version is a 2D isometric puzzle solving game. A Nintendo 64 version was planned, but later cancelled because of the introduction of the GameCube a year later.

Gameplay

Gameplay generally consists of the player taking control of either Ginger, Rocky or Nick and Fetcher, and searching the Tweedys' farm for objects to be used in an escape attempt by the chickens. This section of the game features stealth gameplay not too different from Metal Gear Solid, as the player will have to avoid guard dogs and the Tweedys themselves, in addition to searchlights, sources of light in general and noisy surfaces, since these will alert the security to the player's presence. Should the player be caught, they will be sent back to the entry point of the current area, and will lose their most recently obtained item. In addition, the player will occasionally have to push objects about, or use the environment in order to get to a hard to reach item.

The second half of the gameplay consists of minigames representing an escape attempt, that can range from controlling a mannequin of Mrs Tweedy, launching chickens over a fence with a seesaw to assembling a part of the "Crate" from the film. Success is generally measured by how many chickens the player can save, and the player can be awarded with medals by Fowler for good performance.

Plot

In keeping with the film's story, the game takes place on a 1950s Yorkshire chicken farm and follows a group of lovable chickens as they try to break out of confinement. Chicken Run is based on an actual WWII incident where POWs attempted to escape from a Nazi prison camp. The mannikin minigame and the construction and flying of the Crate are based on actual events in that incident.

Players must help Ginger and her flock make a break for freedom while avoiding the evil Mrs. Tweedy and her oafish husband, who wants to turn them into chicken pies. The player operates Ginger in some screens, Rocky in others and both rats in another. There are logic puzzles to solve.

When an American rooster named Rocky lands in the farm, Ginger sees her chance: these chickens won't cross the road - they'll fly the coop. Together, they prove that chickens are anything but chicken, as they engage in a daring and spectacular escape.

Playable characters

Notable playable characters include:

• Rocky
• Ginger
• Nick and Fetcher

Voice Cast

Character	Voice actor
Ginger / Bunty	Tracy Wiles
Rocky / Fetcher	Justin Fletcher
Mrs. Tweedy	Miranda Richardson
Mr. Tweedy	Tony Haygarth
Mac	Lynn Ferguson

Reception

Reception

Review scores Publication Score Dreamcast GBC PC PS AllGame N/A CVG 6/10 N/A N/A N/A EGM N/A 5.5/10 N/A 4/10 Eurogamer N/A N/A N/A 6/10 Game Informer 6/10 4/10 N/A N/A GamePro N/A N/A N/A GameSpot 5.2/10 N/A 5.1/10 5.3/10 IGN 7.2/10 6/10 7.1/10 7/10 Nintendo Power N/A 6.4/10 N/A N/A OPM (US) N/A N/A N/A PC Zone N/A N/A 59% N/A Aggregate scores GameRankings 62.55% 53% 60.30% 69.43% Metacritic 68/100 N/A 59/100 75/100

The game was met with mixed to positive reception upon release. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 53% for the Game Boy Color version; 69.43% and 75 out of 100 for the PlayStation version; 62.55% and 68 out of 100 for the Dreamcast version; and 60.30% and 59 out of 100 for the PC version.

External links

• Chicken Run at MobyGames
• Chicken Run (Game Boy Color) at MobyGames