Maroc - 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - Hier 00:01

Chicken Run: Eggstraction – Review

Earlier this month, we took a look at Paw Patrol Rescue Wheels: Championship, and we weren’t exactly impressed with it. It’s probably not surprising that we were a bit wary when we were presented with another game from Outright Games’ end-of-year lineup. Granted, we have more affinity with Aardman’s Chicken Run franchise than we do with Paw Patrol, so at least Chicken Run: Eggstraction is more appealing to us than Chase and pals’ kart racer. On the other hand, seeing an IP we actually like being butchered through a terrible video game would probably feel even worse. So, is Eggstraction an egg-cellent game or did it leave a fowl taste in our mouth? Story Movie tie-in games typically give you a summary of the plot, just in case you haven’t seen the film in question. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case with Eggstraction, and you’re expected to have seen 2023’s Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget to understand the plot fully. If you’ve only seen the original film, you might not even know our protagonist! That protagonist is Molly, the daughter of Ginger and Rocky. She teams up with other familiar chickens as they continue their mission of rescuing chickens from captivity to prevent them from becoming food. It’s a simple story that mainly exists to give context to the stealth gameplay, but it’s filled to the brim with Aardman’s classic wit and charm. Overall, it feels very faithful to the Chicken Run franchise, although to fully enjoy the experience, we do insist on seeing the film first -not that that’s a bad way to spend a chilly afternoon! Graphics When it comes to visuals, Eggstraction is a bit of a mixed bag, at least on the Switch. The distinct claymation aesthetic of Aardman does shine through, and cutscenes in particular look fantastic. When the perspective shifts to the actual top-down gameplay, however, things take a hit, especially in handheld mode. Eggstraction looks fuzzy, with blurry textures galore. Performance also isn’t up to snuff, with framerate dips, especially in more visually dense areas, and objects popping in being a common issue. The lowered visual performance isn’t bad enough to fully undermine the experience, but that is more the result of the game’s stylized presentation rather than good compromises having been made to get Eggstraction running on the underpowered hardware. Sound Where Eggstraction’s narrative is perhaps a bit too reliant on people having seen the related film, the game’s soundscape turns being a movie tie-in into an advantage by having the film’s cast reprise their voice roles. Game of Thrones and The Last of Us alumni Bella Ramsay’s performance as Molly is the logical standout here, although Josie Sedgwick-Davies’ comedic timing as Frizzle had us laughing out loud as well. The excellent voice work is complemented by orchestral music that provides just enough oomph to support the stealth gameplay without overtaking the soundscape. Sound effects play a huge role in understanding guard patterns and timing and so we highly recommend playing this one with headphones. Gameplay A straightforward take on the stealth genre, Eggstraction presents players with a series of rescue missions with light puzzle elements. Being a family-friendly title, gameplay is simple and accessible. The aim of each mission is to rescue chickens from an obstacle-filled facility and figure out a way to guide them to safety. To do so, you start by assembling your own crack team of fowl, consisting of a team leader and a couple of support chickens. They all bring their own abilities and buffs to the table, ranging from disguising themselves as a shrub to more straightforward boosts to speed of stealth. As you progress, new chickens join your menagerie, opening up more ways to play and replay missions. You can also equip your team with items like magnets and remote controls, and much of Eggstraction’s fun comes from figuring out different ways to clear the missions. When it comes to the actual missions, you start by infiltrating a location, whether that’s a factory, a warehouse, or even a prison. Your first course of action is to deal with both usual security measures like security cameras and human guards, and unusual ones, like robotic dogs and laser gates. Using switches, keycards, vents, levers and gadgets, you’ll need to reach the captive hens. Once you reach and free them, they’ll make a break for the exit. However, the chickens you free aren’t exactly the most intelligent and they’ll mindlessly run into whatever obstacles stand between them and freedom. It’s essential that you clear their return path before opening their cage… unless you want to see the hilarious consequences of what happens if you don’t. Eggstraction is the kind of game that relies on both trial and error as well as out-of-the-box thinking, but thanks to the light-hearted tone, failing a mission is more likely to make you laugh than to frustrate you. That’s not to say that Eggstraction’s gameplay is entirely without frustration: the camera doesn’t always want to coöperate, and there were also instances where the AI didn’t do what it needed to do -both when it came to enemies and to the chickens that we were rescuing. Still, those are minor issues for what is otherwise a really fun game, particularly for the younger crowd. The core game isn’t very long, clocking in at around 4-5 hours for a single playthrough, but optional bonus challenges add some much needed replay value and the game’s co-op mode houses additional missions. While none of this makes Eggstraction’s €39.99 price point any easier to swallow, this is definitely the kind of game that we’d put on our wishlist for when a fingerlicking good discount comes up. Conclusion Passable, but not cluckin’ good. Like Rescue Wheels: Championship, Eggstraction banks on brand recognition, with the price tag and release date being very much geared towards the holiday season, but at least the game doesn’t feel like a soulless cash grab. There are genuine laughs to be had here, and most of Eggstraction’s shortcomings are forgivable. While the game is never going to be up there with most AAA titles in terms of quality, it’s decent enough for a mainstream licensed tie-in. If you’re considering adding this one to your library, wait until after the Christmas season and pick this one up when it goes on sale.