Chicken Boy Review

When you see a strange man in a chicken suit you can't help think he knows how to have a good time. When he has two chicks with him and one of them is about to be stolen by monsters, you know that he'll obviously start lobbing fruit at the offending beasties. Ok, that might not be the first thing that comes to your mind, but this is the set up for Chicken Boy. It certainly looks like a bit of fun, but we'll see if this game has the batting chops to keep up with the best in the iOS coop.

Essentially you play as a man in a chicken suit wielding a bat and fruit against an onslaught of monsters bent on stealing your poor defenseless chick. It is this type of simple, repetitive game that shines on iOS.

The controls are direct and intuitive. To send fruit flying at the baddies, you press your finger where you'd like to aim and wait for the power gauge to fill up for maximum pain. The more power behind the hit, the better chance it has to hit your target and do more damage. If you don't put enough power behind the launch, your fruit will fall pitifully to the ground.

The graphics are really crisp and the design is whimsical. The boy in the chicken costume is adorable and his dedication to his avian progeny is honorable. The monsters are actually more varied and interesting than I expected. They all have different modes of locomotion and are split into two categories. The aerial ones swoop above any power ups or mines you've laid while the ground based ones teeter over to the chick on their little feet. Managing which monsters to take out when is the core strategy for succeeding in Chicken Boy.

Now, this title might look like a cross between Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds, but it has much more underneath the familiar veneer. The control scheme is unique and requires a bit of skill. You quickly learn a tempo and cadence to make sure you hit peak power. When you do, whatever fruit you're shooting becomes super powered and can plow down many more monsters than usual. It is just difficult enough to get the proper timing that you only find it occasionally, but when you do, it makes a big difference.

You can also upgrade the different fruits. Utilizing the points you earn, you can up the potency of the different fruit you hurl at the monsters. Wouldn't it be nice if it worked like that in the supermarket?

The only problem with Chicken Boy is the repetitive nature of the levels. You're essentially given one level and have wave after wave of enemies coming after you. Games like Plants Vs. Zombies have repetitive levels, but they are broken up with the likes of gravestones or different play styles. Chicken Boy just feels far too repetitive even with the bonus and boss levels.

Overall, Chicken Boy is a good time that is marred by its repetitive nature. It features some clever gameplay wrapped up in an adorable chicken costume and that is something we can all come to appreciate.

App Store Link: Chicken Boy for iPhone & iPad | By Funtomic | Price: Free | Version: 1.1.5 | 47.3 MB | Rating 4+