From fixed camera horror games to retro-style first-person shooters, indie developers have successfully brought back numerous previously defunct genres over the years, all of which were once deemed no longer profitable or popular by the biggest publishers out there. One genre indie studios don’t get much credit for reviving is the humble single-screen platformer. There was a time in the early noughties when options were limited to the most current re-release of Bubble Bobble and little more. Nowadays, we’re spoilt for choice.
Retro fans may recall Woah Dave! – an early attempt at reviving the genre, launching in 2014. A simple yet addictive affair, it involved hurling alien eggs either into enemies or into lava pits, with the twist being that said eggs hatch more enemies. Go! Go! Mister Chickums feels like a far more fleshed out version of that, also using an egg throwing mechanic to its fullest.
Our doe-eyed hero is out to retrieve stolen eggs, which can be thrown at enemies to clear a safe path before returning them to a nest. Eggs are physics-enabled – which would presumably make this too complex for the 8-bit machines of yore – and as such they rebound off enemies in a pleasingly unpredictable manner. You may even aim at a certain enemy and end up defeating several, along with a slam dunk straight into the nest. This mechanic alone makes for a very fun and playful experience – one where a second player can join in, assuming the role of Fritz.
Mister Chickums’ mobility is greatly reduced when carrying his yet-to-be-born brethren, unable to jump high or climb ladders. Stages are designed around this, sometimes forcing you to throw eggs to higher platforms and then retrieve them before they vanish. All the while, bonuses can be earned by collecting eggs in order – which may cause you to run fowl of the tight time limit – and there are floating icons to collect too that grant access to a bonus room.
Just two lives are provided to clear each stage; a deliberate amount that makes the experience feel hard yet fair. You may make a foolish mistake which will cost you a life, meaning extreme caution must be exercised from thereon, making each stage feel tense and challenging. Completing several stages flawlessly in a row is satisfying, often setting an all-new high score in the process.
The main story mode is spread across 10 varied worlds with 10 stages each – culminating in a very respectable playtime of around five hours. Indeed, cast aside any preconceived expectations of a fleeting arcade-like experience. Every world has its own unique hazards and a different theme, ergo a new piece of background music. You’d think the 100 stage quota would result in samey stages or perhaps some filler, but amazingly, each offers something new. A few even require a degree of thought to figure out the route to the nest, implementing pressure switches etc, or placing it in a hard-to-reach area. I did however find the underwater sections glitchy, omitting the ability to swim after losing a life.
Breaking up the egg throwing action are the boss fights, all of which pit our avian ally against his purple egg-stealing nemesis Grabbo. These battles recall the Koopaling encounters from Super Mario Bros. 3, but the effort put into them is somewhat marred by the lax difficulty. Grabbo only needs to be hit three times, and in most cases, this can be achieved while they’re scurrying into their initial attack position. Perhaps it was felt that boss battles should act as fun diversions rather than a test of skill.
Sealing the deal here is the lavish presentation, which will doubtlessly delight retro diehards. Visually it has a unique style, being a halfway point between 8-bit and 16-bit. Imagine a C64 game on steroids and you’ll get the gist. You may notice nods to certain retro games within the enemy designs, with the developers seemingly fond of Super Mario Bros. 2. Keeping an eye out for these “guest appearances” is surprisingly compelling. Rounding it off are a few options such as CRT filters, along with a fittingly bouncy soundtrack by chiptune maestro Zane Little.
Go! Go! Mister Chickums is a fun package that often exceeds expectations, and is in most part impeccably well designed, with each world seeing a gradual increase in difficulty. Designing 100 stages that test skills in different ways was no easy feat. The physics-based egg bouncing also makes this feel fresh and new, and not simply a retread of games we saw in the ‘80s. If Donut Dodo was your jam, you’ll want to crack on with this straight away.
com8com1 Software’s Go! Go! Mister Chickums is out 2nd April on PS5, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Switch and PC.