Everything was dandy in the world of BigChick the rooster. The lands were green, the weather was good, and his family was cooped up, safe as houses in the Big Barn. But then a volcano erupted, cutting BigChick off from his chicks, and creating bridges for foxes to approach. But the magical BigChick, like a wattled Liam Neeson, wasn’t going to let it happen. He was going to use his particular set of skills to get his family back.
This is the backdrop to BigChick, an action-puzzler from PixelPoint. It casts you as the absolutely giant rooster BigChick (how he fits into Big Barn in the centre of each level, we don’t quite know), as you hunt around isometric levels in the hunt for your eggs. They hatch when they see you (you’re magical, so run with it), and it’s your duty to find a path for them to return.
Unfortunately, there are a host of obstacles on the way. The foxes want to pick their teeth with chicken feet, so they’re on the hunt. But there’s also the volcano to contend with, as it drops flaming magma in the way. We’ve spotted pterodactyls and piranha plants in the trailer too, so clearly this chicken family has chosen the absolutely worst place to set up home.
Fortunately, BigChick is a fan of magic, and can use it to raise and lower the landmasses around the Big Barn. By yanking land out of the water and creating bridges, the chicks can return home. Of course, the foxes and other enemies can use them too, so things quickly become tactical with a splash of speed.
We think this looks rather eggs-citing (we had to get one in there), as we’re not entirely sure that we’ve played a game like it. It’s like a 2D Pikmin, with a hint of Populous’s land deformation, and to say we’re intrigued is an understatement. The thrills look far from poultry.
The key features of BigChick on Xbox include:
- Cute and adorable chickens
- Nasty (but cute anyway) foxes and other predators
- Frantic gameplay
We are deep in our playthrough of BigChick and you can expect a review soon. For now, head to the Xbox Store and pick up an Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S version of the game for £4.19, with a launch discount dropping that down slightly.
Game Description:
The islands are sinking… Chickenfolk can’t swim and fox bandits won’t miss an opportunity to gobble up a bird or two even on the verge of apocalypse… What a disaster! Fortunately Big Chick is here to save the day! Use poultry magic to summon new patches of land from the ocean depths and micromanagement skills to lead your people to the safety of the sacred Big Barn.
