"I'm here to read a sodding Billy Hatcher review!" I hear you cry. "What does this have to do with anything?"
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg is another game that has copped a considerable amount of flack from certain game fans for being too childish. However, these accusations are fairly warranted, as you will find as you play the game that a great deal of it actually feels like it is meant for youngsters. I must let it be known, however, that Billy Hatcher's appearance has no real impact on the mechanics of the game, which is the far more important component of the overall package. So, is Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg a good game, or is Sonic Team really beginning to lose it? Read on to find out.
Chicken Soup
Darkness has fallen upon what was once a magical land. An evil crow king, who seeks to rule over the land with an everlasting night, has captured the elder chickens responsible for bringing morning to the land. A young lad known as Billy Hatcher must use the special powers of his chicken suit to control special eggs in order to rescue the elders, and restore daylight to the land.
Bunch of Cocks
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg's world of Morning Land is broken up into 6 different stages, each with a rather stereotypical platform theme - an ice stage, fire stage and so on. Each stage has a set of 5 goals for you to complete, though only two of these are actually necessary to progress in the game. The first goal is to find the Chicken Elder for that world, and hatch him from his egg. The second is to scout around the level looking for a boss creature to fight, while the rest of the goals consist of things such as killing X number of crows, collecting a number of coins, or having to reach a certain location in a level. Successful completion of a goal results in Billy being awarded a Hero Crest, which is essentially the same as the emblems in Sonic Adventure.
Billy Hatcher's gameplay mechanics are unpolished, clunky and highly repetitive. Billy needs eggs to be of any use in the game, and these are found strewn across all of the levels. Moving an egg around is rather akin to pushing a large boulder around - and just as annoying to control, as the egg can stick on things, get into a situation where it is impossible to move, or become stuck on the edge of a platform which is particularly annoying in a level that requires precision control. Eggs can be used to attack enemies, either by rolling the egg over them, throwing the egg at them, or using a stomp attack. The egg will also grow in size as Billy rolls it over various fruit bits scattered around the level. When the egg reaches a certain size, Billy can then crow like a chicken, and hatch the egg. Eggs usually contain some form of goody, such as animal helpers, power ups that make you stronger or let you jump higher, and on a rare occasion, an extra life.
The camera in Billy Hatcher is absolutely atrocious. One must think that Sonic Team would begin to focus on their camera mechanics, considering the flack they have received from the gaming press and fans about the quality of the cameras in their past efforts. You'll find that the camera will become stuck behind objects more often than not, and that it just generally does a poor job of tracking the action throughout the game.
As we mentioned in the introduction to this review, Billy Hatcher certainly feels like a game aimed towards a younger audience. We say this because of the completely underwhelming level difficulty, and general themes and occurrences that would appeal to children, such as constant cock-a-doodle-dooing, clucking and other chicken-related miscellany. The main portion of the single player game can be knocked over in 4 hours, and there is very little incentive to complete the extra missions - though the unlockable version of NiGHTS for the GBA is an added plus. There's a multiplayer battle game in there as well, but it feels like a tacked-on afterthought in the overall scheme of things.
Peck your eyes out
The colour scheme in Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg is bright and varied. The levels are quite big, and filled with life. Some of the textures are of a fairly low standard, however, giving it a somewhat Dreamcast-like look. The enemies are rather lacking in crafting and design when compared to Billy himself, as you get a largely generic feeling from them. Arguably the biggest flaw in Billy Hatcher's presentation (other than the camera) is the hap hazardous frame rate. The game may be able to render large levels and big groups of enemies, but once some lighting, shadow and particle effects come up, Billy Hatcher begins to choke like a cheap hooker. A 60 Hz mode has been included in the game for a full screen, full speed experience.
Billy Hatcher's sound has been the cause for much debate in forums, with the game's music being something of an acquired taste. If you've got a thing for chickens or cheery music, then you'll be sure to enjoy the soundtrack, but most people are sure to find it to be rather irritating. There's not much in the way of voice acting in Billy Hatcher, other than the occasional "Good Morning", which sounds decidedly Japanese in pronunciation. Sound effects consist mainly of chicken clucking and the rolling of eggs, but it all sounds a bit better in Dolby Pro Logic II, which the game also supports.
Egg on your face
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg could easily have been a game that could've been enjoyed by all ages, especially younger children, but due to some woeful controls, an awful camera, hazardous framerate and irritating sound, Billy Hatcher is likely to only be enjoyed by a select few. Billy Hatcher is another below average game from the Sonic Team - one must wonder if they will ever return to their former glory.
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