Chicken Invaders 4 by InterAction Studios Review
I was 11 when I first played Chicken Invaders 2, unfortunately it was a demo version that allowed me to play only for an hour but I found a bit of a catch in their programming, the game didn’t stop after 1 hour unless you close the game, so I played that game for about three and a half hours and since then my love for casual games like Chicken Invaders has grown steadily.
The next sequel of the game i.e. Chicken Invaders 3 had superb sound effects and the latest version of the game “Chicken Invaders 4” has a lot more to offer which would be the central topic of discussion for this blog post, it is basically my experience with the game.
Basic Intro
Chicken Invaders 4 is the latest installment in the very popular series of shoot `em up casual games from InterAction Studios. Chicken Invaders is one of the most popular casual games available for PC, you can also play this game on PC, Mac and Linux. The basic theme of Chicken Invaders 4 is more or less like the previous version of this game but still there are hell lot of improvements which I am going to discuss one by one with you.
Key Features
- Up to 4 players can play simultaneously
- Adventurous journey to 12 star systems
- 120 waves of invading chickens
- 9 Amazing weapons to take your revenge
- Weapons upgradeable up to 12 levels (supercharged)
- 30 Unique Bonuses to collect
- 15 medals to attain which demonstrate your skill in the game
- Internet high score table
- Play multiplayer with friends over LAN and more
Storyline & Gameplay
Chicken Invaders 4 begins where “Revenge of the Yolk” had end, basically you are the controller of a lone spacecraft that has encountered an alien invasion not from Martians but from a technically advanced race of Chicken bound to attack your spacecraft with their egg bombs, stinking feather etc. If you thought that these tiny, easy to kill chicken are the worst of your problems in the game then you’re wrong! because these chickens have brought their daddies for invasion too, the bosses.
The appearance of your battleship has changed in Chicken Invaders 4, now you have additional weapons on both of your wings which come handy when you are not able to cope up with waves of Chickens that come howling for your life. Just click the right-mouse button and you’re ready to show them who is the boss.
In Chicken Invaders 1,2 and 3 enemy used to attack only from one direction, from up but in Chicken Invaders 4, your spaceship is attacked from random direction, each wave comes from different direction therefore you have to monitor your flight all the time, it is quite challenging but becomes interesting once you get a hang of it.
Experimenting with Power Ups (discussed later in this article) comes handy and sometimes prove to be a lifesaver. On the whole, the gameplay of Chicken Invaders 4 is somewhat similar to Revenge of the Yolk, with minor changes, of course, which I mentioned earlier in this post.
Loot full of Meat, Coins & Power Ups
The most enticing part of any shoot `em game is the loot and undoubtedly, InterAction Studios has done a great job in developing the loot system for Chicken Invaders 4. Chicken, when blasted, shower Meat, Coins and 9 type of Power Ups.
There is an interesting thing to know about power ups. Each Power Up has its own advantage and disadvantage, so it is recommended to change your Power Ups from time to time so as to keep the excitement of the game alive. My favorite Power Up is the red one, I love it and esp. when it is supercharged to level 12.
In-Game Music
Have you ever heard War Music?
Well, the music score of Chicken Invaders 4 is somewhat inspired from battle music, it is fast paced, engaging and blends with the sounds of your spaceship turning those fat Chickens into Chicken Salad (the red power up turns them into Chicken Korma. Yumm!).
No game is complete without a good background score and Chicken Invaders 4 satisfied my thirst for good music very well.
Challenging yet Energizing Boss Levels
In almost all the games Boss is most difficult to defeat and this game is no exception. One thing to ponder upon is that these bosses not only throw egg bombs on your spacecraft but also shower lasers in a variety of colors, swiveling your spacecraft through these attacks and still attempting to win is challenging in some of the boss stages.
I love InterAction Studios for adding the percentage based health meter instead of a red/blue bar heath meter in boss stages. After some time, it becomes very irritating to keep firing at the boss without any hint of him getting weaker. This percentage meter gives you realtime status of “percentage of damage done” which would in turn give you a clear picture of whether your strategy to defeat “the boss” in working or not, evading boss’ attacks is bit challenging but when you can track your progress, the whole setup become very interesting, it also gave me a minor adrenaline rush.
Conclusion a.k.a. The Verdict
Since my childhood, I have played a lot of casual shoot `em games, primitively on my NES and then on my Windows PC. Chicken Invaders 4 is definitely worth a try, it is great fun, it is engaging and you won’t get bored. If you are not some “Chicken Invaders Expert” you won’t be able to clear all the waves in one go therefore it would keep you entertained for quite sometime. I am not going to rate this game with stars, I am just recommending you this game because I play it myself, you be the judge, whether you like this game or not.
Pricing & System Requirements
I am a Windows user, I got this casual game from Intel App-Up Store. I downloaded the free version [download link] which had limited levels to clear, the pro version which comes with 120 waves of Chicken Invaders to defeat costs $6.99/- [download link]. You don’t have to worry about system requirements, if you have Windows XP, 7 32-bit, 7 64-bit installed on your system, this game would run perfect. I hope you enjoy it.
This blog is an entry to the “My Favorite PC App” contest. Check out numerous apps for PC/Netbooks available at the Intel AppUp Center. If you are looking for an opportunity to build and monetize your applications, check out the Intel® Atom™ Developer Program.
Source: Chicken Invaders 4
Nice game and awesome review
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Hope you like it