Chicken Police Review (PS4)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Chicken Police
  • Platform: Playstation 4
  • Show system requirements
  • Reviewed on:
Chicken Police key art

The smell of cheap booze and cigar smoke, tired jazz and blues tunes, damsels in distress tuning into femme fatales, cynical old detectives, corrupt police officers and untouchable mobsters – Clawville has all the elements necessary to a masterfully crafted film noir. Chicken Police developed The Wild Gentleman is a dorky tribute to the old Humphrey Bogart movies and one of the best adventure games we stumbled upon lately.

Although visually worlds apart, you cannot help but think about Blacksad when you see Chicken Police. Their inspiration is very similar: half animal half men characters, ideological and political differences presented as discrepancies among the species, a strong yet fragile damsel in distress, a hidden plot, and a bitter old detective. The main difference is that we do not regret the time spent with Chicken Police, since the developers from The Wild Gentleman actually delivered quite an enjoyable adventure game, unlike Pendulo Studios, abused the base material and as content to deliver a bug-infested mess instead of a video game.

Although at first glance the visual style of Chicken Police may seem a bit bizarre, it manages to create the perfect atmosphere to tell a story from the adventure laced life of Sonny Featherland. Once a star detective of the Clawville police department, we find him counting the days until his retirement. Disgraced, but not forgotten the old rooster steps into high profile case when he decides to help Natasha Catzenko, an equally irresistible and dangerous singer. The investigation that will see our hero reunited with his former partner, Marty McChicken, will reveal several delicate details about the past of the two roosters, but also leave several untied plot lines for a possible sequel.

Chicken Police
Chicken Police
Chicken Police
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It is a classic film noir detective story with anthropomorphized characters. The racial differences and tensions of the human world are projected into the game as a matter of survival among different species. The story is presented as a classic point and click adventure game, where the player has to interact with the game world by visiting different locations. The game challenges the players to soak in their surroundings and puzzle together the events by talking with every available character. Through dialogue, you will discover new locations, details about characters and about the world, but also gain important clues.

Being a detective story you will also have to interrogate your suspects and chose skillfully your questions in order to obtain the precious information. In several points, you will have to put together the information through an investigation mini-game that needs you to draw the correct conclusions. Although this may sound a bit tedious, thanks to the very well put together script it is a pleasure to try to figure out what each character is hiding.

Also, the many details and the need to figure out how are they tied together lengthens the game, which otherwise would be very short. If you skip all the cutscenes and dialogues and you know exactly what you need to do you can finish it in around two hours. But taking into consideration the way you will actually play it, Chicken Police will need an entire weekend to unfold.

In order to not become monotone, the developers included also some faster-paced gameplay elements that test your accuracy or challenge you to solve some puzzles in a certain amount of time. The best example for the change of pace is that car chase sequences, as you try to escape from gangsters by shooting their vehicle tires. In another situation, you will have to untie a rope in order to escape a very heated deadlock. There are also some other mini-games typical to adventure games, but most of them do not present any real challenge.

Chicken Police focus on atmosphere rather than on challenge. It is a very immersive experience that makes you feel like a bitter old detective who must uncover the secrets of the city. There is no real sense of danger, but the tension constantly lingers in the air. The game offers more than enough clues to reveal all the mysteries, rewarding those who can figure them out quickly, but also constantly holding the hands of those who need more help. The notebook in which Sonny gathers all the info is the most valuable resource that contains all the answers.

There are also a few collectibles, that this time around serves a purpose. Those who manage to gather all the detective novels hidden in the game will be rewarded with a secret post-credits scene. Even if not difficult or challenging, the different game mechanics are mixed together skillfully, and as a result, Chicken Police feels like a solid video game, not just a visual novel. Also, the plethora of details and the collectibles increase the replay value of the game, but only for those who fell for its charm.

And to be honest is quite easy to be charmed by Chicken Police, mainly because the script is brought to life by excellent voice acting. As you will advance in the game you will be invested in the different characters, the voice actors doing a stellar job in conveying emotions and highlighting different personalities. This is one of the most important aspects of the game since most of the time you advance through dialogues.

The noir graphics that use color only to highlight some of the details has also a major part in creating a peculiar atmosphere. Although bizarre at first, due to the visual style and the anthropomorphized characters, the detailed environments and artistic direction contribute to building the noir atmosphere.

Chicken Police
Chicken Police
Chicken Police
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The Good

  • Brilliant voice acting
  • Very well written story
  • Immersive atmosphere

The Bad

  • A bit light with the puzzles
  • A bit short
  • Lack of any real challenge

Conclusion

Chicken Police is not the most innovative or complex adventure game, but it is one of the most atmospheric ones. It is immersive and fun, with an excellent soundtrack and stellar voice acting. The puzzles are a bit simple and limited in number, but you will not miss them so much thanks to the excellent story and well-written dialogues.

The noir atmosphere is the most important element of the recipe, Chicken Police charming you from the very first minutes and guiding you gently to the end by fuelling your sense of accomplishment with new discoveries. It is not perfect, but it is an experience you will not regret.

story 8
gameplay 7
concept 8
graphics 7
audio 9
multiplayer 0
final rating 8
Editor's review
very good
 
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Chicken Police screenshots (31 Images)

Chicken Police key art
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