Developer: Twilight Publisher: Mindscape Release: 02/94 Genre: Platformer
Alfred Chicken. For such an obscure title it received heavy print advertising back in the day. I could not turn a page in a magazine without seeing his big stupid chicken head. But despite that I never did give the game a chance. It was a NES release in 1994; I was looking forward to Mega Man X and Super Metroid thank you very much. But going back to it now I found a game with solid mechanics and level design that is only let down by its brevity.
No one can say they did not try to make Alfred Chicken a star. The game hit multiple platforms in its short life from the SNES to the Amiga CD32. As unbelievable as it sounds the game even received a 2.5d remake for the PlayStation in 2002! The NES game holds the distinction of being one of the very last releases for the system in 1994 which makes it notable for that fact alone. It is a port of the Gameboy game but unfortunately it is missing a lot of its content. This is surprising as it is usually the other way around. Although it is only half the game it is still good but could have been better.
Mechanically Alfred Chicken is solid. Alfred can peck enemies although it is not as effective due to its range. The peck is primarily to activate switches and pop balloons. Your main attack is to dive bomb enemies from above. It has a wide range and looks cool to boot. The dive bomb will also give you extra height when used on springs. Naturally after jumping he can float a little and slow his descent. There are only two power-ups and they are not common. Finding Mr. Peckles the flower gives you jam that allows you throw eggs that bounce off walls and collect items. If you find a worm you gain a rotating shield that destroys enemies and blocks. These are nice items to have but this is not an action game it leans heavy on platforming.
Each level in Alfred Chicken is a series of interconnected rooms. At first there is minimal connective tissue between them. At most in the beginning you will need to hit switches to activate blocks to progress. Admittedly Alfred Chicken seemed a bit routine at first. But soon the levels become more complex as you activate switch blocks to reach balloons and shuffle between portions of the map. The late game introduces more puzzle elements as you will need to guide spiked bombs to destroy unreachable blocks or to press switches for you. These moments are tense as the bombs are still actively trying to kill you meaning you have to trick them to do your bidding. These later stages show a level of creativity that helps the game rise above a generic platformer. The only problem is the game is over far too soon to take advantage of it.
Right as Alfred Chicken starts to pick up it is over. Unfortunately Alfred Chicken is a short game at only five levels which is half the stage count of the Gameboy original. This one is a slow build and starts out simple but starts to become more inventive with its mechanics by stage four. Unfortunately that leaves little time to for it to really test your skills as it over not long after that. The NES game could have been superior to the Gameboy title it is based on if it were simply a colorized version with all the stages. With more stages it allowed the game to explore its deeper mechanics while offering a decent challenge to boot. There is no good reason the Nintendo version is not the same; it feels like a cheap cash in with less effort behind it and suffers for it.
In Closing
This is a tough one. I like Alfred Chicken a lot. But the missing content is a glaring omission that mars the whole game. The game is fun while it lasts but that time is all too brief. It would be hard to recommend it with that in mind, especially as it is expensive due to its rarity. The game is good but not that good.
