Review: Chicken Invaders: The Next Wave Remastered
At a Glance
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How to Save and Pause:Your progress is saved whenever you move to a new planet. Unfortunately, only one game can be saved at a time; starting a new game will overwrite the old one. To pause the game, bring up the in game menu by pressing ESC. Time needed per session:Plan on playing for at least fifteen minutes, as this gives you enough time to clear a couple of waves in a single session.
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Does this game pose issues for Christian players?
 | No - this is a great game for Christians Even though you're shooting down flocks of Space Chickens with different types of ray guns, this is a very silly and family friendly game overall. |
Screenshots
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/chicken_invaders_2_0.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/chicken_invaders_2_1.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/chicken_invaders_2_2.jpg)
Game Overview
Back in the day, you could sometimes find software at the local gas station or discount store. These programs tended to be cheaply made, often using stock or royalty free assets. Many were just a step above shovelware, and at first glance, Chicken Invaders: The Next Wave Remastered looks like it'd be right at home on the shelf next to such wonderful products as "Dot Maze Game", "Falling Shapes Deluxe", or "500 Wacky Fonts: Collectors Edition".
Yet, if you were to stop and look beyond the simple graphics and stock sound effects, you'll discover that the Chicken Invaders series (yes, series - there are several sequels) has a surprisingly strong fanbase. This is probably due to the fact that this is actually a pretty well-made game. It's good, mindless fun, and with the plethora of "serious" high budget AAA games clogging shelves these days, we need more games like this one!
As you can guess, this game plays like Space Invaders or Galaga. But Chicken Invaders does more than just replace the aliens with silly looking Space Chickens. Each level plays by its own rules, with the chickens attacking in many different ways. They may attack in random groups, in detailed formations, or just fly across the screen. Some levels don't even feature the titular chickens, as you'll be dealing with a meteor shower or something instead. Several boss levels are also included, pitting the player against gigantic Army Chickens or an egg-shaped mothership.
Players can also use a number of different weapons to fight the feathered menace. From time to time, weapon powerups drop from defeated enemies. Collecting these powerups will either give you a new primary weapon or increase the power of the current weapon. Each weapon is color-coded, so try 'em out and then stick to your favorite. All of them have infinite ammunition too, so don't be stingy your shots. Of course, if your ship is ever destroyed, then your main weapon will lose some (but not all) of its power.
Your secondary weapons are rockets. Each rocket does tremendous damage to every on-screen enemy, usually clearing the entire screen in a single shot. Unlike the ray guns, you only have a limited number of rockets, so only use them when you absolutely need to. New rockets can be earned by eating fried chicken, which can be collected whenever a Space Chicken is defeated. It does take a while, but the more you "eat", the more rockets you'll have.
I'd definitely recommend this game for any arcade game fan - it's inexpensive and eggcellent fun!
Yet, if you were to stop and look beyond the simple graphics and stock sound effects, you'll discover that the Chicken Invaders series (yes, series - there are several sequels) has a surprisingly strong fanbase. This is probably due to the fact that this is actually a pretty well-made game. It's good, mindless fun, and with the plethora of "serious" high budget AAA games clogging shelves these days, we need more games like this one!
As you can guess, this game plays like Space Invaders or Galaga. But Chicken Invaders does more than just replace the aliens with silly looking Space Chickens. Each level plays by its own rules, with the chickens attacking in many different ways. They may attack in random groups, in detailed formations, or just fly across the screen. Some levels don't even feature the titular chickens, as you'll be dealing with a meteor shower or something instead. Several boss levels are also included, pitting the player against gigantic Army Chickens or an egg-shaped mothership.
Players can also use a number of different weapons to fight the feathered menace. From time to time, weapon powerups drop from defeated enemies. Collecting these powerups will either give you a new primary weapon or increase the power of the current weapon. Each weapon is color-coded, so try 'em out and then stick to your favorite. All of them have infinite ammunition too, so don't be stingy your shots. Of course, if your ship is ever destroyed, then your main weapon will lose some (but not all) of its power.
Your secondary weapons are rockets. Each rocket does tremendous damage to every on-screen enemy, usually clearing the entire screen in a single shot. Unlike the ray guns, you only have a limited number of rockets, so only use them when you absolutely need to. New rockets can be earned by eating fried chicken, which can be collected whenever a Space Chicken is defeated. It does take a while, but the more you "eat", the more rockets you'll have.
I'd definitely recommend this game for any arcade game fan - it's inexpensive and eggcellent fun!
Points of Interest
Over 100 levels
To fend off the invading chickens, the player will travel through the solar system, starting at Pluto and ending near the Sun. Each planet features its own set of levels and challenges. For example, meteor shower stages are much more common around the asteroid belt.
Steam community features
This game offers exactly four achievements. One for clearing the game on each difficulty, and one for clearing the game on each difficulty without using rockets. It's a bit underwhelming. There are also some Steam trading cards available for players who are interested in them.
Possible loading error
There is a small chance that the game won't load properly. When this happens, the game's window is just a tiny little box that you can't really interact with. This doesn't happen often, but if it does, the simplest way to fix it is to reboot your computer. It should launch correctly on the next boot.
Concerns and Issues
Can't make an omelette without scrambling some eggs
Like other shoot 'em up games, the player will be killing a lot of enemies who, in turn, are trying to kill the player. None of this violence is shown in a gruesome way, leaving this game as clean as the older games it mimics. The only exception is the way the chickens drop fried chicken upon defeat - this might seem disturbing to some players.
Speeding
There are short, almost pointless cutscenes between certain levels. Later in the game, they start developing into a short story where a police cruiser chases after the player's ship and gives them a speeding ticket. It doesn't make more sense in context.