Another game in my portable backlog has been beaten! I’ll have to find an easy way to differentiate the two so that anyone who actually keeps up with my posts will know whether or not it’s the game I foreshadowed last time.

Note: I played the GBC version, not the Steam version. I didn’t even know about the Steam version until after I found out about the sequel, at which point I was already halfway done with the game. However, I read that the Steam version is essentially the same as this version, just with some extra levels and updated graphics. Oh, and apparently, the Steam version has a completely different soundtrack from the GBC version.

This is a puzzle game. Each level, the game gives you a set amount of a few different types of items, and you have to figure out how to collect all the eggs in the level using the items you’ve been given. Screenshots of the game might lead you to believe it’s a puzzle-platformer, and while that may technically be true, it should be noted that all mechanics in the game are unit-based: if you tap forward, you move forward a full unit before stopping (the protagonist itself is 2x2 units); if you jump off a cliff, you fall straight down without being able to guide the protagonist left or right; if you freeze an enemy, it will recoil back to the last unit before turning into a harmless ice block. In other words, you don’t have to worry about nebulous physics screwing up your play-through: as long as you know the solution, you’ll be able to beat the levels without issue. The only time you have to worry about timing is when there are enemies, as they move in real time (until frozen or until you beat the level). Also, I should note that whenever the game introduces a new item, it is done through a tutorial level that explains what the item does and how it works, then the game lets you test the item out in a level built around it; you’ll never look up a solution only to go “how was I supposed to figure that out?” because the game tells you everything upfront (if you do look up a solution, you’ll see that you could’ve figured it out yourself).

The game is divided into four worlds, with 15 levels each (not counting tutorial levels): 10 mandatory levels and five “hard” levels. Each world introduces at least one item unique to that world, and this is one of the few things I don’t really like about the game: since the item (and how it works) is unique to that world, it means that you have to learn how to use a new item rather than solve harder puzzles with the items that have already been introduced. Essentially, it means the game has an inconsistent difficulty curve. I would have preferred if all the items were introduced near the beginning, and the puzzles got progressively harder rather than the puzzles backtracking in difficulty in order to let the player come to grips with the new item. Plus, this would allow the developers to create puzzles that mix formerly-world-specific items. The game does still try to implement more difficult puzzles as the game goes on, but as it is, it comes across more like difficulty spikes than a proper progression of difficulty; you’ll easily solve a bunch of puzzles within 4 attempts, and then suddenly come across a puzzle that you get stuck on for weeks. It can be demoralizing, to say the least (but as long as you stick with it and don’t look up the solution, it’s really satisfying when you finally beat said level).

On the subject of inconsistent difficulty, I do have an issue with one of the items: the snail sucker (exclusive to world 3). The game tells you that it can not only suck in snails (which really look more like slugs than snails), but also that it can change the direction they’re moving. However, it doesn’t say how it changes their direction (it only makes it so that if the snail is moving away from you, it will move toward you, not vice versa). Plus, the first time you need to use it to change a snail’s direction (level 6 of world 3 in the GBC version; might be a different level in the Steam version), you don’t have much room to change it’s direction before it falls and blocks the path to one of the eggs, and all of the other levels that require the direction-changing mechanic give you more room to pull it off. However, the main reason I bring it up is because the snail won’t change direction unless you’re holding the button that activates the snail sucker at the exact moment it reaches the next unit; if you stop holding the button while the snail is in-between units, it won’t turn around. This means that you have to hold the button, and as soon as you see it turn around, stop and run for the ladder so you reach safety (since you need it’s one use to suck in another snail). Also, if you’re holding the button while a snail is moving toward you, the snail moves faster, meaning you have to be quick about releasing that button.

Despite that, my biggest issue by far is that all of the levels have time limits. Why?? There’s absolutely no reason for it other than to increase playtime artificially. If you know the solution, you’ll be able to beat the level in time, but when it’s your first attempt and you’re still trying to work out the solution, chances are that you’ll run out of time before you can solve the puzzle and execute the solution (assuming you even discover the solution on your first attempt). This is especially annoying when you’ve figured out the solution, but run out of time before you can beat the level, since you have to redo the part you just did. Plus, during harder levels, you simply won’t have enough time to think about your options before time’s up. It is possible to pause the game and stop the time from ticking down, but if you do that, you won’t be able to scroll around the map. In other words, you have to scroll to one part of the level, pause, think about it, then unpause, scroll to another part of the level, and repeat.

I’ll also mention a few GBC-specific praises: all the backgrounds have parallax scrolling, which the GBC doesn’t support natively. Plus, in world 3 (slime cave), the color palette gets darker the lower you are in the level, which is a neat detail (plus, it never reaches the point where you can’t tell what’s what). Also, the background in world 4 (bubble barrage) is animated, showing bubbles rising from below, on top of being parallax. On top of this, all animation is smooth, meaning the devs spent more time and frames on it.

Overall, despite some hiccups here and there, this is a really enjoyable puzzle game. If you like puzzle games, check this one out.

P.S. I’m still not quite ready to foreshadow what my next portable game will be, as I’m in the middle of two RPGs right now. Maybe next time.

P.P.S. The plot is that the protagonist’s siblings go missing, and you’re on a quest to find them. When you beat the main game (the mandatory levels), you’re told that all of the protagonist’s siblings were rescued, but it also says that you’re not completely finished since you haven’t beaten the hard levels. However, the hard levels also have you collecting eggs; does that mean that the protagonist is chicknapping other chickens’ offspring?