Publisher: Sega
Ages: six and up.
Parental
Advisory:
Arcade violence
It looks great and will certainly catch your eye, but Sega's Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg appeals more to youngsters than grown-ups. The platform game was developed by the creator of Sonic The Hedgehog and asks players to solve puzzles, complete missions and defeat powerful bosses with the help of magical eggs. It's a whimsical tale that kids can enjoy.
The game tells the story of a young boy on a mission to save the world from an evil Crow King who threatens to rule with an everlasting night. Gamers must learn to harness the powers of a legendary rooster suit and control magical eggs.
The game challenges players to fight enemies, solve puzzles and hatch magical creatures that enhance their abilities. The game plays in stages where players collect and destroy items; free trapped chicken elders and fight each stage's boss.
As you would expect, eggs play a huge role. Billy can roll eggs over enemies and heave eggs as weapons. And eggs can increase in size becoming more dangerous to enemies, but harder to move around. If an egg gets big enough, it can hatch a creature that fights alongside Billy.
While the game's use of eggs is fresh and different, there are times when the controls let players down-- they can't adequately handle the eggs, which becomes frustrating. The adventure also includes hidden characters, and a four-player split-screen feature with fun cooperative and competitive gameplay modes.
The game features lots of fighting, but it's all of the bloodless, cartoon variety. Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg is a decent platform game, but not a standout. Youngsters may latch onto this one. But anyone over the age of ten will probably find it too cutesy.
12/2/03 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff
