Chickens Don't Fly

[h2]Sadistic, but satisfying as cluck[/h2] [b]Chickens Don't Fly[/b] is a delightfully deep yet brutally unforgiving climbing platformer that has the player trying to break out of a maximum security prison complex as an anthropomorphic chicken equipped only with a trusty pair of plunger-powered grappling hooks. As a solodev title, the gameplay and presentation are extremely polished, and there are enough elements of mystery and subversion sprinkled throughout the single large level to engage the player in the story alongside the other aspects. Incidentally, the grappling hook mechanics are the best I've encountered in any video game, in equal parts due to the high degree of freedom over direction & launch power, the realistic momentum behavior, the secondary midair grapple, and the ability to hang in place indefinitely. It's probably the closest you will get to feeling like Spider-Man in a 2D game (even compared to official SM games). Of course, a high degree of player control is a trait of the best "foddians" out there, and [b]CDF[/b] is no different from the greats in its demand of extreme precision in return. The map design reminds me most strongly of [i]Jump King[/i] in that the journey is almost completely vertical, but with some little side paths and NPC fetch quests. The overall challenge lives up to [i]Jump King[/i] too, with the later zones of [b]CDF[/b] arguably being as hard as the toughest ones in [i]JK[/i], or perhaps even more due to this game's controls relying on mouse movement versus just one button. I ended up stuck trying to pass through one specific zone for hours before finally locking in the required techniques. There are quite a few devastating moments where you realize that yes, the game really expects you to land on [i]that platform[/i], and these often happen in succession in the later portions of the map. I still have more to accomplish in the game, but from what I've experienced so far, I can recommend it with flying colors. Just know that it's going to demand your very best effort (unless you are content getting only the bad ending). By the way, if you enjoy this type of game, I also suggest checking out the r/foddians subreddit for discussion and the 'Getting Over It-likes' curator for similar recommendations ;)

Love it, really fun once you learn the movement like the other great games in the genre

I've been following the journey of this game since the start, and have been looking forward to getting my hands on it! At about the 1 hour mark now and I'm really enjoying it. Mechanic feels really great when you start nailing some combinations, and I was also pleasantly surprised with is how immersive this feels. The ambience, the art, the subtle music fading in and out, it feels super nice and I'm enjoying just being in it (even with the falls). I think the genius in these games is in the level design, and this nails that. Platforms are strategically placed, and there's always that feeling of no matter how close you are to the end of a section, you could fall right back to the beginning again (which I've done plenty of times so far in the sewer section...). Looking forward to sinking some hours into this. I think it will be one of those timeless games you can keep coming back to.

Great game! feels like a natural progression in the foddian game genre. Can't wait to fall on my face some more 10/10 would fall again.

When chicken don't fly and only fall me sad. A good Rage game

Amazing game, very well made, but hard and frustrating to advance through the levels, as intended. Can't wait to rage some more

Great game! Definitely challenging, but the learning curve is eventually very rewarding. The production level is really high, nice atmosphere and cool story telling.

Well-made, addictive, and absolutely brutal. Prepare to die.

This unironically pecked straight into my top five games of all time, like it owned the place. Please buy this underrated masterpiece! 10/10

Genuinely one of the most challenging and satisfying rage games I've played in a while. I recommend this game to anyone who loves pain and foddian games.