Go! Go! Mister Chickums review

Germany-based developer com8com1 has built a small but solid catalog over the years, delivering titles that have ranged from the R-Type-style shooting of Rigid Force Alpha to the Bullet Heaven intensity of Bloodshed. Their latest release, Go! Go! Mister Chickums offers a slight departure, revisiting the kind of single-screen platformers that were popular during the ‘80s. As such, the game is both instantly familiar and engaging, with a focus on play over plot.

Yes, the bulk of storytelling is handled during an adorable cinematic that lasts no more than a few seconds. A dastardly villain named Grabbo has stolen all of Mister Chickums’ eggs, and it’s up to our plucky poultry protagonist to get them back. Like the kind of coin-op games Mister Chickums tries to imitate, some of the world building is delivered visually, using a variety of worlds and different types of enemies. There’s even one foe who looks suspiciously like a fast-moving hedgehog.

Egg-ecution Is Everything

At its core, Mister Chickums’ gameplay is built around three simple actions: running, jumping, and hurling eggs at enemies. Like most platformers, you can also stomp on foes by bouncing on their heads, provided they’re not sporting spikes. In that case, a well-aimed egg is your only option. Just be aware that any defeated enemies respawn rather rapidly, ensuring a healthy amount of tension. Best of all, movement is responsive, allowing Mister Chickums to easily climb ladders, drop to lower levels, collect point bonuses, and aim eggs with precision.

Pleasingly, there’s a healthy amount of nuance baked into the egg-throwing mechanic. Eggs can be tossed at a variety of angles, giving you options for threading shots through tight corridors or bouncing them around obstacles. However, there’s a catch: eggs that lose momentum quickly respawn in their original location, so there’s no spamming your way through levels. As such, you have to be thoughtful about how you approach each stage.

The mechanic also affects Mister Chickums. Carrying eggs slows him down noticeably, which affects his jumping height. It’s a small detail, but one with real consequences. As stages grow more intricate, prioritizing eggs becomes just as important as your aiming. Across its 100 stages, Mister Chickums introduces enough variety in layouts and enemy types across multiple worlds to prevent the formula from going stale. The level design steadily ramps up in complexity, demanding progressively precise egg-tossing to navigate tricky situations. Fans of games like Bubble Bobble will feel right at home, and the end-of-stage fruit and gem collection reinforces that comparison. It’s a simple reward that still manages to be satisfying decades on.

The Rewards of Egg-sploration

Secrets are scattered throughout for those who enjoy a bit of exploration. Hunting them down can yield extra lives and even unlock a bonus world, providing completionists with just enough incentive to replay stages. Sure, there’s not an enormous amount of hidden content, but it’s an appreciated addition for those willing to dive deeper into Mister Chickums.

Local co-op is available, and it’s truly enjoyable, if you’re able to wrangle a willing poultry-partner to join you on the couch. Playing alongside a friend adds to the chaotic fun, as you work together to put all of your eggs in a single basket (OK, it’s more of a nest).

If there’s a possible fault to be found, it’s Go! Go!’s boss battles. While the normal stages demand precision and timing, these showdowns feel underdeveloped by comparison. Most can be dispatched with just a handful of egg tosses, and they rarely test the skillset that you’ve developed throughout the game. But it’s a negligible frustration in an otherwise well-constructed experience, and it’s better that com8com1favored compassion over controller-flinging frustration.

A Sunny-Side Up Success

Go! Go! Mister Chickums is a lighthearted platformer that understands the fundamentals of single-screen platforming. Best of all, it delivers on it’s egg-tossing premise with just enough depth to keep things interesting across a hundred levels. Underwhelming bosses and some awkward water stages aside, om8com1 has crafted a love letter to arcade classics with just enough modern polish to feel fresh.

Go! Go! Mister Chickums was played on PCV with review code provided by the publisher.