Review: Chicken Run: Eggstraction (Nintendo Switch)

A companion game to 2023’s Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget movie, Chicken Run: Eggstraction launches you into the heart of the Aardman action. The game follows on from the events of the film, as you embark on mission after mission to free the chickens of the world from the nefarious clutches of Sir Eat-A-Lot and his signature dipping sauce.

The way the story picks up after the end of the film, rather than following the narrative beat for beat, makes for a more satisfying game than you might expect from a movie companion game. You control a team of up to three chickens from the core characters of the franchise in your vigilante rescue missions infiltrating chicken farms.

The map is split into various sections. Each of these represents a different location to break into, and is further broken down into levels, which require you to solve puzzles that allow you to locate and rescue the chickens. Each level has three optional targets you can hit to earn up to three stars when you complete it. These are typically geared around stealth, speed, collectibles and successfully rescuing a minimum number of captive chickens.

You can spend the stars you achieve unlocking and upgrading the characters you can add to your team. Each chicken has its own unique skills that lends it to different play styles. This creates interesting combinations you can use to approach each level. It’s worth investing in each character as consistently as you can as you progress rather than relying too heavily on your favourites, as you’ll need all of them unlocked by the final stages of the game.

In between levels, you are treated to cinematic cutscenes that further the narrative. These are rich with the Aardman sense of humour, enhancing the playful and charming dialogue that peppers the game throughout. The personality central to making the Chicken Run films so popular is clearly evident in this game. As well as the familiar core characters, the background enemies have a quirky, slapstick sense of comedy to them. The contraptions you can use are exactly the kind of wacky inventions you’d expect from Aardman properties.

Chicken Run: Eggstraction is, overall, a fairly basic action platformer, but it is infused with enough personality that it nonetheless stands out from the deluge of uninspired movie companion games. It matches the energy of the film without being a direct match in terms of story, and it nails the sense of tension necessary to make a roast chicken seem utterly terrifying.