Ahead of the Game - Cluck Survivor lets you tower-defence against AI mutations as a fiesty chicken in overalls
It's cluckin' chaos out here
- Derpy chicken versus mutated pests
- Randomised boons and roguelike runs
- Chaotic tower defence with Survivors-like elements
It's all about raging against the technological apocalypse in this week's Ahead of the Game series, where we tell you about a new mobile endeavour that's playable in one form or another despite its unofficial launch.
I've been writing a lot about avian-themed adventures lately, and I'm not complaining. There's the duck mafia, the duck stuck on a loop, and the goose battling the undead - this time around, it's a chicken on a farm battling mutated pests, and really, at this point, I'm not even surprised.
What I love even more about the premise is that said pest mutations were brought about by an AI data centre exploding and dooming a peaceful countryside to a lifetime of exterminating giant cockroaches - it's certainly a fresh and very meta take on the Terminator-esque apocalypse.
As for the gameplay, it doesn't really reinvent the wheel, but I don't mind at all. Essentially, it's tower defence with a touch of Vampire Survivors, as is often the case with a lot of roguelike adventures on mobile these days. You play as a chicken in overalls, trying to defend your farm by hurling eggs at massive insects.
Said insects will have different attack patterns - some will weave in and out of line while others will come charging straight at you, and it's up to you to throw everything you've got at them to keep them at bay. And by "everything", I do mean "everything" - you've got birds and eggs and slingshots and chainsaws and even stationary scarecrows at your disposal, after all.
After each run, you get to upgrade your stats, your "weapons", and your randomised boons that pop up every so often in the middle of each stage. This'll help you come back stronger, because those mutations are, by definition, mutating all the time, and they'll only get nastier and nastier as you progress.
So, how do you play Cluck Survivor?
Obviously, the cute visuals add to the charm here too, and with what I've played, it feels polished enough for a full release. It's still in early access on Google Play at the moment, though, but I don't doubt it'll launch soon, and with an iOS version to follow soon too, I hope!
