The Evil Chicken of Doom

ADRIFT author Mel S. is probably best known for zany horror-comedy hijinks (light on the horror), but he didn't always write in this style. Prior to this game, it seems most of his work was of the Deadline murder mystery type. In Mystery's ADRIFT-O-Rama, Mel's course is themed around the murder mystery rather than comedy. It seems that the inception of Speed-IF compilations in the ADRIFT community (and for the purists, this one is a true, one-hour-only Speed-IF) fundamentally changed the major output of this author with their constraints. The author has recently stated that these are his favorite sort of games to write. In fact, it seems that every game he has written since this one has been written as Speed-IF with his now trademark wacky tone.

So how does this one hold up? If off-the-wall, amped-up freak outs over the impossible and the absurd make you laugh, this one definitely will. It merrily defenestrates mimesis. It even shows good characterization for its scope. Unfortunately, probably as a side-effect of being made in an hour, it does suffer from Guess the Verb (one annoying instance, for example, where “take” is accepted, but not “get”) and Guess the Syntax problems, but if they really stymie you, there's no shame in turning to a walkthrough. These problems, however, are few. Little replay value except in booting this crazy, li'l thing back up to show your friends, but hey.

Ultimately: like drinking absinthe and novocaine from a little shot glass with a big, dangerously pointy chip in the glass, it is perhaps best done fast and with a little guidance, but if it's your thing-- oh, you will laugh.

I was a little skeptical when I downloaded this game, if only because I knew my laughter would be at the expense of a defenseless, two-nosed chicken. The humor is not subtle. There are no puns. There are no pop-culture references. It's just funny - utterly, lough-out-loud funny. You're trying to kill a two-nosed chicken. That's the entire premise and as far as the game goes. But the game really runs far with that premise. Apparently, you can't just strangle the chicken. You have to find a more creative way.

The puzzles are perfect for IF beginners and provide very little challenge. But it's worth playing for the jokes (which is something I usually never say about an IF game). Even the hint-system - or lack thereof - is written in an amusing way. Just type 'hints' once. I promise you won't get any.

Play The Evil Chicken of Doom to brighten up your day. And don't worry - the chicken will be avenged in the end.