Chicken Invaders Universe

Shooting games come in all shapes and sizes – some serious, some whimsical. Well, with 2022 release Chicken Invaders Universe, we are very much in the latter category. This game takes the top-down shooter style of its most obvious inspiration and makes it arguably even more enjoyable.

Modernising a classic is never easy, and it is pretty obvious where Chicken Invaders Universe takes its cues from. However, with this bullet hell wonder you get to enjoy a highly enjoyable shooter that is more than addictive enough to have you coming back for action time-and-time again.

A shooter with its own personality

So, it is obvious from more or less minute one that Space Invaders is the example here. However, what Chicken Invaders Universe does is it builds upon the old games concept. It adds things like more variety, more customisation for your ship, and the ability to explore the galaxy. In short, it brings many of the features that Space Invaders never had.

By modernising a dated concept, Chicken Invaders Universe does a fine job of adding more hours of replayability. Space Invaders is a game that, today, feels barren and bare in terms of content. Games like this, though, do a good job of making sure that you are getting a game that 100% offers more replay value than simply trying to beat your last high score.

There is much to explore, to see, and to shoot. The gameplays comical enemies -space-faring chickens – pose a challenge both in how ridiculous they are and how challenging they can be. The end result is a game that is highly polished, hugely enjoyable, and the perfect take on a modern Space Invaders title.

Hilarity ensues in this most comical of space shooters (8/10)

The verdict on Chicken Invaders Universe is pretty clear: this is a fun, highly enjoyable game. Sure, it is obvious what it is riffing on, but there is no shortage of fresh ideas in here. The ship customisation is excellent, as is the ability to actually explore the galaxy. Instead of just hopping from one mission to the next, Chicken Invaders Universe does a fine job of making sure you can have more to do.

This is a comical game, and with tens of thousands of missions to play through and thousands of star systems to explore, there is an eye-watering level of content here. You can sign up to join squadrons with other players, and you can enjoy trying to participate in its busy leaderships.

Pros

• Highly enjoyable gameplay loop that is hard to break free from once you get good
• Addictive game that does a fine job of really building on the Chicken Invaders series
• Comical style that is sure to have you laughing as you work your way through each level
• Ship customisation is an additional extra that can keep things nice and fresh

Cons

• Thousands of missions to play through, but only 15 main mission types to pick from
• Even with so many missions, you might find repetition settling in somewhat quickly