Info about Ells Tales: Chicken:

Official game description:
Using the mechanism on the wall, the protagonist has activated many doors inside the complex. Behind one of these doors is a special chicken that needs help finding its way out. Make your way through the maze of puzzles and try to save the chicken's life.  
FEATURES:
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*   A great classic puzzle game in a new form!  
*   A mix of horror and Sokoban? Why not!  
*   Chickens. Again!  
*   Retro-styled graphics.
_If you need a little hint, check out the news about the game's release._

Release date: Jul 26, 2024

Categories: Sokoban-style Box Pushing, Puzzle Solving, Chicken protagonist puzzle game, Fixed camera angles, Dark horror atmosphere, Retro low-poly graphics, Collectible eggs unlock secrets, Tank controls and character-relative movement


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 2.5h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The clearest completion estimate is the translated report that 100% completion with secrets and two endings took about 2.5 hours, so gameCompletion is set to 2.5. Another translated report says all achievements took just under 2 hours, and an English review cites less than two hours of gameplay; both support a short overall completion time but do not clearly separate story-only time, session length, or endgame time. Therefore those other metrics are null.
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes:
  - PS1-Era Horror Nostalgist (buy)
    - Motivation: To recapture the creepy, low-fi atmosphere and deliberate pacing of the survival horror games they grew up with.
    - Playstyle: Single-player atmospheric horror sessions, patiently accepting old-school character-relative controls and awkward camera work as part of the charm.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: fans of old horror games from the PlayStation 1 era
    - Reference games: Resident Evil; PlayStation 1 horror games
  - Series Continuation Follower (buy)
    - Motivation: To see where the series goes next and get more of the distinctive off-the-wall tone they already enjoyed in the previous entry.
    - Playstyle: Plays through each new installment in order, rolling with major character and gameplay-style shifts because loyalty to the series outweighs the changes.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: EGG
  - Adaptation-Tolerant Atmosphere Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: To soak in the game's mood and atmosphere while accepting that the controls and systems will take some getting used to.
    - Playstyle: Approaches cautiously, spends the opening hours re-learning movement and inputs, and judges the experience mainly on ambiance rather than mechanical polish.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Enjoyable chicken protagonist gameplay (weight 0.65): Players consistently praise playing as a chicken, finding it engaging, funny, and the best part of the experience. Solving puzzles as this unusual protagonist adds a unique charm.
- Captivating visual aesthetic (weight 0.63): The game's art style, including low-poly graphics, retro aesthetic, and atmospheric lighting, is widely appreciated. Many reviewers find the visuals charming and immersive.
- Engaging and fun experience (weight 0.54): The game is frequently described as fun, cute, and appealingly weird. Its quirky atmosphere and unique concept contribute to an overall enjoyable time.
- Positive overall reception (weight 0.49): Many reviewers simply express that they liked the game, calling it perfect or worth buying. The overall sentiment is highly favorable.
- Satisfying Sokoban-style puzzles (weight 0.41): The puzzle design is highlighted as gradually increasing in difficulty and providing a moderate, satisfying challenge. The mechanics are well-received by puzzle enthusiasts.
- Charming quirky horror elements (weight 0.4): The horror aspects, reminiscent of classic Resident Evil, are creepy but fitting. The game balances humor and horror for a unique vibe.
- Interesting characters and humor (weight 0.39): The speaker woman character is likable and avoids cringe trends. Humor is derived from the quirky chicken protagonist and absurd situations.
- Unique genre mix with mysterious aura (weight 0.32): The game blends genres engagingly, with a mysterious and unconventional atmosphere. This creates a distinctive experience that stands out.
- Innovative puzzle-solving chicken concept (weight 0.32): The concept of a puzzle-solving chicken is considered genius and amazingly unimaginable. This originality sets the game apart.
- Atmospheric exploration outweighs puzzles (weight 0.31): Some players find the atmospheric journey to the puzzles more enjoyable than the puzzles themselves. The game's ambiance and exploration elements are a major draw.
- Appealing retro and low-poly style (weight 0.31): The low-poly art style and retro aesthetics are adored by players. The dark atmosphere complements the visuals effectively.
- Respects player's time (weight 0.3): Compared to the first game, this entry is more respectful of the player's time, with a dozen puzzles instead of just one. This improvement is appreciated.
- Innovative game design and bonuses (weight 0.23): The game design is considered innovative, and the bonus level design is clever. This creativity adds value and surprises players.
- Good value for the price (weight 0.23): Reviewers feel the game offers good value for its price. Achievements can be completed quickly, making it a worthwhile short experience.
- Catchy and fun music (weight 0.22): The soundtrack is noted for being catchy and adding to the fun. Music enhances the overall playful tone of the game.
- Clever secret exploration (weight 0.22): Exploration is enhanced by secret hatches and hidden mechanisms, adding depth. Collectible eggs open doors and are needed for the hidden ending and bonus level.
- Delightful chicken animations and models (weight 0.13): The animation and modeling of the chickens are specifically praised as delightful. This attention to detail contributes to the game's charm.
- Dramatic environmental lighting (weight 0.12): The dynamically lit environments are described as dramatic. This adds to the atmosphere and visual appeal of the game.

Common complaints:
- Poor Controls (weight 0.85): Multiple clusters report terrible, awkward, and tank-like controls that make the character and camera difficult to manage. Players find the chicken movement uncomfortable and the overall control scheme frustrating.
- Uncomfortable Camera Angles (weight 0.57): Fixed camera angles are widely criticized for being horrible, letting the player run out of frame, and making it hard to understand the space. The camera also causes difficulty by not showing the scene properly.
- Boring and Disappointing Gameplay (weight 0.49): Many players find the game nothing too interesting, boring, and disappointing. It fails to hold interest and feels dull and repetitive.
- Misleading Horror Label (weight 0.47): The game is categorized and described as horror but lacks any horror elements, being a basic puzzle game instead. Players expected survival horror and were disappointed.
- Repetitive Puzzles (weight 0.33): Puzzles are described as boring, repetitive, and overly cumbersome even when simple. The gameplay loop feels like a chore rather than engaging.
- Game-Breaking Bugs (weight 0.32): Critical bugs, such as an FPS bug on the third level that prevents completion and a vsync issue that makes stages impossible, are reported. Some puzzles also break, like an egg flying into textures.
- Annoying Restarts (weight 0.31): Restarting takes too long and is annoying, especially when stuck due to pushing objects into corners. There is no undo last move button, forcing full restarts.
- Repetitive Music and Poor Sound (weight 0.3): The looping background music becomes headache-inducing and repetitive. Sound effects are also described as paltry.
- Inconsistent Egg Mechanics (weight 0.3): Egg movement is inconsistent: sometimes stuck eggs cannot be pushed, other times they can, and bugs allow removing eggs from corners. Unintended triggers from unintended positions also occur.
- Overly Simple and Too Difficult (weight 0.29): Some find the game too simple and stupid, while others find it not easy at first glance with slightly complicated controls. The difficulty balance is off.
- Empty and Lifeless World (weight 0.22): Locations feel empty and lifeless, contributing to the dull experience. The setting and premise are also confusing.
- Hollow Story and Humor (weight 0.21): The story's attempt at symbolism or metaphor is hollow, and the joke does not land for most people. The narrative fails to engage.
- Stuck and Unclear Progression (weight 0.21): Players get stuck on levels for unknown reasons and cannot find the exit. Flaws become more apparent as levels grow complex.
- Undocumented Run Function (weight 0.11): The run function is bound to LShift without being documented, causing confusion. Players struggle to discover basic controls.

Gameplay feedback:
- Sokoban-style block-pushing puzzles (weight 0.97): Core gameplay involves Sokoban-style box-moving puzzles in four directions with obstacles and level shapes. Each level contains a puzzle; completing it opens a hatch to the next level.
- Chicken protagonist puzzle game (weight 0.85): The game stars a chicken protagonist in a poultry prison setting, with awkward, cluck-y controls and third-person exploration. Players solve puzzles as the chicken.
- Fixed camera angles (weight 0.47): The game uses fixed camera angles similar to classic Resident Evil, with a multicam approach and CCTV-style elevated positions for puzzles. Camera switches between fixed angles when changing scenes.
- Egg-saving puzzle objectives (weight 0.46): Puzzle elements require thought to save yourself and the egg, with objectives to reposition big eggs and find small glowing eggs. Players must move eggs onto correct platforms to progress.
- Dark horror atmosphere (weight 0.44): The game has a dark atmosphere with horror elements and scary moments. Lack of light and abundance of chains create a specific atmosphere, and some voyeuristic shots appear in obscure pathways.
- Collectible eggs unlock secrets (weight 0.37): Collectible special eggs open doors in already completed levels. Collecting eggs is required for the hidden ending and bonus level, and there are collection elements.
- Tank controls and character-relative movement (weight 0.37): The game uses tank controls with controls that are character-relative and no camera-relative inputs. Movement uses WS for forward and backward while AD only turns the character, and running is performed with LShift.
- Retro low-poly graphics (weight 0.3): The game features retro-style graphics with a low poly art style, creating a specific visual aesthetic.
- Chicken theme with many chickens (weight 0.28): The game features a chicken theme with many chickens, following a chicken's escape from the chicken coop. The main story follows a chicken's escape.
- 13 dark levels with platforming (weight 0.21): The game includes 13 dark levels with walking, running, and jumping. Levels contain travel time of 20-30 seconds to reach the puzzle area.
- Bug affects puzzle difficulty (weight 0.19): A bug allows taking eggs out of corners, affecting difficulty. Pushing eggs behaves differently depending on the situation.
- Prison guard simulator elements (weight 0.17): Gameplay includes prison guard simulator elements such as touching eggs, shooting roosters, and standing in a corner listening to music.
- Frequent player deaths (weight 0.11): The player will have to die often, indicating challenging gameplay.
- Arcade-type music (weight 0.1): The game features arcade-type music.
- Separate arm controls (weight 0.1): The game has separate controls for each arm.
- See-saw and camera mechanics (weight 0.1): The game includes see-saw and camera mechanics.
- Egg-clicking gameplay element (weight 0.1): Clicking on eggs is a gameplay element in the series.
- Vertical sync affects gameplay (weight 0.09): The vertical sync setting affects gameplay behavior.
- Awkward chicken-like controls (weight 0.09): Controls are chicken-like and awkward, contributing to the game's feel.

Performance notes:
- Progress blocked by FPS bug (weight 0.14): Players report an FPS-related bug on the third level that makes the game impossible to complete, blocking progression through the campaign.

Recommendations:
- Polarizing player reception (weight 0.44): Feedback ranges from strong recommendations to immediate refunds and outright 'do not buy' warnings. This suggests the game appeals to a specific niche rather than a broad audience.
- Appeals to Sokoban fans (weight 0.11): Several reviewers recommend the game specifically to fans of Sokoban-style puzzle games. This indicates the puzzle mechanics are a core draw for a dedicated audience.
- Nostalgia for PS1 horror (weight 0.11): The game is recommended for fans of old PlayStation 1 era horror titles. Its dark atmosphere and visual style likely evoke that specific retro aesthetic.
- Fans of previous game (weight 0.11): Reviewers recommend the title to those who enjoyed the developer's previous game. This suggests continuity in style or mechanics that returning players will appreciate.
- Vertical sync prevents bugs (weight 0.1): One reviewer advises keeping vertical sync enabled to avoid uncleared stages. This is a practical tip to prevent a progression-blocking issue.
- Chinese-language recommendation (weight 0.09): A review in Chinese gives the game a positive recommendation. This reflects interest from non-English-speaking players.

Other player notes:
- Sequel to Ells Tales: Egg (weight 0.46): The game is a sequel in the Ells Tales series, retaining the unique world view of Ells Tales: Egg. It features a returning character and expands from one puzzle to twelve.
- Weaker than first game (weight 0.4): Several reviews consider this entry inferior to its predecessor, calling the first game cooler and more interesting. One contrastingly praises it over the first game's simple egg-clicking.
- Short completion time (weight 0.32): Players note the game can be finished in under two hours, with 100% completion taking about two and a half hours including secrets and two endings. All achievements are obtainable in just under two hours.
- Fixed camera complaints (weight 0.31): The game's horrible fixed camera angles draw comparisons to classic Resident Evil, though some view the atmosphere similarly favorably. Others say it evokes first PlayStation horror games.
- Sokoban-style puzzle comparisons (weight 0.23): The puzzle design is compared to Baba Is You, Patrick's Parabox, and A Monster's Expedition. It also draws comparisons to Bendy and the Ink Machine and Boris and the Dark Survival as a puzzle game.
- Developer experiment (weight 0.22): The game is described as an experiment by the developer. It mixes genres and contrasts atmosphere and theme, making it not for everyone.
- High difficulty like Dark Souls (weight 0.13): Reviewers describe the game as at least as difficult as Dark Souls. This challenge level may contribute to its niche appeal.
- Licensed chiptunes via loudspeaker (weight 0.12): The game features licensed chiptunes played diagetically through a loudspeaker. This detail adds to its unique presentation.
- Hints in posted news (weight 0.11): Hints for the game are available in its posted news. This provides optional assistance for players.
- Chicken Run vibes (weight 0.1): The game's atmosphere is compared to the classic film Chicken Run. This comparison highlights its distinctive stylistic tone.
- Speaker woman character (weight 0.1): A character called the speaker woman appears in the game. This adds to the cast and world-building.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.21): Players found the sound effects weak and the playtime too short for the price. The simple puzzles, empty locations, and hollow symbolism made the game less interesting than the first part, and it failed to deliver a complex or scary experience despite being labeled horror.
- Frustration (weight 0.19): Fixed camera angles and poor spatial awareness caused the player to run out of frame, and pushing objects into corners made levels unprogressable without restarting. Bugs like an FPS issue on the third level, broken puzzles, and tank-like controls further blocked progress.
- Amusement (weight 0.11): The absurd premise of a chicken with a crown and explosive collar, cluck-y controls, and bizarre elements like stereos with thick thighs provided comedic value. The fun music and little chicken legs running on screen added to the enjoyment.
- Appreciation (weight 0.04): The game's aesthetic, chicken animation and modelling, and catchy music were praised. The charming atmosphere and atmospheric journey contributed to a positive impression.
- Annoyance (weight 0.04): Long restart times and looping music that became headache-inducing detracted from the experience.
- Mild dissatisfaction (weight 0.04): The camera and movement could be better, and character controls could use improvement.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.04): The game was fun like the previous entry, with puzzling as a chicken in a strange space. The innovative game design and clever bonus level added to the enjoyment.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.04): The game reminded players of good old Resident Evil and PlayStation 1 horror games.
- Disapproval (weight 0.02): Terrible controls and horrible camera angles were the main causes of disapproval.
- Appeal (weight 0.02): The game's mysterious aura, unconventional style, retro aesthetic, and dark atmosphere appealed to players.
- Engagement (weight 0.02): The mix of exploration and Sokoban puzzles kept players engaged.
- Pity (weight 0.02): Players felt pity for the chicken having to endure such events.
- Intimidation (weight 0.02): The tough and grim difficulty comparable to Dark Souls was intimidating.
- Confusion (weight 0.02): Inconsistent egg pushing behavior caused confusion.
- Boredom (weight 0.02): The game being a simple puzzle led to boredom.
- Amazement (weight 0.02): The unimaginable concept amazed players.
- Likability (weight 0.02): The speaker woman character was likable.
- Discomfort (weight 0.02): Dim lighting during gameplay and an uncomfortable camera angle caused discomfort.
- Excitement (weight 0.02): The game presented a really cool and interesting concept on Steam, generating excitement.
- Fear (weight 0.02): The game was scary in some places.}