Developed by Belgian studio N-Zone, Chickenhare and the Treasure of Spiking-Beard is an ambitious action adventure with platforming and puzzles. If you are a universe fan, the world will feel particularly familiar. The difference is that this time you get an entirely new story and mechanics designed to engage both young players and their parents. If you seek an entertaining family game, Chickenhare and the Treasure of Spiking-Beard will grab you and take you on an epic journey through Featherbeard’s kingdom.
The story focuses on finding seven mystical crystals crucial to maintaining peace in the kingdom. The main protagonist is Chickenhare, a brave, agile character who is half chicken, half rabbit. His unique ability to use his ears to glide through the air lets him reach inaccessible places and avoid dangerous obstacles.
But when Chickenhare encounters a dead end, you can seek help from his companions. Abe is a cautious turtle whose shell serves as a powerful tool for destroying breakable structures. The third team member is Meg. As a martial-arts master, she features acrobatic jumps and strikes essential for fighting enemies and reaching high platforms. This dynamic trio, also able to use a multipurpose whip, forms a team where each member’s skills complement the others, establishing a foundation for a strategic approach to numerous challenges.
As you might expect, gameplay is built on classic 3D-platformer foundations, but with a modern twist. Similar to the Trine games, you can switch characters in real time. This offers creative ways to solve puzzles and progress through levels because, as mentioned, each character has unique abilities, forcing you to consider who best suits a particular situation. Meanwhile, the world is full of interactive elements such as slides, ziplines and objects you can grab with the whip, adding opportunities for creative progression. There is, of course, combat, where, as with traversal, characters’ unique combat abilities efficiently handle enemy hordes.
Visually, you get a style faithful to the animated films, with a vivid color palette, handcrafted environments and fluid animations. The numerous levels are designed with particular attention to detail, hidden paths, secrets and collectibles.
One of Chickenhare and the Treasure of Spiking-Beard’s most innovative aspects is its attempt to transcend the digital barrier. It includes a unique treasure-hunting mechanic where solving in-game mysteries provides clues for a real-world treasure hunt. This adds an entirely new dimension and encourages engagement beyond the screen, although, hand on heart, we are a long way from that real treasure reserved for a smaller group of lucky people.
As a family game, the team has ensured accessibility for all kinds of players. Controls are intuitive and the story filled with innocent humor, making it appealing to younger audiences. Beneath this accessible surface, however, lie layered challenges, cleverly designed puzzles and exciting battles satisfying more experienced players too.
Chickenhare and the Treasure of Spiking-Beard is a carefully crafted adventure respecting its source material while offering something new. Enter the game, and you will find a brilliant teamwork mechanic and a constant need to strategically switch characters, elevating gameplay and turning every level into a series of interesting puzzles. It is a rare example of a family game that does not simplify its content but offers depth and challenge wrapped in a charming, accessible form. Combining exploration, puzzle-solving and action, it delivers an adventure both entertaining and pleasant to watch.
About the Author
Martin Jovanchevski is an independent games journalist and Founder & Editor at Dev & Play Media. This updated article is an English adaptation of his original article published on itmk.
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