First Impressions: Sega’s Hatched Themselves Another Hero.
It might sound like an expansion pack for the Harvest Moon series, but Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg isn’t about farm life at all. Not really. Except for the eggs, and the egg hatching, and the …uh boys in magic rooster costumes. Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg is Sega’s latest and most innovative platformer, starring, obviously, Billy Hatcher, who is the aforementioned boy in a magic rooster costume. Quite a departure from blue hedgehogs that run at the speed of sound, huh?
Originally scheduled to be a release title for the Gamecube, Billy Hatcher has definitely been in development for a long time. Hopefully, the delay in production has been long enough to produce a quality title worthy of the team that created and managed one of the most recognizable video game mascots ever birthed. However, despite the fame of his supersonic predecessor, the team behind Billy Hatcher has chosen a totally different direction for this hero. He replaces Sonic’s speed and cocky attitude with eggs. Yes, eggs, and lots of them.Using one of the most seminal gaming ideas since, well… Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Team has created a new protagonist with an affinity for eggs produced by his magic rooster costume and a cutesy style comfortable for any fan of the hedgehog.
Billy Hatcher’s premise is simple and original, with the type of gameplay expected of a platformer. Billy must travel through each of seven themed worlds, all of which will be broken up into smaller levels. In each level, your character will manipulate giant eggs in a number of ways to advance. The amazingly durable eggs can be used offensively, with young Billy rolling them, throwing them, or even bouncing on them to exterminate enemies. Eggs also must be used to solve different puzzles to proceed. However, Billy can only control one egg at a time. Eggs can also be hatched into one of over 30 little animals, all of which have a unique ability and the power to attack enemies for Billy. As with the eggs, however, Billy can only have one creature at a time, which forces a bit of strategy in choosing the best animal for a particular task or area.
The graphics for Billy Hatcher are appropriately bright and colorful and the artistic style is satisfying in a Saturday morning cartoon kind of way. Many of the environments would seem at home in a Sonic adventure, with vivid, lush landscapes. The whole visual presentation is endearing and absorbing to anyone who isn’t turned off by its cutesy appearance. The audio matches its cartoon-like feel, with musical tracks evocative of Sonic’s catchy themes, along with a host of humorous and comic sound effects.
