Birds of a feather sneak together
By Paul Hunter
After more than two decades, Chicken Run: Eggstraction brings Aardman’s chickens back to consoles in an all-new adventure. The studio has adapted its stop-motion jailbreak formula into a top-down stealth game where you slip through guarded areas, assemble a team of birds, and hustle captured hens out of danger across short, replayable missions. The story follows Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, offering a brand new adventure with high quality cutscenes, familiar chicken voices and a tone full of Aardman-style humour.
The question is, is this stealthy poultry escape on PS5 worth cracking open? Let’s find out!
Most of the storytelling happens in cutscenes that are focused on the missions. The group often argues over tactics, joke about what went wrong last time, and celebrate when a plan actually works. If you enjoyed the movies, the writing here has that same dry British humour you expect from Aardman, with quick one liners backed by funny animations that make the flock easy to care about.
The voice work lifts the writing even higher. Bella Ramsey brings Molly across with strong presence, Josie Sedgwick-Davies nails Frizzle’s larger-than-life energy, and the rest of the cast keeps every scene lively. The film writers helped shape the overall plot, so the tone is in sync with the movies. Taken together, the story gives Eggstraction a clear heart and a strong sense of purpose behind every rescue.
Once you spring them, things suddenly get much busier. The birds bolt for the extraction point on their own, which turns the trip back into a mad dash to keep their path safe. Robotic guards wander around, cameras sweep across walkways, laser gates hum in hallways, and robotic dogs patrol tight choke points. When I watched a whole rescued group sprint straight towards a camera I had forgotten to shut off, it was a fun, hectic scramble to get there before the chickens got caught.
Prior to missions, you set your little squad by first picking a leader with a perk, then adding other chickens, each with their own skill, like tossing a projectile or throwing on a quick disguise. Those abilities have limited uses, so you lean on gadgets you buy between stages as well. Magnets, remote controls, and other tools help with doors, beams, and odd bits of machinery, and it is neat watching your loadout come together around a plan.
The difficulty hits a sweet spot. The stealth rules are forgiving, and the Story Mode goes even softer by trimming certain threats, yet there is still a real satisfaction to clearing a tricky escort run without losing anyone. Achieving a three-star rating on each level pushes you to refine runs, and you can revisit past levels with new chickens you unlock to tweak the roster. Local co-op turns missions into shared chaos, with one person distracting robots while the other guides rescued birds, and even when the camera has a lot to track, the whole thing keeps a brisk pace.
The real treat for me is the cutscene work. Those little scenes before missions feel very close to watching bits of a new Chicken Run film. The animation leans into Aardman's stop-motion style, with rubbery faces, small gestures, and well-timed comedic jokes.
On the audio side, the game really hits the mark. Hearing the familiar voices back for another round makes it feel like an authentic Chicken Run experience, and the line delivery matches the dry humour you expect from this series. Sound effects for cameras, robots, and gadgets are distinct, which helps when you are tracking what is happening off-screen to avoid getting detected. Taken together, the audio feels like the strongest piece of the presentation and constantly supports the stealth action.
Final Score: 7.5/10 - Good
Developer: Aardman Animations
Publisher: Outright Games
Genre: Action, Stealth
Modes: Single-player
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
After more than two decades, Chicken Run: Eggstraction brings Aardman’s chickens back to consoles in an all-new adventure. The studio has adapted its stop-motion jailbreak formula into a top-down stealth game where you slip through guarded areas, assemble a team of birds, and hustle captured hens out of danger across short, replayable missions. The story follows Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, offering a brand new adventure with high quality cutscenes, familiar chicken voices and a tone full of Aardman-style humour.
The question is, is this stealthy poultry escape on PS5 worth cracking open? Let’s find out!
Story and Narrative
Chicken Run: Eggstraction keeps its story tight and focused on the flock. Everything revolves around Molly stepping up as the one who pushes the rescue mission forward. Rocky sits close by though, tossing in comments and backing up her decisions. Frizzle is the constant wildcard, with that heavy English accent turning even small lines into hilarious character moments.Most of the storytelling happens in cutscenes that are focused on the missions. The group often argues over tactics, joke about what went wrong last time, and celebrate when a plan actually works. If you enjoyed the movies, the writing here has that same dry British humour you expect from Aardman, with quick one liners backed by funny animations that make the flock easy to care about.
The voice work lifts the writing even higher. Bella Ramsey brings Molly across with strong presence, Josie Sedgwick-Davies nails Frizzle’s larger-than-life energy, and the rest of the cast keeps every scene lively. The film writers helped shape the overall plot, so the tone is in sync with the movies. Taken together, the story gives Eggstraction a clear heart and a strong sense of purpose behind every rescue.
Gameplay and Mechanics
What I enjoyed about Eggstraction’s gameplay is how it makes stealth feel light and breezy without losing the satisfaction of a good plan. Each mission is a top-down stage built around slipping through barns, production lines, or lab rooms, with enemies and traps covering the obvious routes. Your main job is simple: reach the chickens and then get them out.Once you spring them, things suddenly get much busier. The birds bolt for the extraction point on their own, which turns the trip back into a mad dash to keep their path safe. Robotic guards wander around, cameras sweep across walkways, laser gates hum in hallways, and robotic dogs patrol tight choke points. When I watched a whole rescued group sprint straight towards a camera I had forgotten to shut off, it was a fun, hectic scramble to get there before the chickens got caught.
Prior to missions, you set your little squad by first picking a leader with a perk, then adding other chickens, each with their own skill, like tossing a projectile or throwing on a quick disguise. Those abilities have limited uses, so you lean on gadgets you buy between stages as well. Magnets, remote controls, and other tools help with doors, beams, and odd bits of machinery, and it is neat watching your loadout come together around a plan.
The difficulty hits a sweet spot. The stealth rules are forgiving, and the Story Mode goes even softer by trimming certain threats, yet there is still a real satisfaction to clearing a tricky escort run without losing anyone. Achieving a three-star rating on each level pushes you to refine runs, and you can revisit past levels with new chickens you unlock to tweak the roster. Local co-op turns missions into shared chaos, with one person distracting robots while the other guides rescued birds, and even when the camera has a lot to track, the whole thing keeps a brisk pace.
Presentation and Audio
From a visual perspective, Eggstraction does a nice job of channeling the Chicken Run charm into as a top-down stealth game. The maps you move through have a claymation farm and factory vibe, as do the chickens who are colourful and ooze personality.The real treat for me is the cutscene work. Those little scenes before missions feel very close to watching bits of a new Chicken Run film. The animation leans into Aardman's stop-motion style, with rubbery faces, small gestures, and well-timed comedic jokes.
On the audio side, the game really hits the mark. Hearing the familiar voices back for another round makes it feel like an authentic Chicken Run experience, and the line delivery matches the dry humour you expect from this series. Sound effects for cameras, robots, and gadgets are distinct, which helps when you are tracking what is happening off-screen to avoid getting detected. Taken together, the audio feels like the strongest piece of the presentation and constantly supports the stealth action.
The Verdict
Chicken Run: Eggstraction turns this familiar world into a stealth game that is just plain fun to spend time with. Missions are short and fun to replay, while the story and cutscenes keep the Chicken Run personality front and centre. The humour, animation work, and voice acting pull everything together so it really feels like part of the films. Overall, I had a great time sneaking these chickens out of trouble.Final Score: 7.5/10 - Good
Chicken Run: Eggstraction details
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo SwitchDeveloper: Aardman Animations
Publisher: Outright Games
Genre: Action, Stealth
Modes: Single-player
A key was provided by the publisher.