Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg
Encyclopedia
is a video game developed by Sonic Team
and published by Sega
for the Nintendo GameCube
. It was ported to Microsoft Windows
and Mac OS X
in 2006, exclusively for Europe.
After defending a helpless chick from three attacking crows in the human world, Billy and his friends are transported to Morning Land and each endowed with their own chicken suit
, giving each the ability to move, use, and hatch giant eggs.
Billy, being informed by a chicken
that he needed to save the six chicken elders in order to save Morning Land, goes to prevent the darkness from spreading to the human world. The crow of each elder would bring morning back to the area they governed, but each of the elders has been trapped in golden eggs which Billy must hatch in order to free them. Through the game, Billy manages to defeat each area's Crow Boss and free the six chicken elders.
Billy defeats Dark Raven, which brings light and morning back to Morning Land. After celebrating the victory and honoring Billy for his accomplishments, Billy and his friends hand over their chicken suits and return to their world, leaving Morning Land in peace.
styled rings.
Players should be wary of their handling of the eggs, as they take damage when attacked by enemies or impact certain obstacles. The egg gauge in the lower right-hand corner of the screen begins to crack, as does the egg Billy wields. When the egg takes enough damage, it is destroyed and no bonus comes from it. Eggs can also be 'lost', i.e. put into positions or situations that the player can not retrieve them from. In such cases, the egg will disappear from its position after several seconds of inactivity and will 'respawn' in its nest of origin. All work done to the egg, however, is lost. Some characters from other games appear in certain eggs, such as Sonic the Hedgehog
or Nights
. These specific eggs are marked with a Sonic head on them.
handheld system. Using the Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable, players can load games such as Puyo Pop
, ChuChu Rocket!
, and Nights: Time Attack
on their Game Boy Advance systems after certain objectives are completed within the game.
stated in an interview with IGN
that eggs were chosen as the focus of the game to give the player joy from caring for and hatching eggs, and a feeling of anticipation "because you don't know what's going to come out of eggs". Animals were incorporated into the game to convey a mood of adventure, in contrast to the digital pet
-based Chao
creatures highlighted in previous project Sonic Adventure 2
. The GameCube was chosen for development over the competing PlayStation 2
and Xbox
because of its wide audience that Naka felt would appreciate such a family-friendly game. The game uses an engine that Naka called "an evolution of the Sonic Adventure 2 engine." The game was exhibited at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2003.
Sonic Team
is a Japanese computer and video game developer established in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan in 1990, originally known as Sega AM8. The Japan-based division is also known as G.E. Department Global Entertainment. The studio has collaborated with several in-house Japanese studios as well as other American-based...
and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
for the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
. It was ported to Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
in 2006, exclusively for Europe.
Plot
The story begins with a fantasy world (called "Morning Land") becoming overthrown by evil crows. Normally inhabited by happy chicken-people, Morning Land is shrouded in darkness and under the rule of the sinister Dark Raven.After defending a helpless chick from three attacking crows in the human world, Billy and his friends are transported to Morning Land and each endowed with their own chicken suit
Chicken suit
A chicken suit is a novelty costume that exaggerates the features of chickens. Chicken suits usually fit someone up to 6' 1" and 200 lbs.A chicken suit can be used at parties and other events or as a costume for school mascots...
, giving each the ability to move, use, and hatch giant eggs.
Billy, being informed by a chicken
that he needed to save the six chicken elders in order to save Morning Land, goes to prevent the darkness from spreading to the human world. The crow of each elder would bring morning back to the area they governed, but each of the elders has been trapped in golden eggs which Billy must hatch in order to free them. Through the game, Billy manages to defeat each area's Crow Boss and free the six chicken elders.
Billy defeats Dark Raven, which brings light and morning back to Morning Land. After celebrating the victory and honoring Billy for his accomplishments, Billy and his friends hand over their chicken suits and return to their world, leaving Morning Land in peace.
Characters
- Billy Hatcher - An inquisitive boy from the human world. With the courage bestowed upon him, he has been chosen by the Chicken to save the Elders and return the Light to Morning Land. He's the main protagonist.
- Rolly Roll - A lighthearted and carefree girl. She always tries to help others who are in trouble, but can sometimes be a bit "scatterbrained".
- Chick Poacher - Chick may look small but his spirit is strong, giving him a misplaced air of superiority. He has a tendency to act before thinking, which always makes his friends a little nervous. He wears teal goggles on his head and seems to have the biggest of the chicken combs on his head.
- Bantam Scrambled - The heavy and powerful friend of Billy, Rolly, and Chick. He wears the largest and most distinctive clothing of the entire human crew. Bantam is a gentle giant and only uses his strength to look after his friends. Despite his rough outward appearance, he adores cuteness but hates injustice.
- Chicken Elders - Each of the regions of Morning Land is ruled by an elder, who brings morning to the world each day with a hearty "cock-a-doodle-do." The Crows however have captured the elders and sealed them within golden eggs.
- Crows - Through some strange power, the Crows have taken the form of monsters and plan to engulf the world in eternal night.
- Dark Raven-the main antagonist of the game he plans to use the giant egg to grant his wishes and put the world in darkness.
- Menie-Funie - The god of the chickens that watches over Morning Land. His appearance is unknown, but he often speaks during missions to inform the player of what must be done.
Gameplay
Billy Hatcher has a unique style of gameplay revolving around rolling large eggs. The player controls the hero, Billy, who cannot do much by himself aside from moving and jumping. However, he becomes a powerhouse once he finds an egg. While rolling an egg, Billy moves faster and is more agile. He can also dash, throw and return the egg along the ground, slam the egg down from the air, and Billy can travel on rails and fly through NIGHTSNights
Nights may refer to:*The plural form of night*"Nights" , by Ed Bruce*Nights , the main character in the video games Nights into Dreams... and Nights: Journey of Dreams...
styled rings.
Eggs
The color-coded eggs themselves are another gameplay element. As Billy runs over fruit while holding an egg, the egg gets larger until it flashes and is ready to hatch. Then Billy can hatch the eggs, which can contain helper animals, character powerups, and extra lives. With variables such as egg size, helper animals, and personal powerups, Billy Hatcher can be played in many ways. Different animals can come out of the same eggs, and some creatures are vital to progressing through certain challenges.Players should be wary of their handling of the eggs, as they take damage when attacked by enemies or impact certain obstacles. The egg gauge in the lower right-hand corner of the screen begins to crack, as does the egg Billy wields. When the egg takes enough damage, it is destroyed and no bonus comes from it. Eggs can also be 'lost', i.e. put into positions or situations that the player can not retrieve them from. In such cases, the egg will disappear from its position after several seconds of inactivity and will 'respawn' in its nest of origin. All work done to the egg, however, is lost. Some characters from other games appear in certain eggs, such as Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (character)
, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
or Nights
Nights (character)
Nights is a video game character from the games Nights into Dreams... and Nights: Journey of Dreams, developed and published by Sega. Nights is gender-less, known as a "Nightmaren" who resides in Nightopia, a dream world where the dreams of all human beings are acted out every night...
. These specific eggs are marked with a Sonic head on them.
Levels
Morning Land is divided into seven stages, six that are seen almost immediately and a seventh that is unlocked when the requirements of the previous six have been met. Each stage is divided into a series of 'Missions' that Billy can play through to collect 'Emblems of Courage'. The goal of each Mission is to fulfill the conditions required and collect the Emblem as a reward. The player is graded on their skill in completing the mission and given a rank letter, with S-Rank being the highest. There are eight (8) Missions per stage, and Billy can only play through the first five Missions. Upon rescuing his friends, Rolly, Chick and Bantam would each unlock their respective Missions in the stages and become playable for those Missions only.Game Boy Advance connectivity
Billy Hatcher is one of a handful of GameCube games that supports linking between the GameCube and Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
handheld system. Using the Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable, players can load games such as Puyo Pop
Puyo Puyo
is the inaugural game in the Puyo Puyo series originally released in 1991 by Compile for the MSX2. Since its creation, it uses characters from . It was created by Masamitsu "Moo" Niitani, the founder of Compile, who was inspired by certain elements from the Tetris and Dr...
, ChuChu Rocket!
ChuChu Rocket!
is a puzzle video game for Dreamcast developed by Sonic Team. The game was the first popular game with online mode support for any major video game console...
, and Nights: Time Attack
NiGHTS into Dreams...
Nights into Dreams... , is a video game released by Sega in 1996 for the Sega Saturn video game system. The game's story follows two children entering a dream world, where they are aided by the main character, Nights...
on their Game Boy Advance systems after certain objectives are completed within the game.
Development
Producer Yuji NakaYuji Naka
, is a video game designer and programmer, best known as the former head of Sonic Team, a group of Sega programmers/designers, where he was the lead programmer of the original Sonic the Hedgehog....
stated in an interview with IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
that eggs were chosen as the focus of the game to give the player joy from caring for and hatching eggs, and a feeling of anticipation "because you don't know what's going to come out of eggs". Animals were incorporated into the game to convey a mood of adventure, in contrast to the digital pet
Digital pet
A digital pet is a type of artificial human companion. They are usually kept for companionship or enjoyment. People may keep a digital pet in lieu of a real pet....
-based Chao
Chao (Sonic the Hedgehog)
A is a fictional life form in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series published by Sega. Chao made their first appearance in the 1998 Dreamcast game Sonic Adventure as digital pets. They have since appeared in several video games in the Sonic the Hedgehog series as digital pets, minor characters,...
creatures highlighted in previous project Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2 is a platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Dreamcast video game console. It was released in North America on June 19, 2001 and in Japan on June 23, 2001 to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of the first Sonic the Hedgehog game. It is the sequel...
. The GameCube was chosen for development over the competing PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
because of its wide audience that Naka felt would appreciate such a family-friendly game. The game uses an engine that Naka called "an evolution of the Sonic Adventure 2 engine." The game was exhibited at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2003.
Reception
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg received a mixed to positive reception from critics upon release, landing around the 7/10 mark. The title has yet to produce a sequel, though executive producer Zachary Brown stated that Billy will appear in various other Sega titles.Appearances in other games
- Sega SuperstarsSega SuperStarsSega Superstars is a game developed by Sonic Team in 2004 for the PlayStation 2 EyeToy. It features a series of games based on previous Sega titles. It also contains Chao, the virtual pets from the Sonic series....
(PS2) - Minigame based on Billy Hatcher - Sonic RidersSonic Ridersis a video game spin-off produced by Sega and developed by Sonic Team in cooperation with NowPro, for the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC. It is the fourth racing game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, preceded by Sonic Drift, Sonic Drift 2 and Sonic R.The game was released to start...
(PS2, GameCube, PC) - Billy makes a cameo appearance at Sega Carnival - Sonic Riders: Zero GravitySonic Riders: Zero GravitySonic Riders: Zero Gravity released in Japan as , is a hoverboard racing video game published by Sega and developed by Sonic Team in cooperation with NowPro. It is the fifth racing game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, following Sonic Drift, Sonic Drift 2, Sonic R and its predecessor, Sonic Riders...
(PS2, Wii) - Billy as an unlockable playable character - Sonic & Sega All-Stars RacingSonic & Sega All-Stars RacingSonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is a racing game in the Sega Superstars series produced for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS and Microsoft Windows, featuring characters from many Sega franchises. It is being published by Sega and developed by Sumo Digital...
(PS3, Wii, DS, Xbox 360, PC) - Billy as a playable character.