Chicken Assassin - Master of Humiliation

Developer: Oneshark
Steam Release: Jun 2016
Hours Played: 5.1
Similar To: Clicker Heroes / One Finger Death Punch / Tap Heroes / Time Clickers
Rating: 2/5 Parsnips

GAMEPLAY

Chicken Assassin - Master of Humiliation is an extremely silly little game whose main gameplay mechanic requires that you click rapidly on the left mouse button until the muscles running through your arm to your index finger erupt and cry out for mercy. This is Click-Fest City! It's inane, mindless and totally devoid of skill... and I have been playing it glued to the screen for over two hours! Much like One Finger Death Punch your character stands fixed in the middle of the screen although able to face left and right. An assortment of characters approach from each side and with mouse at the ready, you simply aim your pointer at the character you wish to attack and click away like a madman. Watch their health-meter go down until destroyed and move onto the next hapless victim.

BALANCE & PACE

Clear the level of its set number of waves and on you go. The "on you go" bit, in this case, means inventory and menu management which is the main hook as this certainly has more appeal than the main game. Menus are accessed via icons running down the sides of your home-screen and include: unlockable upgrades to boost attributes such as damage and armour; inventory items to be sold or equipped; rooster tales which are achievements that give rewards and the wardrobe providing clothing and accessories to make you tougher. The form of currency are the blue dots or souls dropped by enemies that can also be attained by clicking furiously on the cauldron at the home screen which provides an infinite supply. The game is one big glorified grind built around looting and unlocking discoveries. 
  

PRESENTATION & DESIGN 
Like the title, developers of CA-MoH have gone with a humorous art-style with an odd avant-garde soundtrack. The wardrobe unlocks all manner of unsuitable and outlandish attire from a paper bag on the head to wacky masks. Enemies, likewise, come in all shapes and sizes and labeled with joke titles such as the Hot Mermaids, their not so attractive counterpart (The Feminist Mermaid) and the maniacal, Crazy Mermaid. A Hitler look-a-like named Tiny Fuehrer makes an appearance as well. Unfortunately, CA-MoH also comes with those annoying moments when the pointer strays from the area you've been clicking in and gets lost in the mayhem resulting in precious time lost. There was annoying stutter at the Rooster-Tales screens and your character's attacks don't quite sync with the mouse-clicks.

PROGRESS SYSTEM

Chicken Assassin can hardly be classed as a skill game because you gradually get stronger and reach goals as you play no matter how fast you can repeatedly click the left mouse button. Progress comes in the form of clearing 10 missions and although it's stated they have 10 levels in each they have varying number of waves which is a tad confusing. Achievements, or The Rooster Tales have a central role as they're regularly ticked off the list as you go along and reward the player with souls. Upgrades and the Wardrobe are constantly being updated with indicators clearly showing the increments, as well as how many you need to reach to max them out. Added extras are also thrown in such as the opportunity to play Boss Raid levels once you've reached the Level 40 mark.

CONCLUSION

The one basic gameplay mechanic of clicker games is obviously never going to be a winning formula on its own which means their success lies in the other details around the journey the player makes through the game. While the one click mechanic and the awkward animation means it's not up to One Finger Death Punch standards, I do feel that developer OneShark have got it right in the area of upgrades and the menu management department which is so important in these types of games. The fact that leveling up is so fast-paced, that there is much to explore between runs, that added extras such as Boss Raids get thrown in to keep things fresh, and that the upgrades and level-select screens are so well presented makes Chicken Assassin one of the more intriguing clickers out there.