I always wanted to taste the delicacy that people call Hardboiled Chicken, it became popular several years ago, back when the PlayStation 4 was the stuff of dreams. You see, there was this new dish called quite simply Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken, and it was going down a storm when the talented chefs at Ratloop finally released it upon the world.

Okay I will stop with the food analogies, not because it may be annoying some, but because I’m getting hungry. So where was I? Oh right, I remember now. So people were really enjoying the first game that arrived on the PlayStation 3 as it garnered high praise from critics and gamers alike. It then became part of the December 2015 PlayStation Plus line-up and even more people got to taste the succulent meat of the Hardboiled Chicken. Oh sorry, I did it again, hold on I’m going to get a bucket of food.

That’s better. Okay, so I still neglected to play the first game and the second just landed on my lap to preview. I decided to jump straight into the second game and go from there, as I’m sure a few others will have not played the first one either. Right from the title screen I knew I was in for some crazy action. Many fans of the original will be happy to hear that the talented New World Revolution is providing the kick-ass soundtrack that made me linger on the title screen for longer than usual.

I guessed there would be humor in this game and right from the off it doesn’t disappoint. In fact, throughout my entire session I had a smile on my face and a few laugh out loud moments. The premise is absurd and at times so too is the humor. The action is also a little crazy. I was running, jumping and shooting with an assortment of weapons to rid the world of the many enemies in a frenzy of blood and feathers.

Each chapter mixes up the gameplay and introduces new components that keep things exciting and fun. You’ll meet new allies that help out more than expected and in some novel ways. Without mentioning anything that would spoil this side-scrolling action filled comedy romp I will say the crazy folks at Ratloop have incorporated the DualShock 4 speaker in some interesting ways. Rocketbirds 2 has a pseudo-3D effect that gives the illusion of depth with a parallax scrolling background, or if you have a fancy 3D enabled TV, dust off those glasses and just simply turn on the 3D mode.

When I was given the preview code, they insisted I try the Co-op Rescue Mode that you can now also play in single player, hence the name change. As the name suggests, you have to rescue hostages. This takes place in procedurally generated levels using Budgie Commandos and many guns. You can even buy some feathered friends help to make things a little easier. There is a brilliant lobby area where players can drop in and out of the game and you can see the collectibles that you’ve amassed in a very cool way.

I’m excited to dive into the rest of this funny game and play with everyone online in the addictive Rescue Mode when Rocketbirds 2: Evolution is released as a Cross-Buy and Cross-Save title for the PlayStation 4 and Vita soon.