| Chickenvaders | |
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| Developer | Atari |
| Publishers | Atari (original) Polyvox (bootleg) |
| System | Atari 2600 |
| Release Date | 1983 (from Pigs in Space cartridge) |
| Modes | Single player Two players alternating |
| Media | Cartridge |
Pigs in Space is a cartridge for the Atari 2600 that was based on a recurring segment of the same name from The Muppets tv show. It is comprised of three mini-games that are clones of other games, such as Chickenvaders, which is a clone of Space Invaders.
At the start of each new game, the player is given the choice of choosing between the onscreen Muppet character icons of Link Hobthrob, Miss Piggy or Dr. Strangepork, and with pressing the button on their controller that will start a game. Choosing Hobthrob will start a game of Chickenvaders, choosing Miss Piggy takes the player to Pastaroids, and choosing Strangepork will start a game of Escape From Planet of the Gonzoids.
Once the player meets the goal of a mini-game (clearing a screen of chickens, getting Miss Piggy back to her ship, or making it to the end of the Planet of the Gonzoids) they’re taken back to the main menu screen where they can pick a game again to play.
Chickenvaders[]
The player controls Link Hobthrob at the bottom of the screen who must destroy chickens by throwing link sausages at them. The chickens drop eggs in turn; if Hobthrob gets hit by one, he turns into a chicken and flies off the screen. Gonzo will appear in his command saucer overhead and can be shot for bonus points.
Getting “invaded” takes longer than on most Space Invaders-type games, as Hobthrob keeps on sinking deeper and deeper into planet Cluck as the game progresses.
Scoring[]
- Row 1 chicken–10 points
- Row 2 chicken–20 points
- Row 3 chicken–50 points
- Row 4 chicken–70 points
- Row 5 chicken–100 points
- Gonzo's saucer–300 points
- Eliminating all chickens–1000 points
Controls[]
- Move Hobthrob–joystick (left and right only)
- Throw sausages–button
Other included games[]
Pastaroids[]
First Mate Piggy (Miss Piggy) had been accidentally ejected into space, which she must maneuver her way back through a deadly Pastaroid storm to return to the Swinetrek ship at the top of the screen.
The player moves Piggy around the Pastaroids and Noodles to get to the ship before it leaves. Every time the player gets hit by a Pastaroid or Noodle they will get knocked down a bit on the screen. However, Piggy can karate chop the food items away as well.
Escape From Planet of the Gonzoids[]
The player controls Dr. Strangepork aboard the Swinetrek through an abandoned pizza mine. As the screen scrolls down, the player must stay away from the walls and pizzas tossed by the Gonzoids, which are robots created by Gonzo. The player can shoot the Gonzoids with the Boomeray from their ship.
If the player makes it far enough, they will come to a clearing, earn a bonus (as with completing all mini-games) and will be taken back to the main title screen to choose another game to play.
Trivia/notes[]
- A hack of Pigs in Space was made with Space Ace, changing the graphics around to all the mini-games.
- All of the mini-games are clones of previously released games, as Pastaroids is a clone of the first stage of the Atari 2600 game Cosmic Creeps, and Escape From Planet of the Gonzoids is a clone of the 2600 game Fantastic Voyage and Caverns of Mars (although in reverse for the latter, as the screen would scroll from top to bottom on that game) for the Atari 8-bit computer line.
- A bootleg version of Pigs in Space was released by Polyvox.
Links[]
This article was featured from January - February, 2022.