Introduction

Billy Hatcher was released in 2003 by the developer Sonic Team; best known for working on NiGHTS into Dreams, Phantasy Star Online, and just about every Sonic game ever. Originally a Gamecube exclusive, it was headed by Yuji Naka himself as a new IP and used a modified version of the Sonic Adventure engine. Recieving mixed reception, the game has been praised for its colorful visuals and unique gameplay, but criticized for its odd physics (You'll see more on that later).

The game has somewhat faded into obscurity after its release and has only been referenced in various SEGA spin-off titles. Still, the game can be pretty fun and has a lot of charm so I wanted to show it off.

Story

"Morning Land" is a strange, fantasy world where eggs and talking chicken people live in peace (And more eggs). That is, until an army of angry, shapeshifting crows migrate over the land, blanketing it in an eternal night. Meanwhile, Billy Hatcher; a boy with freakishly large hands, is racing out to go meet his other poultry-theme named friends. Upon arrival, a weakened chick stumbles out of the woods with two hostile crows on its tail. Billy interrupts, slugging the crows with a stick and effectively saving the chick. In return, Billy and his crew are magically abducted to the world of Morning Land, in hopes of being able to save it.

Not the most riveting plot. But honestly, it's not that important here.

Gameplay

Billy Hatcher is a 3D platformer/adventure game that uses a unique "egg rolling" mechanic. Billy himself is pretty much defenseless and can't do much aside from running and jumping, but his true abilities unlock when you find one of the various eggs scattered in the world. Once he has one, Billy can use it to squash enemies, bounce over long distances, dash, and much more. He even has the power to hatch eggs, releasing small animals and items that will aid him throughout the levels. The whole game revolves around this egg mechanic, since they're used for combat, platforming, and puzzle-solving. It's easier to understand when you see it.

The game is set up Mario 64-style, having a variety of large worlds and visiting them several times to complete missions and collect ~~Stars~~ 'Emblems of Courage'. It's worth noting that the game uses a scoring system to grade your skill and give you a rank letter upon completion of each mission (D-Rank being the lowest, while S-Rank is the highest). This can add quite a bit of challenge.

The LP

I plan on playing the game in its entirety for the most part. Doing all missions, collecting all Chick Coins, and filling out the Egg Gallery.

I'll be commentating with NaseDase. And plan to have a new video every 3 days or so.

Videos

Stretching our Leggs
Scramble in the Woods
Mini Game Coin Colleggting

Pegg Legged on Pirates Island
A Walk on the Sunny Side
Eggs Marks the Spot

Land of the Eggstinct
Sonic Eggventure DX
Counting your Chickens

Regguisite Ice Level
Friends Before Hens
Into The Eggloo

The Forest Flock
Oceanic Eggscapades
Volcano Eggspedition
Eggceleration? Full Speed Ahead

High-Flying Eggrobatics
A Tad Eggcentric
Eggsplosive Eggscort
Free-Range Freak Show

Sand Ruin Eggscavation
Hatching a Plan
Walking on Eggshells
Not so Over Easy

Segga Bonus Eggstravaganza

A Deviled Duel
Going the Eggstra Mile
Eleggant Palace Platforming
Eggzit's That-a-Way

Multiplayer Cockfights

Some of the effects of the egg's animals and items aren't entirely obvious, so I'll list them all here following their respective video appearance.

1.) Fire Comb (EQUIP)
-Any egg you carry will be engulfed in flames, increasing its attack power.

2.) Water Comb (EQUIP)
-Covers your egg with rings of water and bubbles. Increases attack power.

3.) Lightning Comb (EQUIP)
-Electrifies any egg you're holding. Increases attack power.

4.) Ice Comb (EQUIP)
-Encases your egg in solid ice. Increases attack power.

5.) Wind Comb (EQUIP)
-Surrounds your held egg with a whirlwind of leaves. Increases attack power.

6.) Iron Comb (EQUIP)
-Turns your egg into pure steel. Increases attack power. It's a bit annoying that the metal casing covers your egg completely, making it impossible to see what kind of egg you're rolling unless you stop and let go of it.

7.) Light Comb (EQUIP)
-Endues your egg with glowing, heavenly light. Despite looking like it'd be powerful, it only gives the same attack boost as any of the other Combs.

8.) Wings (EQUIP)
-While wearing these, your character can double jump! But only if they're not holding an egg.

9.) Booster (EQUIP)
-This is a great item. With this equipped, you can hold the jump button while in midair to hover. You'll hover as long as you keep the button held, so you can cover some insane distances if you jump from a high enough place. Can't use while holding an egg.

10.) Paraloop (SUPPORT)
-While this in effect, using the Egg Dash (R button while moving with egg) will briefly leave a trail of light behind you. Enemies who touch, or happen to walk into the trail will take damage. This can be used to trap enemies in a "barrier of death" of sorts, by circling them with the Egg Dash.

11.) Thorn Egg (SUPPORT)
-After using this, any egg you carry will sprout spikes for a short while. Increases your attack, and damages any enemies who come in contact with it.

12.) Speed Shoes (EQUIP)
-Doubles your running speed, plain and simple. Stays in effect even while rolling an egg. Fantastic item, and great for Multiplayer.

13.) Bomb
-Hatches a fuse bomb for you to roll around. Shooting it won't send it right back to you, like a normal egg (Thankfully). Instead it will keep rolling until it hits a wall, where it will cause a massive explosion. Be cautious, because it will kill you in one hit.

14.) Spring Shoes (EQUIP)
-Doubles your jumping height, providing you're not carrying an egg. You'll jump about the same height as you would using Egg Bounce. Good for jumping over enemies if you find yourself without an egg during a fight.

15.) Circus Hat (EQUIP)
-This hat seems strangely familiar... As long as you wear this, you'll gain the ability to jump on top of eggs and ride them around like a clown on a ball. Not only is this cool, but you'll be able to ride your eggs over bodies of water and hot sand to reach normally inaccessible areas.

16.) Psychic Hat (EQUIP)
-Changes the properties of your Egg Shoot. When you press the attack button, you'll instead gain telekinetic control over your egg and be able to move it around on its own! Pressing the attack button again, or moving your egg too far away from yourself will switch control back to your character. Perhaps the best thing about this item is the fact that any enemies defeated by rolling the mind-controlled egg over them will be considered part of an Egg Shoot combo! Makes it easy to rack up insane scores.

17.) Heart Hat (EQUIP)
-As long as you're wearing this, you'll slowly regain health over time.

18.) Bat
-If you hatch this guy, he'll slowly start to suck away your health energy. Not very helpful. Luckily, he takes only about a comb or two and then he leaves. He'll be hiding inside random, blue-spotted eggs starting in the later levels of the game.

19.) Crow
-Hatching this will make your entire surrounding area darken, making it almost impossible to see where you're going. Annoying, but it goes away after a few seconds.

20.) Cipher (TAME)
-Flies forward in a blaze of twin fireballs and explodes after covering a certain distance, or upon contact with a wall. Any enemies caught in the attack are destroyed. Great for airborne enemies, since you can lock on to them and he'll fly upwards during his attack, if need be.

21.) Clippen (TAME)
-Encases himself in a bubble and dives into the ground, creating a damaging splash wave. Also used to extinguish flame jets in some levels. One of the better Tame animals.

22.) Recky (TAME)
-Flies forward in a zigzag pattern, leaving a trail of lightning to hit enemies. After flying a certain distance or hitting a wall, he explodes into a wave of damaging electricity.

23.) Richie (TAME)
-Splits into three copies of himself and slides forward, erupting into an icicle spear. His copies help cover a wide distance on both sides. Needed to freeze certain obstacles in the levels.

24.) Peliwan (TAME)
-Forms himself into a tornado and spins around, blowing away any nearby enemies. If he hits a wall during his attack, the tornado explodes into a larger radius.

25.) Runny (TAME)
-Hops forward a short distance and stomps the ground three times, consecutively. On the third and last stomp, she grows to a larger size and creates an earthquake upon landing. Really helpful for small crowded areas, when you need a lingering hitbox to wipe out bunches of grouped enemies.

26.) Rabbish (TAME)
-Splits into several orbs of light that spread out into a circular pattern and explode. Each orb of light has a decent area of effect, so this attack is quite handy for clearing out small and large crowds alike.

27.) Rikol (MOUNT)
-While mounted, he can jump extremely high and has the ability to shoot a powerful point-blank fireball. Holding the attack button will make him charge up energy and releasing it while standing still will let him use a spinning flamethrower to combo any enemies surrounding him.

28.) Kaboot (MOUNT)
-Probably the best Mount. Can freely swim around in any body of water. Jumping and pressing the jump button agin while in midair will make him slam down with a splash wave attack. The attack button has him charge forward quickly to ram enemies. After using the charge attack, he will slow down considerably for a few seconds. You can cancel this slowdown by immediately jumping and using his slam attack. Dashing into the slam attack is a great combo for tough enemies, and let's you keep up the offense!

29.) Datch (MOUNT)
-Fastest running speed of all Mounts. Holding the jump button in midair will let him glide for as long as you hold it. Similar to the Booster item. Tapping the attack button will make him peck nearby enemies, while holding the button will have him charge up a dash attack.

30.) Glarin (TAME)
-Flies down and swoops forward, killing any foes who touch his wingspan. If he hits an object or wall, he causes an explosion of fireworks that burn any nearby enemies.

31.) Boskus (TAME)
-Grows larger and charges forward, defeating any enemies he touches. He bounces off any walls and most objects he runs into. Not very reliable when it comes to building combos, since his movements are so unpredictable.

32.) Oritta (TAME)
-This guy's amazing. He'll teleport in front of the nearest enemy and strike them. Afterwards, locking on to the next closest enemy and continuing up to six consectutive times. Great for easy Tame combos. If no enemy is within his attack range, he'll simply teleport forward a set distance until he finds one. And if he hits a wall, he stops the attack.

33.) Biboo (TAME)
-Glides forward and swerves around back to you, like a boomerang. Any enemies he hits (whether it be when you send him out, or on the way back) are defeated.

34.) Gorilla (SUPPORT)
-Surrounds you with a red, energy aura and doubles your attack power for a short time.

35.) Chameleon (SUPPORT)
-Turns you invisible for a bit. Enemies won't notice you, allowing you to sneak around and line up a good attack.

36.) Mouse (SUPPORT)
-Shrinks Billy to a fraction of his size. Has no effect on his speed, jumping height, or any other abilities. It seems this item is only used to make Billy harder to hit for enemies.

37.) Turtle (SUPPORT)
-Turns you metallic, increasing your defense for a short time.

38.) Lion (SUPPORT)
-Makes you invincible! You'll flash brightly as long as it's in effect.

39.) Dice (SUPPORT)
-Using this changes your health to the opposite of what it currently is. For example, using it while having one comb of health, will give you five combs! And vice-versa. Great for fucking people over in Multiplayer.

40.) Super Fruit (SUPPORT)
-Activating this turns every egg on the field into a full, ready to be hatched egg! For a short time, of course. Does not work on the golden Chicken Elder eggs.

41.) Tiger (SUPPORT)
-Breaks all eggs other than the one you're currently holding. Pretty good for Multiplayer. In Story Mode, it has the added effect of killing any nearby enemies, to actually make it worth using.

42.) Sheep (SUPPORT)
-Makes you fall asleep. Can't move for a while and you're left defenseless, but you also recover a tiny amount of health while you're snoozing. In Multiplayer, this item makes everyone except you fall asleep instead.

43.) Hawk (SUPPORT)
-Like the Tiger item, it breaks all eggs. But it will also breaks yours as well. In Story Mode, it has the added effect of killing any nearby enemies.

44.) Fox (SUPPORT)
-In Multiplayer, using this steals a Support Item from another player. Since there's nobody to steal from in Story Mode, using it there will give you the effect of a random Support item in its place.

45.) Butterfly (SUPPORT)
-A large butterfly. Fully restores your health when activated.

46.) Stopwatch (SUPPORT)
-In Multiplayer, this freezes other players and all Tame animals on the field. Using it in Story Mode will instead shave a minute off your time, helping out your score.

47.) Butterfly (SUPPORT)
-A smaller butterfly. Restores 2 combs of health when activated. Doesn't take as long to hatch as the larger butterfly.

48.) 1 Up
-Does exactly what it says. Gives you an extra life.

49.) Chick Bomb
-Hatches an item for you to pick up and throw. Works as a homing bomb, in a way. When you toss it, the bomb will hop forward seeking the nearest enemy. If it senses one, it will follow it until it reaches the target and blow up. Not particularly useful in Story Mode, but I can imagine this being a lot of fun in Multiplayer.

50.) Egg Bomb (SUPPORT)
-Pressing the item button will let you plant this bomb where you're currently standing. If anyone runs into it, it will detonate. The trick is that in Multiplayer, other players will see this item as a normal egg on their screen. So planting this item over an empty egg nest can make a pretty sneaky trap for your friends. Keep in mind; you can also set off this bomb if you're not careful and run into it. And it will kill in one hit.

51.) GBA: Chu Chu Rocket! Challenge
-Unlocks the Chu Chu Rocket! minigame in the Joycarry section.

52.) GBA: NiGHTS SCORE ATTACK
-Unlocks the NiGHTS minigame in the Joycarry section.

53.) GBA: Billy Hatcher Hyper Shoot Easy
-Unlocks an easy version of the Billy Hatcher minigame in the Joycarry section.

54.) GBA: Billy Hatcher Hyper Shoot
-Unlocks the Billy Hatcher minigame in the Joycarry section.

55.) GBA: Puyo Pop
-Unlocks the Puyo Pop minigame in the Joycarry section.

56.) Sonic (TAME)
-You know him, you love him-er... probably have mixed opinions on him. Sonic's his name, and speed's his game. Dashes forward at immense speeds, bouncing off any walls he comes in contact with. Any enemy in his path is destroyed. Only found in Dino Mountain, Mission 3. (Supposedly needs 135 Chick Coins to unlock, but I've always gotten him with much less.)

57.) Tails (TAME)
-Sonic's helpful, flying friend makes an appearance. Similar to Biboo's attack; he flies forward and back like a boomerang, hitting any enemies he touches. Has a slightly larger hitbox than Biboo's attack. Only found in Sand Ruins, Mission 5. Needs 155 Chick Coins to unlock.

58.) Knuckles (TAME)
-You know me, the fighting freak Knuckles. Uses Oritta's attack, locking on to nearby enemies and teleporting forward to knock them out consecutively with uppercuts. Only found in Forest Village, Mission 8. Needs 220 Chick Coins to unlock.

59.) Chao (TAME)
-The virtual pets from the Sonic Adventure series. They share Clippen's attack, using the same splash dive that he does. However, the bubble they form and the splash they make are a bit larger. Only found in Forest Village, Mission 1. Needs 25 Chick Coins to unlock.

60.) Rappy (TAME)
-Basic enemies (and arguably the mascots) of the Phantasy Star Online series. Rushes forward at extreme speeds, only stopping to peck nearby enemies. A lot of times it goes so fast, it ends up smacking into a wall before hitting any foes. I'd probably say it's the least useful out of all the SEGA Tames. Only found in Blizzard Castle, Mission 2. Needs 65 Chick Coins to unlock.

61.) Kapu Kapu (TAME)
-The hungry antagonists of ChuChu Rocket! Charges around like mad, bouncing off walls and mowing down enemies in the process. The attack goes on for quite a while. Only found in Pirates Island, Mission 5. Needs 35 Chick Coins to unlock.

62.) NiGHTS (TAME)
-In the nights, dream delight. The purple jester himself from NiGHTS into Dreams. Just another variation of Biboo/Tails' attack where he glides down to hit enemies and flies back to you. However, it's NiGHTS and he's awesome. Therefore, that automatically makes him better. Only found in Giant Palace, Mission 4. Needs 180 Chick Coins to unlock.

63.) Amigo (TAME)
-The rhythmical main character of Samba de Amigo. Uses a similar version of Oritta's attack, disappearing and reappearing with frantic speed while smacking nearby enemies with his maracas and dance moves. Only found in Circus Park, Mission 4. Needs 100 Chick Coins to unlock.

64.) Super Clippen (TAME)
-Same as normal Clippen's attack, but the dive bubble and splash wave are much, much larger. One of the two very rare "Super" animals. Only found in Pirates Island, Mission 8.

65.) Super Recky (TAME)
-Does a much faster and stronger version of normal Recky's attack. There's only one in the whole game, and it's well-hidden! Only found in Blizzard Castle, Mission 5.

66.) Chicken Suit
-Story Mode only. Gives Billy powers and makes him look silly. Has to be the first thing you get. Also doesn't require hatching.