Planet GameCube recently had the opportunity to talk with Sega about Yuji Naka’s latest creation, where we learned some interesting new details about Sonic Team’s pet project.

Sega provided some further detail on the background story. It seems evil crows, led by their sinister king, have trapped the world’s seven Chicken Elders into golden eggs, thereby casting all of Billy’s once-magical world into everlasting darkness. Only Billy Hatcher and his mystical rooster suit can save the planet from the Crow King’s terrible reign.

Unlike Sonic Team’s linear adventures featuring the blue hedgehog, Billy Hatcher features a design more akin to Super Mario Sunshine. Each of the seven stages are open in design and feature eight missions to accomplish, usually involving a giant creature to take care of or some sort of item to retrieve. The game is said to contain the same kind of difficulty found in the Sonic Adventure series, meaning the challenge is in completing everything, not getting to the credits. There are secrets to be found in each world, and diligent gamers are promised unlockable extras for their extra effort.

Since a kid in a chicken suit can’t do much alone, Billy will rely on the assorted giant eggs scattered through the levels to accomplish his goals. Billy can use these eggs as weapons by throwing them or pile-driving them into foes. Eggs can also be used for transportation: roll on the egg down steep slopes for faster-paced action or roll it into a teleportation ring to blast across the level. Most eggs also contain a mysterious creature to hatch, often based on one of the elements. For instance, Billy can hatch a water-type creature to put out flames in his way or a wind-based creature to blow something elsewhere. Of course, some eggs will contain other special surprises, so keep an eye out!

Sega also disclosed some information regarding the game’s multiplayer mode. Taking place in a battle arena, players must compete with each other alone or in teams to gain victory. Featuring the same egg-centric gameplay and controls, players outsmart and overpower their opponents in a Stock or Time battle. Less traditional is the Hatch Battle, where players must compete for the most hatchlings under a time limit.

The game’s technical features have also been confirmed, and high-end users can rejoice. Billy Hatcher will feature wide screen progressive scan support as well as Dolby Pro Logic II. Disappointingly, however, this Sonic Team game will not make use of the Ethernet adapter or GC-GBA connectivity. As a side note, Billy Hatcher will not feature any serious voice acting, which should come as a relief to most.

Hatching on September 23rd, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg is one of the biggest titles this fall both for Sega and the GameCube. It’s most certainly worth gamers’ attention. Be sure to keep your GameCube nice and warm until then!

Last updated: 05/08/2003

Sega recently held a teleconference with Sonic Team’s Yuji Naka about his upcoming game Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg. Quite a bit of information about the game was revealed.

One day in Billy Hatcher’s world, the sun sets and night begins, but the sun does not rise again and Billy’s world is trapped in an eternal night. Billy decides to investigate this trouble, and to return day to the land. He dons a rooster suit and controls giant eggs to help him on his adventure.

On his adventure, Billy will be able to hatch many different and unique characters out of his eggs. Once hatched, the creatures inside the eggs will move on their own, but the player will be able to command them with certain actions to attack enemies or solve puzzles. Certain creatures will be better suited to certain areas. For example, some creatures will be stronger in well-lit areas, and others might have an advantage in water. Players will be required to master the creatures’ abilities and use the correct ones at the correct time.

Some puzzles will have multiple solutions, so players will be able to go back and try a level with different strategies. There are also hidden creatures to earn in the course of the adventure. The length of the game has not yet been determined, as Sonic Team is still deep in the development process.

According to Naka-san, eggs are the focus of the game because so many action games today focus completely on the main character running around and doing everything himself. The eggs change things, because you must care for them, and the creatures inside of them help you in your adventure. There is also an element of surprise because you never know what is going to come out of the eggs. Originally, the eggs were quite oblong, with the unpredictable physics of a real egg. The shape was eventually made more round so that players can roll the eggs around more easily.

Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg will feature a multiplayer mode for up to 4 players. It should be quite an innovative experience, as players will have to nurture their eggs while at the same time keeping an eye on their enemies to make sure they don’t get the upper hand. Currently, there are no plans to incorporate LAN functionality into the multiplayer aspect of the game. As for GBA connectivity, the game doesn’t currently contain such a feature, but it could be added if there is enough time.

Billy Hatcher will not be coming to any other consoles. Naka-san believes that the game is perfect for the GameCube game library. Sonic Team has been “nurturing” the title, and as such it’s falling behind schedule. As with other Sonic Team titles on GameCube, this one should be compatible with both progressive scan and Dolby Pro Logic II.