Juicy Variety Landing in 3… 2.. 1!

Us chicken aliens (chickaliens?) have been hard at work flapping our wings and finishing up Alien Hominid Invasion’s Update Part 2 (JUICY VARIETY edition!), and today we’re excited to announce that this FREE update is arriving next week!

Yep, you heard that right – the JUICY VARIETY Update lands Monday, April 29th, around 10:00 AM PDT on Steam, with consoles to follow at a later date. To celebrate, let’s touch upon some of the chaotic new features soon landing on planet Earth!

WARNING: This post contains intel about new content soon being added to Invasion! If you’d like to experience all the new stuff on your own, please ignore this post for now.

A Chaotic Juicy Variety Stream Recap

The stream recap above shows a firsthand look at our team sharing the update for the first time! Please note that the content was still a WIP at the time, so things may look a little different on release.

New changes shown in the video include:

  • Modifiers: Roll Bomb, Double Jump Reflect
  • Hazards: Pinball Bumpers, Grind Lines, Mine Layers
  • MECHA F.R.O.G. mini-boss and vehicle
  • “A Lot of Parking Lot” area
  • Updates to Chomper Wall/Keybot levels
  • More balance and quality of life tweaks
  • ICE CREAM!!!!!!!

Owley’s Art Journey

Oh, and about the new area, “A Lot of Parking Lot” – we have some updated art to share with you today! Check out how the art of Invasion is first conceptualized in the game and updated to completion below:

The Behemoth chickalien visits Squawky’s Cameras for the first time.
The chickalien is back, happy to be in a world of colorful destruction once more. Wait, didn’t Squawky own this place?
THE CHICKALIEN REJOICES, AS OWLEY’S REACHES ITS FINAL FORM! Wait, does this place belong to that one owl we know from that one game? How curious…

On top of three new areas, some of the game’s older art is also getting a facelift on Monday! Be sure to keep an eye out for the updated buildings, especially the new Meow Motors. Meeeow!

The ORBITER

Something we didn’t get a chance to show off in the prior stream is our new Orbiter mutation, so here’s a sneak peek in GIF form:

With every use, the Orbiter mutation spawns a projectile that circles you, knocking enemies out of your path and making you a close-range DESTROYER! Using it a second time will create a temporary platform at its current location, making the mutation a good choice for swarm and bonus levels.

The MECHA F.R.O.G. Arrives!

The last thing we wanted to touch on today is the new MECHA F.R.O.G., SPINDOCTOR OF FATE!

Invaders can soon encounter the MECHA F.R.O.G. as a mini-boss while traversing through city blocks! If you defeat the MECHA F.R.O.G., some say you can use it as a vehicle… Will you be going on a MECH RAMPAGE?

That’s all for now! We’ll be live on YouTube and Twitch this Thursday, April 25th at 3:00 PM PDT for one last Invasion stream before the update goes live!

Which part of the JUICY VARIETY Update are you most excited for? Let us know on Discord, or any of the other various corners of the internet us chickaliens inhabit.

PAX East 2024 Recap and Photo Album

Months of extreme chicken planning and coordination go in to each PAX, and just like that — WAIT, DON’T BLINK TOO FAST — it’s over!

Don’t be sad it’s over. Be happy we have photos, so that we never forget! That’s right, it’s time to share our PAX East 2024 photo album, in addition to a quick little recap of the show-nanigans.

We had such a great time celebrating all things aliens, Cat Guards, and co-op video games with you all weekend long! From all of us chickens, thanks so much for always making the show so memorable.

Check out this BOOTH

WE ARE SO BACK! Enjoy some snaps of this lovely booth, complete with our Cat Guard photo op, merch store, and arcade cabinets for Alien Hominid HD, Castle Crashers, BattleBlock Theater, Back Off Barbarian, and the NEWLY RELEASED AND SOON TO BE UPDATED Alien Hominid Invasion!

Cat Guard cosplay photo shoot!

From different Persona protagonists to an entire group of Spidermen, we were visited by so many awesome cosplayers this year. Even MEGA MAN showed up to play some BattleBlock Theater!

But there was one cosplay a little different than the rest. Yes, I believe I can speak for most of us chickens when I say this is the cosplay we won’t soon forget!

My brush is mightier than your sword!!!!! But IRL.

Here’s some bonus pics of the Painter playing Castle Crashers with Tom! 🙂

And YOU get a scarf!

If you were around the booth at 11am any day of the show, you likely walked away with a fancy new chicken scarf! We hope it helped against that wicked Boston wind, even if just a little bit.

THE CHICKEN!!!!!

On the final day of PAX, we hosted our first ever “Can YOU Beat THE Behemoth Chicken?” competition, where all of the great fans pictured above took turns competing head-to-head against chicken-suited-up Mike in Alien Hominid HD. Did anyone actually beat THE Behemoth chicken at their own game? The world may never know, but everyone earned a YouTooz and chicken keychain for trying! Amazing job, everyone!

That’s all for this year’s PAX East recap! Where is the big chicken headed next, you ask? WASD in London this April 25-27… see you there!

🐔

PAX East 2024 Daily Schedule

Has it really been an entire year since this chicken skipped around the PAX East expo hall? We can’t believe it, but PAX East 2024 is almost here, so it’s time to share all the cool stuff we have planned for the weekend!

From March 21-24, you can find us at Booth #16061 from 10:00am-6:00pm daily! Come by for our stellar arcade cabs and stay for our silly chicken dances. If that’s not enough, then perhaps some friendly yet chaotic competition will change your mind? No? Purrrhaps a Cat Guard photo contest will do the trick…

Buckle Your PAX Cat Guard Photo Contest

Our feline security detail has been pretty bored these past few years, and we want to fix that. This little (big?) fellow is traveling all the way to Boston from California just to take silly photos with you!

BUT WAIT, there’s more! You could win a $100 e-gift card to our online store AND Cat Guard piggy bank by entering our social media photo contest! Here’s the intel:

  • Take a picture with our Cat Guard any day of the show
  • Post your photo on Instagram or Twitter (*cough* X) with the hashtag #BuckleYourPAX
  • A winner will be announced each day on our social media
  • All winners will receive their e-gift card after PAX concludes

Don’t have social media? You can still enter for a chance to win a $100 e-gift card by signing up for our mailing list at the show!

Come get a free chicken scarf!

It’s pretty chilly in Boston, and we have an excess amount of feathery chicken scarves ready for you. Swing on by the booth at 11AM any day of the show if you’d like one, while supplies last!

Daily Competitions

We’ll also be hosting a rotating competition on one of our arcade cabs from 3:00-4:00pm daily! Here’s the intel for each show day:

Thursday: Back Off Barbarian

“Back Off, Barbarian!” That’s what you’ll be saying to your friends, family, and random strangers named Barb from the show floor as you secretly wish for their demise (only in this casual competition, of course).

Outwit, outplay, and OUTLAST your foes to win the GRAND PRIZE of a handcrafted Back Off Barbarian trophy, NEW Necromancer tiki mug, and Necromancer socks!

Friday: BattleBlock Theater

Next up is a BattleBlock Theater 2v2 Ball Game tournament! To enter, you’ll need to form a duo and sign-up at our booth sometime between 10am-1pm on Friday. Next, just show up at 3:00pm and be available to compete in the hour-long time block.

The winning team will walk away with a handcrafted BattleBlock Theater trophy, Cat Guard piggy bank, and comfy Behemoth socks. Yahoo!

Saturday: Alien Hominid Invasion

I really like the word extravaganza, so it’s time for another Alien Hominid Invasion BONUS EXTRAVAGANZA (co-op edition!). 

To enter, grab a pal and clear our Invasion bonus level as quickly as possible! All participants will get a small prize, but only one duo will win the grand prize of a handcrafted Alien Hominid trophy, Youtooz figurine, and socks!

Sunday: Can YOU Beat THE Behemoth Chicken?

Well, can you?

Show up at 3pm on Sunday to see if you can beat a dev in a chicken suit at their own game. That’s all. We have no other context to share for this competition. See you at the show!