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May 04, 2022

Chicken Police – Paint it RED! includes haptics feedback in next-gen update on PlayStation 5

From Press Release:

It is no secret that one of the greatest parts of Sony’s next gen console is the amazing PS5 DualSense Controller, which enables players to not only see and hear the games they are playing, but also feel them like never before. With adaptive triggers and the very precise vibrations that are possible with this next evolutionary step for controllers, the most interesting thing to see is if and how different games utilize the potential that is slumbering within the DualSense.

A new age of immersive games 

Since the PS5 has been out for a while now, and albeit the fact that it is still rather difficult to come by one of the illusive consoles, we’ve seen a lot of old and new games put in the extra effort to make use of some of the new features on display and while it has been mostly big budget AAA studios that took the first steps, some smaller indie teams are also starting to grab their piece of the cake.

One of those smaller titles that stepped up and now finds itself among the first indie games with full DualSense support is “Chicken Police – Paint it RED!” by Hungarian developer “The Wild Gentlemen” and publisher “HandyGames”. The free next-gen upgrade just came out and offers a highly improved experience on the PS5 due to detailed vibrations and trigger effects during all gameplay portions and cutscenes.

This is especially surprising, since Chicken Police doesn’t seem like it would be the kind of game where rumble effects or adaptive triggers would add a lot to the experience, since it’s a point-and-click detective visual novel for the most part, and yet the second  you try out the PS5 version, you’ll find yourself absorbed in the story and gameplay like never before.

Solving a fowl case with the help of the DualSense

Little details like the controller vibrating when your cursor moves past an interactable object or how you can now find secret collectibles by following a vibration that gets stronger the closer your cursor gets to the hidden object are adding a lot more to the experience than you might think. Everything feels more responsive and engaging, no matter if you are investigating a crime scene or find yourself in the midst of a high-adrenaline car chase. Feeling the heat rise in your hands while trying to escape a burning ship or feeling every single raindrop in the controller while standing in a pouring storm make these scenes all the more memorable. Who could have guessed  that feeling like a chicken was that much fun?!

Of course, the adaptive triggers are also playing their part in bringing the PS5 version   of the game to life. Different guns have different trigger resistances and gun hand- lings to them, rotating safe dials to input a password imitates the correct weight and feeling of cracking open a safe and uncovering interaction spots by pushing the trigger against a continuous resistance and being rewarded with a calming vibration and the background music changing tone really makes it feel like you’ve just entered an elevated state of mind. You ARE the detective, after all.

Lastly, it’s also important to note that even something as simple as watching a cutscene gains a whole new layer of immersion with the controller vibration mimicking the action on screen. Feeling on-going traffic passing by the protagonist Sonny Featherland’s car while he drives towards a crime scene or sensing the flickering lightbulbs of an ominously empty hallway resonating in the left and right side   of the DualSense makes all the difference when it comes to feeling involved in every little thing that is happening in this dark chicken   noir story.

No end to the innovation

 Chicken Police does a fantastic job of showing what is possible with the DualSense controller and how even small indie teams can lar-  gely benefit from spending that little extra time and effort to really make their game’s PS5 version something special. We sure hope to see many more indie teams continue to experiment with the con- troller’s features and to further push the boundaries of immersion in video games. This level of haptic feedback in games is still brand new and we are certain that we can expect a lot more innovation in the field going forward from here.