Chicken Police: Into the HIVE!

Chicken Police: Into the HIVE! reunites Sonny and Marty, the rooster detective duo from the beloved original noir adventure, for a bigger, darker follow-up investigating a criminal underworld hidden beneath their city. This review's sample tells an unusually consistent, genuinely poignant story about the game: for its first several chapters, it delivers exactly what fans hoped for, and then something happens.

A worthy sequel, for as long as it lasts

The praise for the game's opening chapters is specific and heartfelt. "In a lot of ways, Into the HIVE tops the standard from Paint it Red. The scope is larger, the stakes are higher, and the dialogue feels sharper. The inventory system has some really clever tricks to it and the occasional minigame is just as fun a[s the original]," one reviewer writes. Another describes genuine investment in the returning cast: "Only in chapter 3 just now, but have to express my feelings: this is a wonderful game! All, who played the first game, will feel at home, you meet NPCs, you have met there, you have new locations but some are of course the same." A third calls it "one of the rare occasions where the sequel outshines the already amazing first installment. Darker, funnier, and oozing with style."

The collapse nearly every reviewer describes at almost the same point

What makes this review's sample distinctive is how precisely reviewers agree on where the game changes character. "Story was good for a first 3 chapters. It was captivating, made you questing motives of the characters you only met and also old acquaintances. But then it goes from such a great setup to a complete information dump from a 2 characters, which makes all previously mysterious world and characters" feel abruptly resolved rather than earned, one reviewer writes. Another, clearly devastated by the experience, describes the same pattern: "This game wanted to be bigger, bolder, and more emotional than the first, only to fail spectacularly." A third reviewer, a self-described "devoted Chicken Police fan," writes with visible pain: "writing this review pains me deeply. While Into the Hive starts with the noir excellence we've come to expect, its final two chapters completely derail the experience, potentially damaging the entire franchise beyond repair."

A specific, disclosed reason reviewers point to directly

What separates this from a typical "the ending was bad" complaint is how many reviewers independently point to the same documented cause. "The credits indicated they were heavily affected by COVID and the economic downswing and it just shows in the work. The large picture is that the first 2 and a half [acts feel complete, and the rest doesn't]," one reviewer writes, treating the credits themselves as confirmation rather than speculation. Another echoes the same read with real generosity toward the developers: "I feel like if the developers had better circumstances, they would've produced another b[eautiful chapter of this story]." This review takes that pattern seriously — it's not merely reviewers guessing at a cause, but multiple independent readers of the same credited acknowledgment reaching the same conclusion about what happened during development.

Specific technical evidence of a rushed conclusion

Beyond narrative pacing, several reviewers point to concrete production-quality gaps that corroborate the rushed-ending theory. "The narrative of the second half of the game feels kind of rushed and unfinished. There are typos, missing voice lines and mismatches in text," one reviewer writes — the kind of specific quality-control gap that tends to appear when a project runs out of time or budget near the finish line, distinct from a simply unsatisfying but polished ending. Separately, one reviewer documents a specific bug that a developer hotfix apparently failed to resolve: "In one of their updates they said they fixed a bug in the graveyard glass puzzle, however it's still occurring for me."

A soft recommendation many reviewers land on, and why it's fair

Notably, many reviewers who describe this collapse in detail still recommend the game, and their reasoning is worth taking at face value. "Call this a SOFT recommendation... The scope is larger, the stakes are higher" they write, weighing the genuine strengths of the majority of the game against its weaker conclusion. Another reviewer, having replayed the game, offers a softened but sincere take: "Honestly the second time around the game was a lot more enjoyable, The last chapter will always feel like we needed a bit more time but I am quite happy with how it ended." That range of response — genuine disappointment paired with continued affection for the franchise and craft on display — feels like the most honest way to characterize this review's overall sample.

What the achievement data confirms about engagement

Steam's own completion figures show a fairly standard narrative-adventure curve: an early story milestone sits at 66.8%, falling to under 10% for full completionist achievements. That's consistent with a story-driven game where most buyers who start do engage meaningfully with the plot, even if — per the reviewer consensus — that plot doesn't land as intended by its conclusion.

A studio that moved forward, rather than one that vanished

This review found clear evidence the developer's evident production difficulties reflect a specific, disclosed hardship rather than studio collapse. The game's partner-events feed documents three post-launch hotfixes addressing technical bugs, and — as recently as 2026 — an announcement of the studio's next game, Moses & Plato - Last Train to Clawville. The Wild Gentlemen remain an active studio; whatever happened during this game's final development stretch, it didn't end their ability to keep making games.

Final verdict

Chicken Police: Into the HIVE! delivers a genuinely strong first three-quarters of a noir detective sequel that lives up to its beloved predecessor, undercut by a widely and specifically documented collapse in its final act that reviewers consistently and credibly attribute to disclosed real-world production hardship rather than a lack of creative ambition. Play it for the atmosphere, dialogue, and world it builds — just go in knowing, honestly, that its ending won't deliver the satisfaction its first chapters promise.