Pekka Kana 2 (Pekka the Rooster 2) is a jump ‘n run game made in the spirit of old classic platformers such as Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Jazz Jackrabbit, Super Frog and so on.
Pekka is a rooster that lives in a farm in far away land called Finland.Pekka’s job at the farm is to guard a henhouse full of (surprise!) chickens. Everything goes nice and peacefully, until one night something terrible happens: Someone steals all the chickens! And that someone is a wicked and crooked minded crow called “The Evil One” (a one spooky bird). Now, Pekka has to save all the stolen chickens and bring them back. And yes, to kick one ugly crow butt from here to infinity…
But it won’t be easy! The Evil One (friends call him Evil) has a horrible mind-bending device that he uses to control his army of hypnotized animals. They are also victims of The Evil One, but as long as Evil One has them, they are your enemies.
The simple goal in each level is to find the exit sign, which is usually not that simple as it sounds because of enemies, traps, and quirky puzzles.
Pekka Kana 2 was released in year 2003 at Assembly ’03 Game Development Competition, and placed 2nd. Since then the game has been featured in numerous different sites and cover discs. Players have also made their own levels with the PK2 Level Editor, which was released later in 2003. Check the link section at the bottom of the page for more information. Pekka Kana 2 has also been translated to several languages, and you can download the language files and manuals from the bottom of this page.
The installer includes episodes Rooster Island 1 and Rooster Island 2, and a huge amount of translations. So install the game first, and download a translation if it doesn’t come with the game.
This leaves me with nothing left to say except that “Pekka Kana 2” is in fact a very nice platformer with cute graphics and a great original soundtrack. The level design is quite clever and there are some funny features and enemies (eg. the hedgehogs with a walkman that are immune against your megaphone weapon) that you haven’t seen in other games before.
Game can be controlled with keyboard or gamepad and there is a level editor (you can download it from the homepage) as well as many extra levels made by fans.
Another thing that really makes Pekka Kana 2 enjoyable for me is how it manages to stay interesting even after playing it multiple times. Many games feel repetitive after a while, but here, the experience still feels fresh because of the small details and different ways you can approach the gameplay. As you continue playing, you naturally start improving and understanding the mechanics better, which makes everything feel more rewarding. I also appreciate the balance the game maintains—it’s not too difficult, but it’s not too easy either. You can play it casually for a short break or spend longer sessions without getting bored. That flexibility is one of the biggest reasons why I keep coming back to Pekka Kana 2. Overall, it’s the kind of game that doesn’t just entertain you for a moment, but actually gives you a consistently enjoyable experience every time you play.
