For years I had the theme tune from Billy Hatcher on my phone to use as an alarm, though I had cut the initial spelling off the front so I would be woken with a cockerel crowing.

I never really played much of the game, however – this was back in the days where I had more money than spare time, and £20 spent at HMV on the reduced-price GameCube stock was good for an afternoon of entertainment. At the time there was a glut of 3D platformers, and despite its Sonic Team heritage this just didn’t feel like it stood out. It didn’t help that the first part of the game is set in comparative darkness, with shadowed colours and a lack of spark.

Going back to it today, though – albeit via the slightly glitchy Dolphin emulator, since I currently can’t connect my GameCube to the TV – the egg rolling mechanic does actually make the game a bit different to the standard platformer, adding in a sense of vulnerability when you lose your egg, and fostering an element of wanting to collect and hatch different egg types.

The controls work pretty well, and the camera doesn’t get in the way as much as other games of the era. I have rescued the Chicken Elder, who has brought morning back, and then found and beat a big lizard thing who tried hiding in the grass. The relatively free-form nature of the levels (as opposed to something like Crash Bandicoot) has meant I’ve had to do a fair bit of exploring at times, which is only problematic because I’m still not sure I’ve got the controls down pat.

I died a fair few times falling off those rails, even though I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to be able to.