Battle of the Birds is the second chapter in A Hat in Time, where Hat Kid must help two birds, DJ Grooves and The Conductor, in making a movie to win the Annual Bird Movie Award. Acts 2 and 4 help The Conductor, and acts 3 and 5 help DJ Grooves.
Depending on which stages have the highest score, the finale will change the events of how the chapter ends, such as which bird is fought for the boss battle.
Locations[]
Unlike other chapters in the game, Battle of the Birds has several areas divided throughout the chapters, instead of a single, sprawling location. Locations include Dead Bird Studio, where the two directors make their movies, The Owl Express, a train owned and maintained by The Conductor, and the Moon Set, a small town where DJ Grooves shoots his movies.
The acts are very linear in comparison to other chapters, but also much more varied because of this.
Dead Bird Studio[]
Dead Bird Studio is the place where The Conductor and DJ Grooves make and produce their movies. Not much is known about the Dead Bird Studio or the world outside the studio. It is inhabited by birds only. The start of the studio comes from the dream The Conductor and DJ Grooves had as children to make a great movie after watching a show in television. They both worked hard to achieve their dream, but both were scammed to each having keys to the same building. However, it sparked competition between each other to make the best movies they can. Since then, The Conductor won all the Annual Bird Movie Awards in their competition except one, where DJ Grooves won Award 42. By the time Hat Kid comes by, the studio has met its 52nd year of movie production.
Dead Bird Studio has a few different areas in it. First, there's the front desk. It contains two passages leading to stages, trophy stands, and birds. The bird in the front desk will tell Hat Kid to not trespass these stages as movies are being filmed.
Past the front desk is the filming stages, which is the area that Hat Kid goes through in order to progress the act Dead Bird Studio. It contains DJ Grooves and The Conductor appearing in many different stages in order to make their next movies. It also has many birds on watch for trespassers, which if the Hat Kid gets caught in their field of vision for too long, she has to restart from the last checkpoint.
Finally, there is a hidden underground area in a place deep within and below the Dead Bird Studio, where, in the end, one of the movie directors appears as the final boss. It changes depending on who the boss is, being either a wild west stage wagon and saloon or rave party/dancing stage.
The Owl Express[]
The Owl Express is the designated movie set used by The Conductor, taking place on a relatively straight railroad across a desert plain. Inside, the carts tend to vary in theme depending on the location and Act being played. Most are typical coaches that house passengers, comprised of red carpets and smooth walls, with others highlighting more fantastical aspects.
Murder on the Owl Express highlights the more traditional and mechanical aspects of the train carts, with the first half of the Act comprised mostly of well furbished rooms and the second with the more mechanical assets of the express itself, such as the Boiler Room.
Train Rush, on the opposite end, is mostly comprised of the exterior of the train, often due to the degradation of the interior rooms of the train as Saws come out to release complete segments out of the train itself. This serves as a great contrast to the internally confined rooms of the other express chapter, where only the beginning took place outside.
There are also internal segments which are comprised of vats containing green ooze typical for science-fiction, suggesting these segments could be a freight train compartment and one of the many assets reminiscent of Science Owls.
The Moon Set[]
The Moon Set is the designated movie set used by DJ Grooves, taking place inside a lively city filled with many buildings, congested streets and sprawling telephone cables overhead. In contrast to The Owl Express, the set as its name suggests, takes place on the Moon rather than the planet itself.
Also, unlike the Owl Express, both Acts share a lot of thematic similarities between one another, taking place in the same city load-out with the presence of many Moon Penguins in the form of picture takers or small groups in Picture Perfect to large raving crowds that flood the street below in The Big Parade.
The major difference between these two acts is their goals and gimmicks that are utilized to reach the end of the level, with the need to explore a small free-roaming world for attention in Picture Perfect and the requirement to survive the many hazards on the top of the roofs in a survival-esque mission with The Big Parade.
Winning the Award[]
Throughout Acts 2-5, the movies of the two directors will be judged based on Hat Kid's performance during each act. Events during the Finale and whether the player will have to fight The Conductor or DJ Grooves will change depending on who wins the award.
Here is a table to show how the scoring works:
| What | Act | Score Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Director Icons | All | 100 |
| Pons Collected | All | 4 |
| Evidence | Murder on the Owl Express | 60 |
| Time Bonus | Train Rush | 3 for every second left |
Only The Conductor's acts grant bonuses to make up for their lower quantity of Icons, but it's still much harder to get high scores on those stages than on DJ Groove's.
When the player enters Act 6, it will confirm the winner of the awards, but before then, they can return to previous missions to increase the score of either director. If the directors are tied, it will let the player decide who wins the award before going into Act 6.
Enemies[]
- Parade Owls
- UFOs
Characters[]
Acts[]
While the first act is straight forward, the rest of the acts besides the finale each give ratings to the directors' movies. Depending on which director gets more points will determine how the finale plays out.
| Image | Episode Name | Summary |
|---|---|---|
|
Act 1: Dead Bird Studio |
Sneak through the studio to find the Time Piece. |
|
Act 2: Murder on the Owl Express |
Solve the murder before time is up. |
|
Act 3: Picture Perfect |
Run around collecting Director Icons and walking up to Moon Penguins to increase your popularity. |
|
Act 4: Train Rush |
Get to the end of the train as quickly as possible to turn off the self destruction switch! |
|
Act 5: The Big Parade |
Film DJ Grooves' movie in a sort of dangerous follow-the-leader game. |
|
Act 6: Award Ceremony |
Discover the conspiracy behind the Annual Bird Awards |
Time Rift Locations[]
| Name | Image | Act | Location | Appears |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Owl Express | 
|
Murder on the Owl Express | In the cafeteria, bottom floor near the locked door. | After completing both "Murder on the Owl Express" and "Picture Perfect". |
| The Moon | 
|
The house in front of the saxophone sign. It's on top of the green striped awning. | After completing both "Train Rush" and "The Big Parade". | |
| Dead Bird Studio | 
|
Dead Bird Studio (Act) | On the house after sneaking past the Conductor for the first time, near where the Ice Yarn was. | After completing the "Tiny Train (And Birds?)" |
Collectables[]
Here are the collectables for this chapter. If you want to see all collectable locations, please check this List of all collectables
Act 1: Dead Bird Studio
| Item | NO. | Image | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brewing Yarn | - | 
|
Before sneaking past the Conductor, climb the red building prop. The yarn is at the top. |
| Ice Yarn | #1 | 
|
After sneaking past the Conductor the first time there is a house with a water tower next to it. Jump to the tower to find Ice Yarn on the back side. |
| Ice Yarn | #2 | 
|
On top of the house after sneaking past the Conductor for the first time, left side. |
| Sprint Yarn | #1 | 
|
At the second moveable platform, hit the switch to move it forward and then hit it again so it moves to its starting position and get on it. Climb the ladder to find the yarn. |
| Relic | #1 | 
|
At the crossroad where DJ Grooves is filming, take the right path and tightrope walk to a platform with three moon penguins. Avoid them and reach the top to find another tightrope. Cross it to find a chest with a Relic in it. |
| Sprint Yarn | #2 | 
|
In a chest on top of the big sign that says "GROOVES," above the "G." |
| Rift Token | - | 
|
After the slow moving platform where DJ Grooves and the Conductor are in glass rooms, go behind the glass room with the Conductor to find a platform into his room. Be careful not to be spoted by the owl while you get the chest with the token in it. |
| Relic | #2 | 
|
On top of the the room where the Conductor is, look back towards the slow moving platform and you should see a chest ontop of a giant set. Jump onto the nearby building panels to the side, walk toward the very end, then jump toward the platform with the chest containing a relic. |
Act 2: Murder on the Owl Express
| Item | NO. | Image | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Yarn | #1 | 
|
In the cafeteria an the top of the room in the far left corner. |
| Relic | - | 
|
In the VIP room there is a room labeled "Raven Suite" blocked by crates. Use the brew's hat to destroy them and enter the room. The relic is in a box on top of the bed. |
| Ice Yarn | #2 | 
|
Again in the VIP room, on top of the Raven Suite. |
| Brewing Yarn | #1 | 
|
Upon entering the luggage room you should see it's rainbow aura. Jump over the small wall and grab it. Be careful not to be spotted by the crows. |
| Brewing Yarn | #2 | 
|
Again in the luggage room, but this time it's at the very top of the room right above where you first entered. Climb to the top of the luggage and perform a dive jump to get it. |
| Rift Token | - | 
|
In the lounge, on the right side of the platform where the two crows are marching back and forth. |
Act 3: Picture Perfect
| Item | NO. | Image | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Yarn | - | 
|
On top of the Hats Buy building. It's the first red build on the right if Hat Kid walks straight forward when the act starts. |
| Brewing Yarn | - | 
|
Near the back corner where the Badge Seller is. |
Act 6: Award Ceremony
| Item | NO. | Image | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rift Token | - | 
|
In the first room with the electric wires, get to the large pipe in the middle of the room. When you get the heart orbs turn to your right to see a hookshot spot, and swing into the hole to get into the locked room with the Rift Token. |
| Ice Yarn | #1 | 
|
Take the catwalk on top of the room that the director was in and walk to the end of it. Then jump over to the ventilation pipes that the yarn is floating on. |
| Brewing Yarn | - | 
|
On the catwalk after the first set of footprints go towards the barred door with another set of footprints. Jump up there to get the Brewing Yarn. |
| Sprint Yarn | #1 | 
|
Right after entering area B2 head to the boxes you can examine. Hop on a stack of boxes behind it and onto a bag of sand. Look up and to the right and you should be able to see the yarn. Just wall run and jump on up to it. |
| Sprint Yarn | #2 | 
|
After entering into area B2, turn to your right until you hit a wall. Turn right again and you'll be able to see its glow. Hop over the boxes in the way and get it. |
| Sprint Yarn | #3 | 
|
Jump on the second electrified tight rope at the top of area B2. |
| Ice Yarn | #2 | 
|
This will be the first yarn you see in the act, but won't be able to get to it until area B2. It's at the top on a wooden platform after hearing the winning director again. |
| Ice Yarn | #3 | 
|
When you arrive at the top of the box room and are in the exit, look behind you to find a sandbag. Use it to jump to the set of boxes behind it and jump up to where the yarn is. |
| Sprint Yarn | #4 | 
|
In the rafters of the disco set. Climb on the boxes and jump to the space ship to be able to jump up to it. |
| Relic | - | 
|
First make sure to get the key in the room with tons of awards. It's in the locked room just before the boss battle, which you get to by dropping down a vent you can't get back up from. |
Achievements[]
Below is the list of achievements related to this chapter:
| Image | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Battle of the Birds - All Clear! | Collect all Time Pieces in Battle of the Birds! |
|
Encore! | Complete The Big Parade without falling into the audience below! |
|
False Detective | Make it through Murder on the Owl Express without finding any clues (you suck)! |
|
Fueling the Feud | Get a total of 2000 points in Battle of the Birds! |
|
No Time to Explain | Complete Train Rush without dying or time bonuses! |
|
One Punch | Defeat any boss with the 1-hit hero badge equipped! |
|
Secret Intruder | Make it through Dead Bird Studio without being seen at all! |
|
True Detective | Find all Murder on the Owl Express clues! |
Gallery[]
TBA (someone please help add In pics of area locations and concept art/sketches and other such)
Movie Posters[]
Trivia[]
- The name "Battle of the Birds" is taken from a Scottish fairy tale.
- Train Rush used to be act 1
- At the beginning of the first act, The Conductor tells DJ Grooves, "This movie studio is too big for the both of us." While it is a misquote of the saying "This town isn't big enough for the both of us," the saying comes from western movies, just like the movies The Conductor produces.
- This actual reason for this misquote, is because of a typo on the lead developer's part. By the time the error had been brought up, the voice line had already been recorded, so it was left as-is.
- The chapter went through a several name changes, including "Off The Rails", "Trainwreck of Science" and "Last Bird Standing"
- There were originally going to be multiple Train Conductor's, there are 3 cut Conductors of which there names are Redd, Gregg, and Walter.
- The act Murder On The Owl Express used to be far more complex.
- This chapter was originally supposed to be the third chapter of the game, but it swapped places with Subcon Forest.