Angry Birds Review

Angry Birds

Publisher: Chillingo Developer: Rovio  Platform: iOS Players: 1 Release: 2009 Genre: Action / Physics Based-Puzzle Rating: 8.7 \ 10.0: Fantastic

Above is a scene from the game's first stage
 

Angry Birds has an amusing premise-- it's a physics-based puzzler in which you use your finger to fling-- ahem-- angry (and not to mention unusually shaped, hand-drawn, and anthropomorphic) birds at makeshift structures housing green pigs that have stolen their eggs using a catapult. There are tons of levels to play through and a variety of birds to fling, the types in each stage depending on the environment. There are standard red birds; tiny blue birds that, when you tap the screen, will split into 3 other tiny birds, which are weak but are effective against structures made of ice blocks; yellow birds that will zoom forward with the tap of the screen, crushing wood and ice; bomb-shaped birds that explode when the screen is tapped; duck-like birds that act as a boomerang when the screen is tapped; incredibly plump red birds that slightly boost when the screen is tapped, and orange birds that puff up like airbags, demolishing structures. The goal of each level is to defeat all the pigs within the structure without running out of birds. You get a 10,000 point bonus for each bird left over you have, and you'll get a higher star rating on the level. There are tons of levels to play through, but many of them can prove to be very challenging-- that's the downside of this fantastic game. That's really my only complaint, but getting stuck on one stage for a long time can really suck the fun out of the experience. Even so, Angry Birds is arguably the best game available on the App Store, and for a mere $2.99, it's a real bargain!

Ups
Amusing premise
Variety and creativity

Downs
Hard at times

ESRB: E Content: Comic Mischief Price: $2.99 (Download)