The first game reviewed by Android Target is this piece of art created by Rovio. After having tremendous success in Apple’s App Store, the developers thought that the Android community deserved their own version. Unlike the iPhone counterpart, Angry Birds for Android is free to download and play.
Regarding the structure, the game contains A LOT of levels, each one consisting of a 2 dimensional area where you have to throw a bird using a slingshot into different types of structures. The goal is to destroy the green pigs by hitting them, causing them to fall down or from falling debris.
The physics involved when hitting different structures and materials is almost perfect. When planning your next hit you have to take into account the velocity of the birds, the explosions, the materials, the angle, gravity and so on. The direction of the bird is a little tricky to set. There are no line guides to help you here. However, starting with the second bird you use, you will see the path from the first bird as a dotted line.
There are 7 types of birds:
- red: simple, used to smash pigs and structures
- yellow: same as red, but with a speed bonus: when tapping the screen after releasing this bird, the bird will accelerate and thus increase the damage
- blue: small and almost harmless. However, the additional tap will split the bird into three and provide a wider hit area. This is useful when hitting glass.
- black: heavier than the first three. After hitting the first obstacle in its way it will start a timer and explode causing great damage. Alternatively, by tapping the screen it will explode instantly.
- white: when tapping, it releases an egg that falls vertically regardless of the bird’s direction and speed. Upon impact, the egg causes a small explosion. Also note that after the release, the bird will change its direction and fly upwards. This might be useful when there are tall structures to the right.
- green: tapping causes this bird to act like a boomerang. The handling is more difficult than the other birds.
- big red: similar to the simple red but bigger and heavier.
The storyline (yes, there is also a story behind throwing birds into pigs) is given by the small cut scenes that appear between the levels. The birds are trying to protect their eggs while the hungry pigs are always trying to steal them away.
Playing time is increased not just because of the 195 levels available but also by the score system and bonus levels (golden eggs). Every level has a number of birds you can throw. 10,000 points are earned for every unused bird. Also, destroying structures helps, but the biggest revenue comes from the spare birds. The golden egg levels require special actions for access (e.g. find and hit a hidden egg somewhere, or get 3 stars in the Poached Eggs category.
One observation about the advertising within the game: in the version reviewed here the developers changed the position of the ad block. It was moved from the bottom right corner where it was previously to the top right corner. This is a little frustrating especially when using the green bird because it is masked by the add.
Conclusion
This is a must-have game. Period. On top of that it is a full version offered for free and will surely keep you busy for a few hours. And the amount of detail and care that was put into the development really sets it apart from most of the other apps in the Android Market.
Summary
| QR code |
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| name | Angry Birds |
| publisher | Rovio Mobile |
| price | free |
| advertising-supported | yes |
| version | 1.4.2 |
| size | 14.14MB |
| developer contact | rovio.mobile (at) gmail (dot) com |
Other resources
If there is something we missed out or you wish to find other resources for this application, be sure to check the following links:
- Rovio‘s official website
- Angry Birds Walkthrough: a set of videos of the gameplay that show exactly what strategies to adopt in each level.