Angry Birds

Voices of: N/A
Developer: Rovio Entertainment
Designer: Jaakko Iisalo
Rating: E
Genre: Puzzle
System: Mobile
2009

Times Completed:
Tim: 1

Summary: Angry birds are flung by a giant slingshot to break down Pig fortresses.

Review:
Tim: Angry Birds took the world by storm when it was released in 2009. You would see people everywhere, playing on their phones. Like most big fads, it took me a little while to try it. Once I did, though, I was hooked. I believe I played between 2010-2013 approximately. I slowly became more and more obsessed with it, until I completed everything the game had to offer- including 3 stars on every level, all the Golden Eggs, etc. Now, I can't remember at this point if additional levels came out that I didn't play. I know that for quite a while, I played every new batch of levels and completed them. It's definitely possible additional levels were released after I stopped playing. That matters less- what really matters is that I completed the game as far as it was possible during the time I played it.

The brilliance of Angry Birds is similar to the best video games. It perfectly blends simplistic controls to pick up, but a great deal of complexity to master. There's something so inherently fun about launching birds and causing untold destruction. That's really the basic genius of the game- you fling a bird and you see massive structures topple or explode. It's addicting and fun. To make it through the levels requires a bit of precision, but it's mostly just fun. To get 3 stars in every level requires more exemplary puzzling skills. There's a huge amount of depth to some of the levels- to fling the right bird with the right power precisely where you need it to go. It can be incredibly challenging. The birds have a nice variety of skills- the foundational red one, the yellows that speed up when tapped, the blue that split into 3 birds, the black bird that explodes. And then, later, the white bird that drops eggs, the green boomerang bird, the giant red one that just destroys what it touches. It got a little less fun once the bubble bird came and the pink bubble bird. The Mighty Eagle levels were fun with the sardine can, but introduced a whole new level of complexity. Some of those Mighty Eagle levels were truly challenging. I remember playing them over and over again.

Like a lot of mobile games, my playing started off small and then increased over time to the point where it bordered (or was completely) obsession. I'd play on any off moment I had. A few tries here or there. It's kind of funny, one of strongest memories about this game is playing during a job I had that I hated. I'd end up being on calls for long periods of time, in conference rooms by myself. While I spent hours on the phone interviewing people, I'd have this game up, playing while I was listening. It wasn't the best approach to that work, but I got a ton of levels completed since I was able to play it a few hours every day at work.

I was a huge fan of Angry Birds and I played it to the very end of what was available. I did play Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Space, but I never spent the same level of investment to complete everything. Still, Rovio built a truly memorable, addicting game and it was tons of fun while it lasted.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Game, We Recommend: Angry Birds Seasons, Angry Birds Space, Bird vs. Bird, Bit City, Billionaire