Overview
Rovio’s iconic Angry Birds has made its way to the PC, with the aim of avenging the pigs who stole the Birds’ eggs. Angry Birds is all about the addictive action, strategy-puzzle gameplay and the comical theme that has rocketed the game to the most successful mobile app the world has seen so far. Angry Birds has also been called “one of the most mainstream games out right now.”
Developer: Rovio Mobile
Distributor: Apex Interactive
Reviewed on: PC
If we had to give it a numerical score: 8.0 out of 10
Likes
- The lush colours pop out on the larger screen
- Angry Birds goodness in the office or home pc
- Load times
- Controls benefit on PC
- Angry Birds’ sense of humour
- Sound Effects
- Loads of value thanks to 4 seasons
Dislikes
- Virtually the same game we loved on our mobile
Gameplay and Features
The famed gameplay is challenging in the way old-school games were challenging, this also makes the gameplay very addictive and the replay value is huge. The levels require timing and precision with the controls and a fair bit of strategy to progress.
There is an enormous amount of Bird types who feature different strengths or characteristics which come in handy in progressing through the level which the Bird-type was assigned to. The levels and Bird variations makes the different levels diverse and there is plenty to keep you interested (if the gameplay itself doesn’t hook you).
The overall aim is to take revenge on the Pigs that stole the Birds’ egg, so while it’s mostly about clearing levels, you do compete for score and rank up. You also unlock Birds and levels as you progress. The less lives you use, the higher your ranking and score will be which all ads up to unlocking the unlockables. The PC version ships with a whopping 4 seasons which equates to hundreds of levels, so there is so much value – hours and hours of ranking up in a pick-up-and-play package.
Sounds and Visuals
The art direction, for the off-chance somebody did not play the mobile version, is cartoon-like – brightly coloured and vibrant which totally suits the comical theme of Angry Birds. The more pixels allowed by the higher resolution screen really amped the Angry Birds experience for me. The graphic quality is neat and crisp, but it is not all that makes Angry Birds stand out amongst the rest.
The sound effects also benefit dramatically thanks to the superior sound card and speakers on the PC over mobile. The comical theme extends to the sound effects which are totally entertaining – one of the aspects of Angry Birds that grabbed my attention.
Final Thoughts
Anyone who played the mobile version of Angry Birds will know why the game elevated to such lofty heights. The combination of the humour with the superbly designed, addictive gameplay that makes you think without getting too involved, makes for a casual gaming experience that has won fans over by the millions.
I compared the gameplay to old-school games mainly because it uses the same foremost design to grab you in and keep you entertained. In the Mario Bros. era; from the old to young, gamer to non-gamer, nobody could resist the charms of the gameplay – simple at a glance but challenging once you got into it – keeping you wanting more. So to will Angry Birds appeal to most and for the exact same reasons. The core gamer will still be challenged mentally and will still need to be fluent with the controlling aspect. Fortunately the casual will not need to read and encyclopaedia [the Wikipedia in the olden days for our young readers] of a manual to understand what to do.
The PC version benefits in the visual and sound departments enough in my opinion to justify the purchase, and then the seasonal levels make it a high-value package. It is the same game we all love, and so the pick-up-and-play nature of the game might also give my PC’s Solitaire a much deserved break.
Best of all, the game doesn’t hit ‘pause’ when the phone rings!
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