Lovers of Rovio’s popular “Angry Birds” game unite with fans of the “Star Wars” saga. Released on November 8, “Angry Birds Star Wars” combines the addictiveness of eliminating the pigs and their structures with gravity-free bird-slinging and the Force.
The gist of previous games in the “Angry Birds” franchise is still there. Players slide their fingers on their device, launching birds from a slingshot into the air and destroying structures in the hopes of getting all the pigs. In “Angry Birds Star Wars,” the birds are modeled after Star Wars characters. Red Bird is now the lightsaber-wielding “Red Skywalker,” Yellow Bird is “Ham Solo,” Big Brother Bird is “Terrebacca,” Pink Bird is “Princess Stella Organa,” and Black Bird is modeled after Obi-Wan Kenobi. As in previous Angry Birds games, each character has special abilities including lightsabers, blasters, and the Force-push that add to the fun and potential for damage in each level.
The game retells the original “Star Wars” trilogy and starts off in Tatooine where Sandpigs are the target. As the levels progress, the villains become Pigtroopers, pigs protected by a hard stormtrooper helmet. Bonus levels include pigs based on Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader. The Death Star level very much resembles Angry Birds Space, as birds are launched into gravity fields, but the characters and level maps make it even better than before. Each level has its own challenges, from blasters being fired at birds as the birds are launched into the air to having to control Obi-Wan’s Force or Han Solo’s blaster.
“Angry Birds Star Wars” was released initially with Tatooine and the Death Star, combining for 80 levels. The game broke records in its initial release on the iTunes store, hitting the top spot in 2.5 hours. The game was updated November 29 to include 20 new levels on the ice planet of Hoth. More levels are expected to be added in further updates.
“Angry Birds Star Wars” is available in iTunes for $0.99 and for free on Google Play.
Star Wars fans and non-fans alike will both enjoy this version of “Angry Birds” simply because of the added action and features of the characters. Not only does it still have the virtue of killing time in boring lectures or meetings, but it also presents challenges in its new terrain and characters. It truly is the best of all worlds, or galaxies in the “Angry Birds” franchise.