My interest in Angry Birds has waned considerably in the years since the original game’s release. Like everybody else, I enjoyed the first one immensely, and it was cool watching Rovio’s game grow from its humble beginnings into a fully-fledged pop culture phenomenon, but the subsequent barrage of spin-offs, tie-ins and merchandising eventually wore me down and left me weary of the Angry Birds IP.
What do I know, though, because the franchise is still going strong (with 100 million or so monthly active users at last count), and remains an incredibly solid earner for Rovio. It’s hardly surprising then that they keep pumping out new entries into the series; the latest of which hit the App Store just last week. It goes by the name of Angry Birds Action!, and if you ask me it’s the freshest and most fun an Angry Birds game has been in ages.
Billed as “a game based on a movie, based on a game,” Angry Birds Action! is the first Angry Birds title to feature the new, more anthropomorphic character designs from The Angry Birds Movie, which should excite anyone looking forward to the animated flick arriving in theaters later this month. For everyone else, the game’s main selling point will be the fact that it (finally!) puts a genuinely interesting twist on the series’ tried-and-tested bird flinging formula.
Angry Birds Action! actually reminds me quite a bit of Rolling Ranch, a little-known game from a few years back that I really enjoyed. It’s probably best described as Angry Birds meets Pinball. I won’t go into much more detail than that (in case we decide to review the game), but suffice to say, the new top-down view and 3D visuals look great, the gameplay is a ton of destructive fun, and the free-to-play stuff — while definitely there — isn’t obnoxious or laid on too thick.
The gist of this article? Even if you think you’re bored to tears of the Angry Birds franchise, Angry Birds Action! is probably still worth giving a shot. It certainly managed to change the mind of this lapsed fan anyway!