The game options are also limited. The one and only option is to mute the audio – both sound effects and music. I didn’t like this all or nothing approach either. The collision sound effects are OK. There wasn’t an option to keep the smashing sounds, while silencing the birds or the music. Because of this, I usually play Angry Birds with the sound off.
Playing like a perfectionist could also lead to hate for Angry Birds. If you’re trying to get all three stars on every level, it’s easy to find frustration. The game has great physics, but sometimes it just doesn’t make sense. I could be replaying the same level dozens of times, repeating almost the exact same shot, but a slight variation in trajectory yields extremely different results. Finding the precise way to crush the enemy fortifications is challenging – perhaps too much.
But even though I can find flaws with Angry Birds, it’s still one of my favorite iOS games. The game is memorable. Those iconic birds are now part of gaming legend, like Mario, Lara Croft or Mega Man. It’s one of the defining games of this generation. And even if the game is a bit too frustrating, I still find it fun to play. It’s satisfying to crush the pig stronghold.
There are different types of birds that you can use in Angry Birds. Each type has a special ability. The blue bird is better at smashing ice. The Yellow bird is better at smashing wood. There’s also a speed boost for the yellow bird, which is actives by tapping the screen while the bird is in flight. The white bird is like a bomber. It can drop an explosive egg while in flight. I especially like the Black Bird. That bird explodes! The red bird is the standard bird. It doesn’t do anything special.
If those birds are not enough for you, an additional 99¢ can unlock the Mighty Eagle. It’s basically a cheat code that you pay for. By chucking a can of sardines into the play-field, the big bird will swoop in and ravage the area. There is a limit to the Mighty Eagle. If you haven’t cleared the level, then it can only be used once per hour. That prevents you from ripping straight through the game.Perhaps you don’t want to be charged an additional 99¢ for the Mighty Eagle, but you lend out your iOS device to a click-happy child. How can you prevent an increased bill? You can setup a restriction. Simply go to Settings > General > Restrictions and then turn off in-app purchases. That should block any in-game purchases like the Mighty Eagle. I tested it out. The Angry Bird app furiously tried to connect, to complete the transaction, but nothing happened. Only a dimmed screen and a spinning icon was displayed. The sale could not be completed.
Angry Birds supports Game Center, so there are achievements and leaderboards. A simple glance at the rankings illustrates the game’s success. I was but one player in a group of over five million. There’s more to Angry Birds than hype. It’s actually a pretty good game. I don’t think it’s the best game on the iTunes App Store, but it’s hard to argue against the rankings. Angry Birds has a lasting appeal, which is suitable for players of all ages.