4 out of 5 stars
It’s been over two years since Rovio released Angry Birds to mobile devices. Since then, the simple game of using various birds to kill green pigs has exploded into a pop culture phenomenon.
In that time, various expansions to the original game have also been released. Titles such as Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio have brought new levels to the market, but have never felt like true evolutions of the original.
This has changed with the release of Angry Birds Space. With the addition of several new gameplay elements, a bevy of fresh graphical assets and original bird types, Space is the true Angry Birds sequel fans have been waiting for.
As always, the story behind the game is a simple one. Those dastardly green oinkers have once again stolen from the birds, but this time, they’ve fled to the far reaches of the galaxy in order to escape. That doesn’t stop the familiar fowls from taking off on an interstellar journey for vengeance, where more slingshot action awaits.
The narrative moments are brief, and players will quickly be dive-bombing green pigs and their hastily built structures. However, several new elements bring significant changes to the gameplay.
Space introduces two major new gameplay elements. First, smaller planetoids litter the galaxy, and the gravitational pull of each one affect the trajectory and power of a launched bird. Also, birds in the void of space will find nothing to prevent them from flying forward in a straight line.
The new gravitational elements may seem simple, but their implementation in each level is masterful. Using the gravitational pull of a planet to zoom around and hit an otherwise out-of-reach bird is great, as is using free-floating space debris as deadly projectiles.
Of course, the stars of the series are still the birds themselves, and the newest additions to their ranks only add to the experience. First up is the redesigned yellow bird. Now endowed with purple feathers, a tap on the touchscreen after launch allows the bird to zoom to exactly where your finger points.
The other avian addition is a square, light blue bird that turns everything it touches to ice. This makes even the hardest structure materials shatter in one hit, and can kill pigs outright. The rest of the original birds all return as well, now decked out in sci-fi outfits.
Perhaps the biggest problem with Angry Birds Space is the brevity of the experience. With only 60 levels available after purchase, the experience will be short-lived for well-trained pig hunters. Considering the amount of content Seasons has continued to receive as free updates, though, fans can rest assured that more levels will be released soon.
On the whole, Angry Birds Space delivers more than enough bang for the single buck consumers are asked to pay. The evolution apparent in the title’s gameplay brings a renewed energy to the franchise, proving there’s still more fun to be had in the final frontier.
