We’ve been so inundated with new Angry Birds titles in recent years that it can be hard to keep up. In fact, this latest title has seemingly surfaced from out of nowhere. It isn’t just another spinoff, though – Angry Birds Under Pigstruction is the true sequel that we’ve all been waiting for.
The original Angry Birds launched a little over five years ago and was the first mobile game to truly take the smartphone world by storm. Since then we’ve had a slew of tie-ins and expansions, but the game itself has never really seen a sequel, developer Rovio instead opting to continue updating the main game for as long as possible. An admirable approach, but it seems like Angry Birds’ time is at hand.
Under Pigstruction is absolutely more of the same, though – just with enough tweaks and twists to get players addicted all over again. The most immediately noticeable difference is the game’s graphical overhaul, which gives settings and backdrops a new 3D veneer. Colours are sharper and more vibrant, and everything just has a lot more detail to it. In other words it looks like a modern version of Angry Birds. Pretty good, right?
Gameplay seemingly remains the same, with all but a couple of tweaks. Don’t worry, you’re still chucking birds at buildings, it’s just there’s been a few changes to keep things interesting. The one which has the biggest impact on gameplay is that you now choose the order in which you use your birds. In previous titles they would wait for you in single file – now you have to develop your strategy accordingly, and hope that you don’t misuse them.
There’s also a set of new spells to help you with particularly tough stages. Our favourite so far is the Golden Duck, which rains down a storm of resplendent duckies on the unsuspecting pigs below them. These powers aren’t free though, so you’ve got to use them wisely.
Speaking of free, Under Pigstruction is going down the free-to-play route, which the original Angry Birds adopted a few years into its shelf life. You have a finite number of lives which will replenish over time (or with the spending of cold, hard cash). We aren’t fans, bluntly, as we feel the game is polished enough to be purchased outright on its own merits. Still, this is the route that gaming is taking nowadays, and casual players will probably be glad that they won’t have to lay out any money up-front.
Angry Birds Under Pigstruction has just undergone a soft launch in Canada, with a worldwide release to follow ‘soon’. Hopefully Rovio means that, too, as we can’t wait to get our hands on the finished version.
