Another slingshot game by Rovio Entertainment Corporation in the Angry Birds Franchise. The game has been soft-launched in the USA, Finland, Denmark, Canada, and Poland. Who doesn’t like Angry Birds? The game from our childhood which we all are familiar with. Sure Rovio did lose their way somewhere along the line with too many ads and poorly made spinoffs but they are good at jumping back with the occasional good game. Would we consider Angry Birds Journey as a good game? Well, we would say it’s not so bad. It’s just not as good as they used to be. However, the game does try to return back to the roots of the Angry Birds franchise. You go around slinging genetically modified birds at green pigs who stole the Birds’ eggs. Here in this article, we will review Angry Birds Journey and share our first impressions of the game.
Going back to its roots
Starting off with the Angry Birds Journey review, like its predecessors, the game follows the theme of a casual and relaxed slingshot game. You need to lead your birds into kamikaze missions, topple down structures ie, “Eliminate” the Green Pigs, and rescue trapped birds. While doing that, keep in mind that you have a limited number of birds available and you have to strategize to attack the weaker points in the structures to maximize the damage per bird. As you play through, you can power up your birds to launch rather brutal attacks on your enemies.
In each level, you come across three structures, each with some pigs in it. One of the things we miss is the tap to activate special powers feature the older games in the franchise had but in this game, the powers get activated on their own. The game still has a stamina system so while playing the game continuously for longer, your gaming might get disrupted if you run out of stamina. At the start, you have infinite stamina.
Overall, the gameplay isn’t too bad. But it’s easier than the older games. You do have a bunch of different birds with different skills so as each level gets more challenging, you can make use of different birds after assessing the situation. The game also has a level-up feature in which you can get some items once you get enough XP from playing through levels.
Colorful graphics and slick controls
The game has very cartoonish and colorful graphics while the audio and music aren’t too bad and like the rest of the game, has cartoonish aspects to it. The graphics aren’t too bad either and are actually enjoyable. While the music is a bit repetitive, it isn’t really annoying and obnoxious like the soundtracks of some of the older games in the franchise and you hardly notice it once you’re engrossed in the game. One of the things we dislike is the appearance of the pigs. It could certainly use some work because they look too blocky and aren’t as detailed as they used to be.
The controls are pretty easy to understand and follow the theme of the older games in the Angry Birds Franchise. You pull back the sling and aim towards the pigs’ structure to break it down. The UI is pretty simple and easy to understand and you get a good introduction to the game mechanics and what to do when you start playing the game for the first time.
In-App purchases are the real villain
The game is full of In-App Purchases. With real-world money, you can buy in-game currency and starter bundles which include stamina, in-game currency and some other items. These in-app purchases actually drove away some players who wanted Angry Birds to be a one-time purchase game that they could play without interruptions until they completed all the levels. Rovio has certainly been greedy and this issue wouldn’t have come up if the first Angry Birds game hadn’t been such a big hit. Rovio probably saw the success and decided to increase profits
Final Verdict
The game is pretty enjoyable and a step in the right direction for Rovio. After a bunch of games that weren’t really appreciated by the community, Angry Birds Journey is a game that has some real potential to it but could be made better. We feel like the biggest problem with the game was the In-App Purchases. Most people willing to pay for the game would probably be happier paying for the game once rather than making IAPs that go all the way up to 99$. Aside from that, Angry Birds Journey is quite a good game; one that you can play anytime to relax and engage yourself with something.
What are your opinions on the Angry Birds Journey game and your review of it? Do let us know in the comments!
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It’s OK but you can’t select which bird to use when. On levels w 5 structures this gets annoying.