It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly ten years since Rovio Entertainment first released Angry Birds. It may also be hard to believe that I have never played or have really any experience with this franchise at all, despite its numerous sequels and spin-offs into comic books, movies, and animated series. Despite having touched numerous gaming platforms and other mediums, Angry Birds made its first flight into virtual reality only earlier this month with the release of Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs. Priced at $14.99, Angry Birds VR is currently available on the Oculus Store, Steam, and Viveport, with support for more VR devices coming later, along with additional levels.
At release, the game comes with fifty-two levels that are split into four areas, each with thirteen levels. The theme of each chapter varies to include locales around the Pigs’ vacation island. Destinations include Sandy Beach, Rocky Climb, Snowy Slopes, and the extra colorful Party Peaks. As previously seen in the franchise, players use a slingshot, though now from a first person perspective, to launch the birds (Red, Bomb, Chuck, and the three Blue birds) at the green pigs (or more specifically, the tenuous structures they’re standing on). It’s a physics based puzzle game in which you must try to cause as much destruction with each slung bird (four per level) as you can by giving some thought to what part of the structure would cause it to topple the most. Large boxes labeled “TNT” help to cause yet more destruction. The birds also have unique traits such as Chuck’s ability to move at a higher rate of speed, making ramming into stronger structure elements work better than most options. The Blues are unique in that they’re actually three smaller birds dispatched at once.
You can, and should, also approach the puzzle from different angles to get better views of the action. You can literally move around in the real world to get different views, or snap over to marked locations within the UI. The physics look and feel realistic, and the artwork and sounds do a lot to make the experience amusing and silly. Amidst the destruction and laughs, the goal is to retrieve stolen eggs while trying to earn three stars for points earned on each level. Some levels can take some extra thought to nail the three stars, but even with replays and second efforts you’re probably going to be able to complete all the levels in just two or three hours.
I appreciate that Angry Birds VR sets out to do one basic thing and it does it well. The price point, presentation, gameplay, and fun factor are all on par. The experience is a little bit short, and at least for me it does not offer any replay value. But for a simple, familiar concept and for the price, it’s hard to knock the experience that much for it. If you’re a fan of the franchise, or even a newcomer like me that wants to try it out, you can’t really go wrong here.
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