Just in time for E3, Rovio released its much-anticipated Angry Birds Evolution, which takes busting up pigs to a whole new level. From the gorgeous graphics to the plethora of gameplay features, it’s hard to decide where to even begin with this review, but one thing is certain: Angry Birds Evolution is way more fun than it has any business being.
If you’ve ever played any Angry Birds spin offs, some of the gameplay elements will be pretty familiar. At its base, Angry Birds Evolution is a flick-and-spin mobile game with mechanics similar to a virtual pinball machine. In the regular game mode levels, players shoot out a team of birds in the direction of their oinking adversaries, in hopes of dealing massive damage or taking out multiple pigs with one blow. As you win battles, you’ll receive a variety rewards: currency like coins and diamonds, eggs that unlock new Angry Birds types, and tickets for purchasing premium eggs. As you add more Angry Birds to your collection, you have the option to fuse birds to upgrade your favorites and increase their avian powers. Birds come in a variety of colors and when players team up more birds of a specific color, their powers are multiplied.
There are goals throughout the game that earn players extra rewards, as in most mobile free-to-play games. After you reach level 5, you unlock arena battles, which are PvP games that add a whole new twist to the flick-and-spin gameplay. In PvP battles, players have to employ more strategy to win the fights and earn trophies. If players manage to climb to the top of the arena, they’ll win great prizes and move up leagues.
In between the standard gameplay levels, you’ll get bits of a storyline in the form of beautifully animated cutscenes. For those who don’t really care about that kind of thing, there is the option to fast-forward.
Once you reach level 9, you unlock in-game events. These have yet to begin, but I’m looking forward to seeing what those are all about. According to the official site, these events allow you to unlock rare and powerful birds. At level 10 you have the option to join a clan, which offers perks like:
First aid kit drops a health pack once per battle
Smartbomb drops a bomb once per battle, dealing damage to pigs when a bird hits it
Clan Egg rewards an extra egg after certain battles
Extra scout gives players one more scout
Being part of a clan also allows you to participate in clan battles for rewards and prizes. Players who donate gold can also help to level up their clan to unlock the various perks mentioned above.
If you love a good casual mobile game and are looking for something new to try, Angry Birds Evolutions definitely belongs on your shortlist of games to download. It is available now for free on both the Apple and Google Play app stores.
