Angry Birds Journey for iPhone

A great throwback

First released in 2009 with the casual puzzle game Angry Birds Classic, the Angry Birds video game series by Rovio Entertainment tells the wacky story of multi-colored birds trying to save their eggs from their archenemies, the green-colored pigs. Inspired by Crush the Castle, it became highly popular with its fun gameplay mechanics, cute graphics, and silly shenanigans—spawning various spin-offs with different gameplay mechanics, as well.

However, in Angry Birds Journey, we finally return to the good ol’ slingshot madness. You who must once again face off against the green pigs to take back the stolen Egg Wonders—playing as old and new characters who offer different power-ups. The gameplay is simple as you just have to pull back on the character riding the slingshot and aim carefully to destroy the pigs’ tower of wooden planks, ice, and explosives.

Each level only gives you a set number of moves to use so you must defeat all pigs in as few moves as possible to get higher scores. You must also use each character’s special ability carefully against the tower to maximize the damage done. However, some of their landing animations don’t feel as good as the original games. You will also be rescuing Hatchlings and Fireflies who are trapped in the tower.

The first games felt better

Overall, Angry Birds Journey is immediately a great choice in the franchise considering that it’s the first of many that even featured the slingshot action. After countless match-3 puzzles, this is a breath of fresh air that longtime fans will really appreciate. Its landing animations may irk some players, especially newbies who expect immediate hits, but it still delivers solid gameplay that anyone can enjoy.