Angry Birds Friends

Angry Birds Friends

Developer(s) Rovio Entertainment
Publisher(s) Rovio Entertainment
Series Angry Birds
Engine Box2D
Platform(s) Android, iOS, Facebook (Adobe Flash)
Release date(s) February 13, 2012 (Facebook)[1]

May 2, 2013 (Android and iOS)[2]

Genre(s) Puzzle
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer

Angry Birds Friends is a puzzle video game and the fourth game in the Angry Birds video game series. It is developed and published by Rovio Entertainment. The game was originally an exclusive Facebook game called Angry Birds Facebook that was released on February 13, 2012,[1] and was renamed to the current name on May 23, 2012.[3][4] The Facebook version introduced power-ups to the Angry Birds game series. Android and iOS versions were released on May 2, 2013.[2] On October 27, 2014, Rovio Entertainment introduced a global league to allow users from around the world to play against each other.[5]

Gameplay

The mobile version has six-level tournaments that change each week, there are no episodes like other games or the Facebook version. Unlike the previous Angry Birds games, this game syncs progress with the Facebook version's weekly tournaments between the player, placeholder scores represented by Red and Chuck, and any of the player's Facebook friends who also play the game.[6] The game requires a login to Facebook to sync progress; otherwise one can play without a Facebook account. The top 3 winners each week earn in-game currency, called Bird Coins, which can be used to purchase power-ups or to acquire additional bird slingers.[7] In addition, the mobile version includes four power-up practice levels where there are infinite power-ups available for use.

In February 2012, the episode "Surf and Turf" was added to the Angry Birds Friends Facebook version and it was also added to the original Angry Birds. In July 2012, the episode "Pigini Beach" was added to the Angry Birds Friends Facebook version.

In August 2012, Rovio announced a partnership with the punk band Green Day which led to 20 new levels of Angry Birds Friends on Facebook featuring all three members of the band. The new levels showcased each member of Green Day as a green, bad pig and also featured Green Day's latest single, and an exclusive track.[8] The levels were removed in December 2012.

In March 2013, Rovio added the episode named "Pig Tales", which has fantasy-themed levels, for the Facebook version that arrives an all-new power-up and a mushroom hat for the avatars.

The game's weekly tournaments sometimes feature levels based on the season, such as Christmas themed levels in December and Easter themed levels during Easter.

Episodes

These Episodes are only available on the Facebook version, thus, is not found on the Mobile version.

# Level Pack Release Date Special Notes
1 Surf and Turf February 13, 2012 Introduces power-ups. Has also been added to the original Angry Birds.
2 Pigini Beach July 10, 2012
3 Green Day August 20, 2012 Promotes the punk rock band Green Day. Removed on December 20, 2012.
4 Pig Tales March 27, 2013 Introduces a new power-up and a new block.

Special Tournaments

Depending on the occasion, or whenever Rovio comes up with a unique tournament, Angry Birds Friends holds special tournaments for the weekly tournament. Here are some of the unique tournaments.

Tournament Weeks held Special Features Start date End date
Halloween 1 Zombie Pigs October 26, 2012 November 1, 2012
Christmas 4 Ice December 3, 2012 December 31, 2012
Lotus F1 1 Real-life prizes September 3, 2013 September 10, 2013
Halloween 2 1 Zombie Pigs October 23, 2013 October 30, 2013
Valentines 1 Heart-shaped balloons February 11, 2014 February 18, 2014
Wingman vs. El Porkador 1 Infinite Wingman Bundle March 3, 2014 March 10, 2014
Pirate Tournament 1 Kraken Pig May 19, 2014 May 25, 2014
Bird Cup Tournament 1 Sports-themed levels June 9, 2014 June 15, 2014
Bird Cup Championship 1 World Cup-themed levels July 7, 2014 July 13, 2014
Wingman II: Revenge of Cyporkador 1 Infinite Wingman Bundle August 4, 2014 August 10, 2014
Leagues 2 Introduction of Worldwide Leagues October 20, 2014 November 2, 2014

Reception

The game has received mixed reviews with a Metacritic score of 65/100 based on 5 reviews.[9] Pocket Gamer UK criticized the game for being "shallow and uninspiring"[10]

In April 2013, Rovio revealed that the Facebook game had been installed by over 60 million users, with 1.2 million daily active users and 10 million monthly active users.[11][12]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Natt Garun (February 13, 2012). "Angry Birds lands on Facebook a day early". digitaltrends.com. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Whitney, Lance (2 May 2013). "Angry Birds Friends flocks to iOS and Android". CNET. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  3. ↑ Mark Hachman (2012-05-23). "'Angry Birds Friends' Takes Flight on Facebook". PC Magazine. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
  4. ↑ Totilo, Stephen (23 May 2012). "Go Try Angry Birds on Facebook.". Kotaku. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  5. ↑ http://appadvice.com/appnn/2014/10/rovio-updates-angry-birds-friends-with-new-halloween-tournament-and-global-league
  6. ↑ "Angry Birds". Facebook. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
  7. ↑ "FAQ - Angry Birds Friends on Facebook". Rovio. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  8. ↑ Brian, Matt (August 20, 2012). "Rovio teams up with rock band Green Day to create a musical Angry Birds Friends episode".
  9. ↑ "Angry Birds Friends for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
  10. ↑ "Angry Birds Friends review - iPad reviews". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
  11. ↑ Nichols, Scott (3 April 2013). "'Angry Birds Friends' brings the Facebook game to iOS, Android". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  12. ↑ Bryant, Martin (3 April 2013). "After passing 60m Facebook installs, Rovio’s Angry Birds Friends is coming to Android and iOS". The Next Web. Retrieved 11 August 2013.

External links