Bad Piggies

Rovio's twist to Angry Birds, mixed with Amazing Alex gameplay

I was going to start this review with a joke about seeing a pig flying, but I preferred to give up and go ahead with the review of one of the most expected games ever. Hope you understand.

Angry Birds games have reached such level of popularity and success that they are actually quite hard to beat. They are a reference for the whole mobile gaming industry and, above all, they are hellishly fun. By the way, the antagonists of the AB franchise are as charismatic as the birds themselves, and their own line of plushes and merchandising let us to foresee that something big could come. Later, Rovio tried to surprise us with their version of Incredible Machine, which was indeed a great game but was far of meeting users' expectations. Fortunately, it seems that Rovio staff learnt a thing or two then.

Lastly, here comes Bad Piggies, the game that either would launch Rovio to the Valhalla of videogaming industry or will bury it in its own legend, damned to roam around umpteen reinterpretations of Angry Birds. I can advance that the answer is the former: Bad Piggies reinvents Angry Birds universe in an unexpected way without letting aside any of the elements that made that franchise famous. Bad Piggies is fun, loyal to Angry Birds's design and means a lot of new challenges to hardcore and casual players alike.

Gameplay is quite easy to explain: you have to build a vehicle to get certain goals given a limited amount of pieces. Once the vehicle starts moving you can change its course by tapping on certain buttons related to the elements you used before: you can pump the bellows or move the wings, for example. In your way there are dynamite boxes, spiky rocks and obstacles that will make the difference between just advancing a level and fulfilling the stage with a three star rating.

It must be kept clear that it isn't an easy game. Every stage is a mind racking puzzle, and it's been a wise move to include a hint (bulb) button and the Mechanic Piggie character (will this end as the Smurfs' village?) who can solve the puzzle in your name. Luck doesn't play a so important role as it did in Angry Birds last updates (especially on the most haphazard version, AB Space) so it's more about thinking what are you going to do and not flicking stuff just to see what happens next.

Absolutely recommendable. A lovely and smart game, suited for all ages, that inaugurates a new era in Rovio's career. It might not be as casual as Angry Birds, but it hasn't have to be. It's more clever, and we love it.