Angry Birds Uses Latest Graphics to Keep Gamers Coming Back

Angry Birds was a huge hit when it launched in 2009—scoring over 2 billion downloads. Improvements in graphics promise to make Angry Birds 2 a big hit as well.

The rise of the “freemium” business model in apps, in which programs are offered for free but developers make money on in-game purchases, has resonated in Finland. Rovio has decided not to charge for Angry Birds 2 and will instead make it free on all platforms while allowing customers to make in-app purchases. The move is a somewhat surprising one, since some of its earlier games carried fees at launch. Still, it’s nice to see the company let users try out Angry Birds 2 at no charge.

One of the nice things about iPhones and Android devices getting better internal components is that they support enhanced graphics. Angry Birds 2 arguably comes with the best graphics of any game in the Rovio franchise. The character models are crisp, the levels look great, and the detail exceeds that of any previous version.

Rovio has said that gamers should expect the best gaming experiences to live on newer iPhones, iPads and Android devices. That is likely due to the heavy focus the company places on graphics and design, which are accommodated most effectively by newer components. Angry Birds 2 will run on older devices, but the best experience will live on the newer products.

In the first version of Angry Birds, users were given a set number of birds for each level and needed to win by slinghooting the birds at multilevel structures. Angry Birds 2 uses the same idea of slingshots but now allows users to pick the birds they want in a particular level. While that may sound like it’ll make the game easier, it actually requires a bit more strategy and analysis of each level before making picks.

In the first Angry Birds, once all the bad pigs were destroyed, users moved on to the next level. In Angry Birds 2, however, Rovio has introduced multiple stages in levels. So, while a person may get through one stage, they’ll need to continue on through subsequent stages to get through an entire level.

A neat addition to Angry Birds 2 is magic spells. Users can employ things like blizzards or “golden ducks” that will provide some extra capacity for them to take down the bad pigs. The spells feature may not appeal to Angry Birds purists, but it adds a bit more depth to a game that, at one time, was only focused on slingshots, birds and pigs.

Rovio has promised all kinds of surprises in the game as time goes on. As users work their way through the title, they may find some items to unlock, new characters, new weapons to take down the pigs and more. Rovio has taken great strides not to make Angry Birds 2 as simple as its predecessor, and adding surprises in the mix will help with that effort.

One could argue that the first Angry Birds came with relatively simple level designs before expansion packs were added on. In Angry Birds 2, Rovio has added far more innovative level designs that are both challenging and add a layer of excitement that the predecessor did not have. Some other Angry Birds titles, like Star Wars and even Seasons, had innovative levels, and now Angry Birds 2 is bringing that design flare to its main franchise.

Taking cues from some of the most popular games available now, Rovio has included a function that will allow gamers to play each other in an area called the Arena. There, users can employ their birds and spells to take each other on and see who does the best job of solving game puzzles. It’s an addition that could spur continued involvement in the game after the initial levels are overcome.

As noted, Rovio has taken a freemium model with Angry Birds 2, and already the company has delivered an array of in-app purchases. According to Apple’s App Store, gems have proved to be the most popular purchase so far, but game packs and other paid items are also on the rise. Expect Angry Birds 2 to hit you over the head with a ton of in-app purchases over time. And even if you aren’t passionate about the game, expect to find yourself buying at least some of the upgrades.