The original Angry Birds app has been rebuilt for modern devices by the company behind the game, Rovio, and is now available on the App Store for $0.99. It is playable on both iPhone and iPad.
Rovio Classics: Angry Birds is a recreation of the 2012 version of the game and features all 390 levels, with the Mighty Eagle add-on included for free, and no ads or in-app purchases. That Mighty Eagle add-on, many fans will remember, was an in-app purchase in the original Angry Birds game, and enabled players to pass some of the more notoriously difficult levels.
Angry Birds is widely regarded as one of the best iPhone games ever released; however, Rovio took the original game off the App Store in 2019, due to it no longer being fully compatible with newer devices.
Now, the game has been completely reassembled with the Unity engine – as opposed to the proprietary Rovio game engine in which it was originally built – to deliver a more sustainable experience across various devices and platforms. However, Rovio has promised that it has preserved every aspect of the original game with this ‘revival’ release.
Executive producer Sami Ronkainen commented in Rovio’s announcement of the recreated game: “While we were rebuilding Angry Birds, we took great care to preserve the feeling of the original Angry Birds game. We know our fans are a discerning bunch and will be able to pick out even small differences. Matching the gameplay, and appearance of the game next to the original was crucial.”
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this release, is that Rovio has decided to return to its roots as far as the business model is concerned. Instead of offering a “freemium” game – a game that is free to download, but which includes ads and in-app purchases – it has reintroduced the $0.99 download fee, and there are no ads or in-app purchases at all.
Fans of the original Angry Birds game will doubtless relish the opportunity of a nostalgic revisit to the franchise’s origins, with no gimmicks or new characters. More information about the release can be found on its download page on the App Store.