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I am going to assume that everyone in the world has heard of Angry Birds. For crying out loud, they sell plushies of the characters at my grocery store right next to the Boo-Berry. Still, the game had yet to see proper releases on both consoles and Nintendo’s handheld. This brings us to the game at hand, Angry Birds Trilogy for the 3DS. Before we get started, be sure to take this into account. If you own a smartphone, you probably have access to these games for less than five bucks for everything. That said, Angry Birds Trilogy for the 3DS does boast new content, which is admirable, but doesn’t change the fact that the price is highly inflated.
Just in case you have been living under a rock, here is the premise. Some pigs have stolen the eggs of our ill-tempered fowl. In return, the offended avians intend to launch themselves out of a slingshot into the pigs’ domiciles and knock them down for points. It is a true tale of revenge. That is it. It’s nothing spectacular and nothing fabulous, the game just fires on the right cylinders for a quick experience. This explains its popularity on mobile phones. You can play it with one finger, making it the supreme definition of a time-waster.
The dual screen effect just feels unnatural.
Still, the hook cannot be denied. The game’s simplicity is what makes it so addicting, and even I have played multiple versions, on multiple devices. I just love playing the game. That said, if you have played it before this might not be for you. This “trilogy” actually features the original game, and the holidays and Rio add-ons that were released over time. It does not include the newest iteration, Angry Birds Space. I know some will scoff at that, but the package includes over 100 hours of content. Not bad for a handheld game. Arguments can be made on both sides, and both have ground to stand on, but the bottom line is, if you have yet to play Angry Birds, this is a solid package.
Porting it to the 3DS didn’t come without some changes. For example, you can play the game with either the buttons or the stylus. The bottom screen is always your bird and slingshot. You can pull back and release with the stylus, but when you using button controls you pull back with the analog, and tap A to release them. The top screen is your view of the field and you can zoom in and out much like the original. My biggest issue is that on that 3DS screen, the resolution makes it hard to adjust aim and see some of the finer details.
He’s using the trees!
It is weird that a game on phones is seemingly taking a downgrade visually when ported to a dedicated video game system. I was also not a fan of the 3D, as it made seeing some of the objects even harder to make out and really served no benefit. Controls also become a factor early on. For a game that can be played with one finger, it is disconcerting to see it convoluted when ported to the 3DS. The stylus control was never accurate enough for me, while the button scheme always felt more complex than it needed to be. It is a simple truth that porting games onto devices they were not designed for is a tough job.
Angry Birds Trilogy is a tough game to review. On one hand, it is an immense amount of content that has hooked countless players. The sheer number of levels and challenges will keep you playing it for months. All of this is, of course, dependent on whether you have already played the game on your phone or tablet, and become burnt out on it. Factor in the massive price difference, and we have a war of ideas. The bottom line here is this: if you love the series, you have likely already played it. If you don’t own a smartphone, and have never experienced Angry Birds, this collection will fit the bill. The sheer amount of content and quality in the package is undeniable.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
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