Angry Birds Star Wars II review: More of the same, but still great fun
The sequel to Angry Birds' foray into George Lucas' epic movie franchise brings new characters, tons of new levels, and more of the same great gameplay.
Angry Birds Star Wars II (iOS|Android|Windows Phone) is a sequel that continues the "Star Wars" theme as you fling birds at evil pigs, but this time the game explores the prequel movies, with new birds like Jango Fett, a young Obi-Wan Kenobi, and even characters from the "Pork Side." Whether you're playing for good or evil, this installment has all the same mechanics as the rest of the games in the franchise, but instead of getting boring or repetitive, it still manages to be fun.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
By now just about everyone has played or seen Angry Birds games, and the gameplay in this second Star Wars-themed installment is not much different. You'll use slingshots to fire birds into structures and try to kill all of the enemies in the fewest shots to get the perfect three-star rating. If you were looking for something completely new, this game is not going to blow your mind.
The first Angry Birds Star Wars game introduced birds that looked like characters from the original trilogy: Luke, Leia, Han Solo, and several other classics. But in Angry Birds Star Wars II you get characters from the prequel movies, such as the younger Obi-Wan, Padme, and Anakin, along with dark-side characters like General Grievous, Count Dooku, and Darth Maul. There are 30 playable characters in all. Each has specialized attacks while flying through the air, such as Darth Maul's double-bladed lightsaber along with Anakin's Jedi Force powers to help bring the structures down. You can also earn achievements for each bird character, then play through each character's "reward level," adding 30 extra levels to the game.
Angry Birds Star Wars II, like its predecessor, lets you swap in birds to help you out on particularly difficult challenges. You get a mix of 12 birds (in addition to the ones that come with a level) you can use at any time, but to replenish the special birds you'll need to either earn them or pay for them with real money. So there is an in-app purchase system, but you can still play the core game without spending any money beyond purchasing the game itself.
When I first loaded up Angry Birds Star Wars II, I knew what I was getting. Angry Birds games have been around almost as long as the iPhone itself, and to be honest I wasn't terribly excited to start up a new sequel. But once I started playing I realized that even though we've been through this many times before, the game has an amazing amount of polish, the classic slingshot gameplay mechanic is still solid, and the new themed birds still manage to keep the game interesting.
It's worthy of note that the game also offers its own Toon TV player, which plays Angry Birds cartoons and episodic content. I'm not particularly interested in this aspect of the app, but kids will probably get a kick out of watching their favorite Angry Birds in short animated stories. However, the Windows Phone app is missing this feature.
One thing that has come to annoy me about Angry Birds games -- and this one in particular -- is the amount of wait time at the end of a level. It probably has to do with letting the physics of the falling structures play themselves out, but when I'm done with a level, I'd like to move on immediately, and there's always a period of waiting before your leftover birds are scored. It's not a big deal, but once you notice it, you'll always think about it.
Still, Angry Birds Star Wars II brings more of the same great gameplay, but with new birds to experiment with and the option to play as the Pork Side. While the gameplay is nothing particularly new, it's just as addictive as ever, and still great for all ages.