Angry Birds Rio iPhone Review

It should came as no surprise that in its third iteration, Rovio has mastered the Angry Birds formula. The newest chapter in the blockbuster mobile franchise, Angry Birds Rio, is built solidly on the foundation that has garnered – according to Rovio – over 100 million downloads since late 2009. Yet enough is different here to keep Angry Birds Rio from feeling like nothing more than a dressed up extension of the same game.

Surely, you know the basics of Angry Birds. You slingshot a gaggle of otherwise flightless birds into structures, breaking them apart with their sometimes-special powers, like the blue bird that breaks apart into three little chicks or the black bomb bird. Angry Birds Rio initiates a temporary cease fire with the pigs of past chapters and instead draws inspiration from the upcoming animated movie, Rio. Instead of smashing into piggies, the heroes must break open caged tropical birds, eventually freeing the Blu and Jewel, the stars of Rio. In the back half of Angry Birds Rio, the ire of the birds turns on a band of monkeys.

Angry Birds Rio's smartest move is its learning curve. Though there are millions of gamers that have tried and loved Angry Birds, there are likely just as many that have thrown up their hands in surrender. Angry Birds Rio is designed not just for the newcomer, but also the newcomer gamer. It starts off forgiving and stays that way for the majority of its first 20 stages.

Now, you won't be scoring three-star ratings for each stage on the first try – nor finding all of the hidden golden pineapples – but you're never stuck for long. This alone makes Angry Birds Rio more enjoyable than the previous outing, Angry Birds Seasons, which seemed to gleefully punish.

There's a level of visual polish on Angry Birds Rio that manages to boost what's already a successful game. The simple art of Angry Birds is one of its most under-appreciated success factors – the birds are undeniably good characters. But now the stages have depth thanks to parallax scrolling, the caged birds add extra flashes of color, and the overall arts is just a touch sharper.


Angry Birds Rio includes 60 stages (plus a boss fight), but when you glance at the stage select menu, you can see Rovio's aggressive update plans for the coming months. While that's not nearly as many stages as you get for 99 cents in the first Angry Birds, you are investing here in what appears to be a fruitful future.

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