They say that there are five stages of grief. Well, in my experience, there are three stages of Angry Birds Space.
1. Anticipation
Fuelled by the NASA association, endless tie-ins and ceaseless media attention, the impression that this is a Big Deal built and built. With it came an assumption that it must be a departure for the series – otherwise it wouldn’t be such a Big Deal, surely.
2. Disappointment
Oh, it’s still Angry Birds. Sure, there are gravitational fields and all, but essentially it’s just flinging birds at pigs in a faintly haphazard way. Again. But in space.
And it’s over-sensitive on the iPhone screen, so releasing your finger can be enough to shift the trajectory. A result of focusing on the bigger versions, perhaps?
3. Acceptance
But still, back you come, for more and more of it. The realisation dawns that gravity does open up some fun opportunities – slingshots, that sort of thing. It’s not huge – not a game-changer, if you like – but it’s enough to make it more than just a bunch of new Angry Birds levels.
One day, Rovio are going to have to take a risk, and do something genuinely different. That’s a day I’m looking forward to.
Meanwhile, despite its absolute ubiquity, Angry Birds Space is still fun. And selling by the arse-load, of course.
Version: iPhone
iOS: £0.69, £1.99 (HD) / Android: free (ads), £0.63, £1.89 (HD) / Mac: £2.99 / PC: €5.95