A game currently in development by Mattel will let you play Angry Birds in real life.
The iPhone and iPad game has been near or at the top of the Apple App Store’s “most popular” list for months, and has been downloaded more than 50 million times. It’s been praised for its realistic physics engine, which lets you fling virtual birds at wooden and glass fortresses containing little green pigs. And it’s ridiculously addictive.
So it shouldn’t be surprising that Rovio, the makers of the game, is partnering with Mattel to make a game that lets you do all this in real life. It’ll be available in May, 2011 for $15.
Game play is simple: You pick a card and build the structure shown on it. Then your opponent uses a little catapult to fling little plastic birds at the structure, scoring points for knocking it down.
What could be easier? I like the way this game takes a classic kids’ activity — knocking down your sister’s tower of blocks — and turns it into a constructive group game. I only wish the blocks, birds and catapult were a little bit bigger. As it is, the plastic pieces are too small and lightweight. In my house, they’ll probably get batted under the couch by the cat or swallowed by the dog in no time.
Until then, though, this game promises to be just as fun as, and less socially isolating than, the iPhone version.