Bad Piggies, Rovio's latest game release, lets you see the other side of the Angry Birds story. Rather than flinging birds at the green pigs, you have to safely (and sometimes not so safely) guide the pigs across a rocky course in a makeshift vehicle, to a finish line where pieces of a map lay that will lead them to the coveted bird eggs. Crafting each vessel for the win involves building a contraption using anything from wood and metal boxes, wheels, balloons, umbrellas, soda bottles, fans, motors, and TNT, all involving crashes, and occasionally, blind luck.
Bad Piggies leaves more room for creativity than Angry Birds and there is more than one way to win each level. There are plenty of items to collect along the way, including strategically placed skulls that unlock additional levels. The game flew to #1 in the App Store within three hours after its release, showing that people were excited to see what Rovio would come up with next.
Basic Gameplay
The design of your contraption is up to your creativity and the tools you have been given. By placing the items on a predetermined grid, you build a machine that will get your pig safely to the finish line. You can control the motors, soda bottles, umbrellas and other propulsion contraptions either by touching the objects on the device itself or by using action prompts on the bottom of the screen.
For instance, if you need to strategically time out your soda bottle deployment, you can simply touch the soda bottle you want to use at that time, whereas, if you touch the control at the bottom of the screen, all soda bottles facing that direction will deploy. Also, if you go back to levels you previously won, the contraption you last built will automatically show up on the grid.
While playing Bad Piggies, you can get instructions on how to use a certain device or how to propel the pig in the right direction from an illustrated book. The illustrations are cute, but when the levels get more difficult, they are difficult to decipher. In these instances, written instructions, rather than just the illustrations, are preferable.
Sometimes there are restrictions on the contraption you build; for instance, you might have to get the pig to the finish line without using a motor or a soda bottle. In the pig's world, soda bottles can be used as "MacGyvered" rockets, propelling the pig and your contraption into the air. Even better, you can sometimes get the pig in motion and then launch him to his destination with carefully placed TNT.
Some levels also include the King Pig who takes up four spots on the building grid, and one of the three goals requires getting the King Pig over the finish line while he rides shotgun. Every element added into the cart changes its physics, weighing it down, making it go faster, making it go slower, etc. So the more elements each level adds, the more there is to consider about each contraption.
Levels
Levels
There are two main levels at launch, Groundhog Day and When Pigs Fly. There is a third level pack, named Sandbox, which features unlockable stages. Each level has three goals that can be won in separate races to the finish line, and it is not always possible to complete all three goals in one shot, which adds greatly to replayability.
The one constant goal requires you to get the pig to the finish line in any way, shape, or form. This even includes using nothing but the pig himself, letting him free fall down a slope; whatever gets him there. The other two goals are generally more complicated and include challenges such as time constraints, getting your cart to the finish line intact, and running the pig through star boxes placed along the course.
After every four levels, there is a blue level that can be unlocked by obtaining a certain number of stars from the previous four levels. These levels are darker and eerier, and the road to the finish line is usually much longer.
Graphics
I reviewed Bad Piggies HD on an iPad 2, the quality was good and on par with Angry Birds HD. The game is also Retina ready for thethird-generation iPad.
While you are building your device, the pigs head shakes and looks around while occasionally laughing (it might feel he is taunting you, depending on your ride success rate). When the device is launched, the physics are consistent and fun, and can often end in some nasty crashes. You might start to feel bad for the concussed pig after your 30th attempt at reaching the finish line ends in a crashed cart and a dazed pig seeing stars.
Sound
While Bad Piggies has fun sound effects, chances are you won't be playing this on full volume in public. The hokey music plays over the rush of a waterfall in the background. When you set your vehicle on its course, the pigs let out some decidedly maniacal laughs and squeals as they bounce down the rocky terrain. If you wish to listen to this on full volume, do your neighbor at Starbucks a favor, and use some headphones.
Conclusion
Overall, Bad Piggies is a creatively challenging puzzle game that also uses basic physics. It might be a game for those who are patient, as it can take countless tries to get the pig to the finish line, and even more to accomplish the three goals for each level. Bad Piggie's diversely obtainable goals causes you to linger longer on each level, if you care about getting stars.
Personally, I liked trying to get all three stars before moving on to the next level, but it could also be fun to revisit the stars later on if you need a break from some of the more daunting cart building.
The gameplay starts out very easy, presumably to teach you the basics for that level, but it gets difficult quickly. The fact that there can be a plethora of options for building your contraption is sometimes overwhelming and confusing, unless you like the challenge of physics and basic engineering. For me, iPad games are for pure enjoyment, I like to keep it low key, and I found myself frustrated at some levels, perplexed at what I was missing.
One improperly detonated soda bottle or TNT box could throw you off, making you just miss your goal, over and over again. Also, I occasionally felt like the device I built made it to the finish line out of sheer luck rather than strategy.
For $2.99 in the App Store at the time of review, it will offer endless hours of gameplay, considering there are many ways to finish a level. Also, it looks as though Rovio has Bad Piggies set up so that additional level packs will be available for download, and Rovio will allegedly be releasing updated level packs for free. Also important to note, if you are planning to purchase the iPad HD version, it is only optimized for the iPad. You will have to buy a separate game for the iPhone or iPod touch if you wish to go mobile. There are always the free versions as well, which will involve some annoying advertisements, but offer the same gameplay basics.
Ultimately, Pad Piggies is a love-it or hate-it game. Even though I found it hard to get myself addicted to the gameplay, as I have been with other iPad games like Angry Birds, I think the right type of person will enjoy the diversity and replayability. With so many ways to win each level, it certainly will not leave you bored. Frustrated maybe, but certainly not bored.
Source: TabletPcReview
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