Angry Birds Star Wars

Last updated

Angry Birds Star Wars
Angry Birds Star Wars.png
App icon
Developer Rovio Entertainment
Publisher Rovio Entertainment [a]
Director Jaakko Iisalo
Producer Maxime Loppin
Designer Kimmo Sorsamo
Series Angry Birds
Engine Box2D
Platforms
List
Release
  • Mobile, PC
  • November 8, 2012
  • 3DS, PS3, Vita, Wii, Wii U, X360
  • October 29, 2013
  • PS4, XOne
    • NA: October 29, 2013
    • WW: November 1, 2013
Genre Puzzle
Modes Single-player, multiplayer

Angry Birds Star Wars is a 2012 puzzle video game developed and published by Rovio Entertainment in conjunction with LucasArts. It is the sixth game in the Angry Birds series, and is a crossover with the Star Wars franchise; it combines gameplay from previous Angry Birds games with elements from the Star Wars original trilogy, with several Angry Birds characters portraying Star Wars characters. The game initially released on November 8, 2012, before being ported to home video game consoles by Activision in late 2013. The mobile version was praised by critics, and was downloaded over 100 million times, whereas the console ports received negative criticism. A sequel, titled Angry Birds Star Wars II , was released in 2013.

Contents

Gameplay

A level set in Cloud City from The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Angry Birds Star Wars Gameplay.gif
A level set in Cloud City from The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Angry Birds Star Wars is alike the previous Angry Birds titles—players eliminate pigs by launching birds from a slingshot—albeit with Star Wars theming and alterations similar to Angry Birds Space (2012). [2] [3] Based on the original trilogy of Star Wars films, [4] levels take place in locations from the films—Tatooine, the Death Star, Dagobah, Hoth, and Cloud City—and use gravitational fields previously seen in Space. [2] [5] [6] The playable birds represent Star Wars characters and use unique abilities based on them; Red Bird portrays Luke Skywalker and uses a lightsaber, the yellow bird portrays Han Solo and uses a blaster, and the black bird portrays Obi-Wan Kenobi and uses the Force. [b] Other characters represented include Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, Leia Organa, Palpatine, and Yoda. [5] [10] [11] The Millennium Falcon , referred to as the "Mighty Falcon", can be summoned by the player. Enemy pigs are also Star Wars-themed; pigs wearing Stormtrooper helmets fire blasters at birds, [8] TIE fighters orbit planetoids in levels set in outer space, [2] and Darth Vader levitates objects via the Force. Hidden collectible eggs, which can be found in levels, unlock bonus levels in which C-3PO and R2-D2 are playable; the former divides into several small pieces, while the latter emits an electrical shock. [4]

Ports of the game for home and handheld consoles introduce features such as exclusive levels, multiplayer, high-definition video, achievements, and Kinect compatibility. [1] [12]

Development and release

Angry Birds Star Wars was conceived when Ville Heijari, vice president for franchise development at Rovio Entertainment, considered a Star Wars collaboration to be the most sensical for a major partnership. [13] Andrew Stalbow, who was in charge of Rovio's strategic partnerships, stated that the developers aimed to make the game "feel like one of the biggest, if not the biggest, entertainment launches of the year". [3] [14] Several pieces of merchandise were produced to promote the game, including plush toys and a Jenga playset of a pig-shaped Death Star. [3] [15]

Angry Birds Star Wars released for Android, iOS, Kindle Fire, OS X, Windows, and Windows Phone on November 8, 2012. [6] [9] Activision published the home console ports; it released for Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Wii, Wii U, and Xbox 360 on October 29, 2013, and was further ported to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in North America on the same day and worldwide on November 1. [1] [16] The console ports were priced at US$49.99, whereas the mobile version was US$2.99, which sparked controversy. [17]

The mobile version received additional post-launch content via patch updates throughout 2013. On June 13, levels set in Cloud City featuring Lando Calrissian as a playable character were added. [10] Another update on December 17 added levels set in the second Death Star and a final boss against Darth Vader and Palpatine. [11]

In a 2021 development update on the remake of Angry Birds (2009), brand director Steve Porter stated that Angry Birds Star Wars was unlikely to be re-released due to third-party licensing. [18]

Reception

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Angry Birds Star Wars was received as "generally favourable" based on a weighted average score of 88/100 from 22 reviews. [19] On OpenCritic, the game has an average critical score of 49%. [20] Mark Brown of Pocket Gamer gave the title a Gold Award and a score of 9 out of 10, praising the game for being "faithful to the source material" and "filled with content". [23] Justin Davis of IGN gave a score of 8.8/10, praising the playable characters and level design. [21] Eric Ford from TouchArcade called the game "excellent", considering it his favourite Angry Birds game and a "must-play" for iOS users. [2] Andrew Reiner from Game Informer gave it an 8.5 out of 10 score and called its levels "the most creative [in the Angry Birds series] to date". [4]

The console ports were more commonly criticised in comparison to the mobile versions. Martin Watts from Nintendo Life gave the Wii U version a score of 6 out of 10; he praised its faithfulness to the source material but criticised the multiplayer modes, which he called "an underwhelming affair". [22] Push Square gave Angry Birds Star Wars a negative score of 4 out of 10; critic Katy Ellis called the PlayStation 3 version "awkwardly out of place" on the platform and better suited for mobile devices, [5] while fellow critic Simon Fitzgerald called the PlayStation 4 version a "clone" of previous Angry Birds titles and criticised its price. Additionally, he noted its use of the DualShock 4's touchpad, but found it "too sensitive" and recommended the analog stick instead. [7] Peter Willington from Pocket Gamer gave the PlayStation Vita port two out of five stars, saying that the controls—which he called "sloppy"—diminished its value and made it "an inferior version of a great game". [24]

Sales

In 2013, Angry Birds Star Wars was reported to have surpassed 100 million downloads. [25] [26]

Accolades

Awards and nominations
YearCeremonyCategoryResultRef.
2013 2013 Webby Awards Webby AwardWon [27]
People's VoiceWon
2014 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Video GameNominated [28]
British Academy Children's Awards Kids' VoteLonglisted [29]

Sequel

A sequel, titled Angry Birds Star Wars II , was released for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone on September 19, 2013. [26] It is based on the Star Wars prequel trilogy and launched alongside Telepods, a range of toys-to-life figures used to "teleport" characters into the game. [30]

Notes

  1. ↑ Activision published the console and handheld ports. [1]
  2. ↑ Attributed to multiple sources: [2] [6] [7] [8] [9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 29, 2013). "Angry Birds Star Wars confirmed for PS4 and Xbox One". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on December 28, 2025. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ford, Eric (November 16, 2012). "Angry Birds Star Wars Review – The Force Is Strong With… You Know The Rest". TouchArcade . Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Nichols, Scott (October 8, 2012). "Angry Birds Star Wars soaring in November". TechRadar . Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Reiner, Andrew (November 13, 2012). "Angry Birds Star Wars Review". Game Informer . Archived from the original on December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Ellis, Katy (December 1, 2013). "Angry Birds: Star Wars Review (PS3)". Push Square . Archived from the original on December 28, 2025. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 Snider, Mike. "Star Wars invades Angry Birds". USA Today . Archived from the original on June 17, 2024. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 Fitzgerald, Simon (December 7, 2013). "Angry Birds: Star Wars Review (PS4)". Push Square. Archived from the original on December 9, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  8. 1 2 Mark Brown (November 8, 2012). "Angry Birds Star Wars Review". Pocket Gamer . Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  9. 1 2 Nicholson, Brad (October 8, 2012). "Angry Birds Star Wars Coming November 8 to iPhone and iPad". TouchArcade . Archived from the original on September 17, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Kerr, Chris (June 13, 2013). "Lando Bird mends his ways and joins the Rebellion in Angry Birds Star Wars". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  11. 1 2 Priestman, Chris (December 17, 2013). "Rovio updates Angry Birds Star Wars with 30 new levels, 6 new characters, and a Darth Vader boss fight". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on May 8, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  12. ↑ Welch, Chris (July 18, 2013). "'Angry Birds Star Wars' coming to every gaming console known to man October 29th". The Verge . Archived from the original on September 20, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  13. ↑ Mlot, Stephanie (October 8, 2012). "Rovio's Angry Birds Star Wars Coming Nov. 8". PC Magazine . Archived from the original on December 19, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  14. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 8, 2012). "Angry Birds Star Wars out next month". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on December 19, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  15. ↑ Levine, Nick (October 9, 2012). "Angry Birds launches Star Wars edition". NME . Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  16. ↑ Whitehead, Thomas (July 18, 2013). "Angry Birds Star Wars Confirmed for Wii U, Wii and 3DS". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on November 15, 2025. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
  17. ↑ Smith, Mikey (November 2, 2013). "Angry Birds Star Wars fans shocked by $50 price tag for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One". Daily Mirror . Archived from the original on December 25, 2025. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
  18. ↑ Porter, Steve (December 22, 2021). "Bringing Back 2012 – Dev Diary 2: Your questions answered!". Rovio Entertainment . Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  19. 1 2 "Angry Birds Star Wars". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  20. 1 2 "Angry Birds Star Wars". OpenCritic. Archived from the original on December 4, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  21. 1 2 Davis, Justin (7 November 2012). "Angry Birds Star Wars Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 16 July 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  22. 1 2 Watts, Martin (December 31, 2013). "Angry Birds Star Wars Review (Wii U)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  23. 1 2 3 Brown, Mark (November 8, 2012). "Angry Birds Star Wars Review". Pocket Gamer . Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  24. 1 2 Willington, Peter (December 13, 2013). "Angry Birds Star Wars Vita Review". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  25. ↑ Moscaritolo, Angela (July 15, 2013). "Angry Birds Star Wars II Landing Sept. 19". PC Magazine . Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  26. 1 2 Dredge, Stuart (August 23, 2013). "Angry Birds Star Wars II to launch for iOS, Android and Windows Phone". The Guardian . Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  27. ↑ "Angry Birds Star Wars". The Webby Awards. Archived from the original on December 19, 2025. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  28. ↑ Couch, Aaron; Washington, Arlene (March 29, 2014). "Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards: The Winners". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  29. ↑ Barraclough, Leo (October 22, 2013). "BBC's Wolfblood Leads BAFTA Kids' Awards Noms". Variety . Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  30. ↑ Webster, Andrew (July 15, 2013). "'Angry Birds Star Wars II' will follow the prequel trilogy and feature physical toys". The Verge . Archived from the original on September 17, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
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