At long last, Angry Birds v3.2.0 has landed, bringing with it incredibly unique gameplay unlike anything we have seen so far: Egg Defender Mode. This episode, called Red’s Mighty Feathers, has been teased for weeks. First, Rovio announced that the Red Bird would be gaining a new power, then later giving a name to the episode. The update has landed for iOS and Android via Google Play, with more platforms coming soon.
Update 10 July: Rovio Accounts are working there way globally, having just landed for iOS and Android in the US. For more information, see our dedicated post.
Now on to the details. As we said above, the gameplay in this update is not like we are used to in the Angry Birds universe. So let’s explain exactly what’s happening.
- Red’s Mighty Feathers includes 15 levels to 3-star, but a bit unlike normally. Foremost, stars are not awarded by score. In fact, there are no scores at all! Our walkthroughs are now live.
- The first star is awarded for protecting the Egg from the Bad Piggies. The piggies come in several waves, usually one contraption at a time with a pig or two within. If any pigs manages to grab the Egg and return it to their lair, you fail the level.
- The second star is awarded popping so many piggies in the level. You will see a “0/x” under the hurt piggy icon, meaning you must pop x pigs to earn the star.
- The third star is awarded for achieving the first two stars, by using a set number of birds. You will see a number listed in the red bird’s silhouette, which is the maximum number permitted for the star. Under the silhouette will be an active count of how many birds you have used.
Unlike in Bad Piggies and Icebreaker, these objectives must be completed in a single try in order to obtain all 3 stars. For example, if you don’t pop enough pigs, the game won’t even consider how many birds have been used.
Possible issue? A few people have noted the inability to zoom — or at least zoom significantly. While I’m certainly accustomed to zooming a bit, I’m not sure if it’s a major loss here. Since you need only attack one contraption at a time, you don’t need to see what’s coming next. However, it should still be noted I think.
Red Bird’s New Ability!
As teased, the Red Bird has finally be given a special power. While in flight, you will notice a small red arrow pointing toward the pig closest to the bird. Tapping/Clicking will cause the Red Bird to attack that pig directly, changing its trajectory as needed! Essentially, this is a Lazer Bird with even better accuracy!
A few strategies can be used here. Foremost, the Red Bird will always travel in a straight line until it hits something, after which it will succumb to normal gravity. That said, take advantage of where TNT are located to try to blast those. Also, note that the contraption can be shattered without popping the pig within, which will force you to use another bird to pop him. So adjust your trajectory and angle to pop the pig after breaking through the contraption.
Final note on the Red Bird: This power is episode exclusive! You can’t go back to Poached Eggs and try to use this power, so our leaderboards are at no risk.
What Are Your Thoughts?
We would love to hear your thoughts on this update, especially given the uniqueness of gameplay. We are guessing that this gameplay is a teaser for a brand new game. Some speculate that it could be Angry Birds Go, but I don’t see much racing going on. Your guess is as good as mine though, so we’d love for you to respond to the poll below.
A few words of caution here. As the world’s largest and most dedicated Angry Birds community (no asterisks here, it’s absolutely true!), you can bet your bottom dollar that Rovio will check here for peer reviews. That said, both compliments and criticisms should be CONSTRUCTIVE. Any comments like “I love/hate it” won’t help Rovio improve anything at all. Explain what you like, what you don’t, what you think should be tweaked if anything.
I’m another one who was really excited for new levels of traditional play and is feeling bummed to have some completely different.
It’s just not capturing my attention and desire to play like usual. I did a couple levels, and I probably won’t finish the chapter. It’s not fun for me.
Yada yada, yes free update, shouldn’t complain, and it won’t change my feelings and gratitude for continuing AB games by Rovio, but really, you can’t just slap a red bird on a game and call it AB if it’s a completely different game!
Can’t agree more. I can’t say I like the game. After 3 levels, I stopped right there.
The game has no score making me feel weird especially for a friend like me playing every possible levels & episodes on iOS with 3 stars.
Breaking news: Rovio just announced that reds mighty feathers will get another update and that will include the classic levels and it will include scoring. Read the end of this blog on Rovio.com
There is also a picture.
http://www.rovio.com/en/news/blog/329/5-tips-to-master-red%e2%80%99s-mighty-feathers
Large picture gameplay: http://www.rovio.com/UserFiles/Red%20Bird%20Red%20Square/red-6-end.png
First, it is good to know Rovio is listening. I have mixed feelings though about this latest news. I appreciate the return to normal scoring, but this also poses a problem. Some have said that those of us (the strong majority) who do not like the new gameplay can simply not play the new episodes. That was fine because it did not affect the leaderboards (Ithink) if we skipped Red’s Mighty Feathers. When they add scoring, we will all have to play the new levels if we want to compete in the leaderboards. I really, really wish they had made this a separate game. Goodbye ABO, it was grand :(
@bonneypattycat The existing levels don’t have scores though. The following are still possibilities:
• The “normal gameplay” levels might appear before the “different” levels.
• The “normal gameplay” levels might be unlocked independently of the “different” levels.
• Bad case scenario: You would have to 1-star each of the “different” levels to gain access to the “normal” ones.
• Worst case scenario: There’s a 3-star Golden Egg associated with the episode.
In terms of numerical scoring, only the latter two have any influence on your leaderboards.
I don’t think the classic gameplay will appear before the egg defence gameplay, simply because at the end of #15 we see the piggies coming up with another contraption behind the red curtains and they still have the remaining 2 eggs, so it’s expected the classic gameplay will carry on the story AFTER the 15th level. (Though Rovio can always change that by removing or changing the cutscenes for the episode.)
About the “worst case scenario”, that’s unlikely with the most logical explanation of surf and turf not having a 3-star golden egg either, also considering that both RMF and S&T are a sort of bonus episodes…
Btw anyone else noticed the funky tune (that gives you the star) in the angry birds radio golden egg not playing (for android)? It just shows Red bobbing up and down while enjoying the funky tune that doesn’t play…
I understand better now. I think I misread the news about future RMF levels. I thought they would be the new gameplay, only with traditional scoring. That would have really upset the leaderboards!
I will take a wait and see attitude from here…
If that’s going to be case then I’m done with this game. They stole more the 2 years of work to achieve those scores. I said it before and I’ll say it again, Rovio needs to make a ABO game for competition only. I’d pay for a New App that they would promise not to make any updates.. All Versions exactly the same. NO PowerUps. No Mighty Eagle. No Golden Eggs. Just scoring.
@redbird1604
Thanks for the info. Proves that they do listen to the complaints and stuff. Good for them. And that was a quick reaction from the too, btw. The update was released barely two days ago.
Not what I expected, but it’s still got some fun.
Kinda like a tower defense game except there are eggs instead of towers.
However, there’s some stuff I don’t like; the pig vehicles are too fast, the Reds are too weak (2/3 hits to destroy a block and kill the pig enclosed in it) and they can’t be forced into a direction you picked, instead aiming at those pigs, resulting even in a failed launch. I also don’t understand why the pig GFX is different than the one in the other scenarios, it looks somewhat inconsistent…
Still, it’s a good scenario to try out.
Do you think after the update will reds power become available for all episodes. Since I am a PC user some levels three stars are very hard to get
because there are no powerups. May be like In The Path Of The Jedi were Red Skywalker is upgraded after you complete the chapter.
I dont think they are gonna make the red birds power for all episodes, it could be destroying the balance of a level. Also i think with this new update red bird keeps his power, (and did we get other birds? / power up icon in the image?) But i’m very glad they are gonna make an new classic gameplay update for this chapter!
Earlier episodes: I doubt Red’s ability will ever be available there.
RMF: That’s an interesting question. If I had to guess, I’d suppose that the ability won’t appear, but it wouldn’t be unreasonable for me to be wrong.
*Edit* Im changing my guess based on the image. I say yes to Red’s ability.
Since Rovio is going to make new classic gameplay update for this chapter, I wonder if we’ll be able to choose which option we want to go for… points or objectives?
Based on the picture, it looks like a 100% return to classic gameplay (except maybe for Red’s ability).
Agreed (:
Wowww?? @amslimfordy. I just replied to the post and it was gone by the time it posted!? Was that post also too negative for you. You seem to be getting a pretty quick delete finger lately. Was TURD the profane line with you. Just asking…
I haven’t removed any comments, actually, @pjdambra. I appreciate the accusation though :)
Now it’s also possible to create an account on rovio.com for uploading your scores!
One of the adverts (Pause-Button) redirected me directly to rovio.com, I was able to create an account and now next to the PowerUp-Shop Button (Main Menu) there is a new button where you can log in and out.
I’ll test it now with my iPad. But it seems like a dream came true :-)
Rovio Accounts are rolling out to more areas of Europe, I believe. We wrote a post when it first (accidentally) landed, which you can read here.
Count me among the haters. These levels are incredibly tedious. The biggest problem is the number of highly accurate shots in a row you need to string together in order to three-star a level. In traditional AB game play that number is generally one, two or three at the most. In this update, it’s up to a dozen. I have ten of the levels three-starred at this point, and will eventually get the rest, but it’s so boring to spend a minute and a half destroying four vehicles only to see one slightly errant shot allow the fifth vehicle to escape. If this is, indeed, released as a separate game, I certainly won’t be buying it.
I really hope the pc version comes out soon because I can only play it there.
I know making reds power available for all the episodes might make them easier but so did red skywalkers ability when he was upgrade because I remember playing some of the tatooine levels and sometimes improving my highscore by more than 10000 points with the black red skywalker bird.
I’m glad I came here to check. I hate this game. I appreciate the complexity and effort, it’s just like Bad Piggies, I do to like playing it. I’m at level three and really have no desire to go any farther of finish these. I got three stars on one and two on two and my feeling is meh. I’ll wait for a fix or just leave it alone.
The new levels are a new game. Just way too different and not enjoyable.
And they’re way too hard to 3 star, which is killing my soul… I won’t be able to claim 100% 3 star in all versions of AB anymore.
:(
Some levels make you go insane… It begins to be almost impossible just after 3/4 levels (at least for me), it forces you to make timing or even pixel perfect moves. 2 days and I’m still stuck at Feather-5.
There used to be a so-called Angry Birds game on the now defunct Symbian platform.With the touch screen unavailable,you had to use direction keys to set first angle,then power(see Catapult Madness).The target was not a stationary fortress,but like what we see now,a mobile contraption moving towards the sling.If the contraption along with the pigs reaches the sling you lose.If I remember correctly,cows were in place of the Big Brother and enemies included the wizard and the Android droid.
I used to tease the guy who’d got the game and thought he got AB at a bargain,however,little did I expect the gameplay to appear in the genuine AB.Surprise me.
I actually like it. A nice change of pace. Up until this update, I have every level 3-starred in every Angry Birds game. In this new update, I’ve 3-starred 13 out of the first 13 (haven’t tried 14 yet). Yes, it is difficult, but not impossible, and I’ll finish it up. Tried Bad Piggies, but couldn’t get into it. This new update is different from that game, so disagree with those who believe new update should be there instead. Angry Birds Friends Tornament has new updates every week, so I get my fix there while I wait for ne AB updates. Again, I like it.
Like previous reviews stated- cant find the will to go beyond level 4 as I’ve become extremely irritated trying to 3 star it. The flying contraption comes too fast- it’s not fun to try and figure it out- instead I want to scream, close the app and never look at it again. Grrrrr. It doesn’t even give you a fair shot – I don’t even want to move onto higher levels as I imagine its even faster and more frustrating. Disappointed
Just passed all levels, though without 3*. Like many others, I find the gameplay frustrating.
– takes too long before you can start level
Would prefer to have aiming like laser bird, RMF requires you to judge the amount of time required for red to get there in addition to angle
Don’t care about zoom, but don’t like the way the level scrolls when you don’t want it to, like when you are trying to fling red.
Takes too long to get new red in relation to speed of vehicle
Frequently red doesn’t release, which means you lose most of one launch cycle. This may be user error, but happens all too frequently
Suspect the speed is device dependent, which would make it even more difficult on faster devices
Point 2 above. Have to include speed of vehicle in instantaneous calculation, and speed is not always constant.
Oh, yes. I think the lack of scoring, which eliminates competition, makes this episode a flash in the pan.
One more thing I don’t like: I paid for ME in ABO. It is supposed to let you skip levels you are stuck on, as well as playing for TD. ME is not available in RMF, so you have to pass every level to get to the next. Getting stuck has caused a lot of people to stop playing RMF.
I think not being able to use something I paid for, which is supposed to work in every episode is unfair (substitute something stronger).
I’m a little late here, but will add my $ .02.
I certainly understand Rovio’s needing to try something new, however I don’t understand the release of this update as part of ABO. Angry Birds is Angry Birds & Bad Piggies is Bad Piggies. These are two very different games and do not “mix and match” as iI think has been done here.
We die hard players enjoy the various Angry Birds, in part, because of the ability to continually improve scores, sometimes by developing new shooting strategies, and the ability to compete against millions of players across the world on a score based board, whether it’s here or Game Center. None of these things are possible.
For me, it’s not the new game play that’s objectionable, it’s the inclusion here as part of ABO. I agree with the countless others in that this needed to be a separate game or part of Bag Piggies. I really don’t like Bad Piggies & gave up after a dozen or so levels, but I imagine some who do like the game might object to the inclusion there too.
I also think Rovio dropped the “ball” here by SERIOUSLY disappointing those of us who could be defined as die hard, have loved from day one Angry Birds fans by their advertising or announcing a new level release and then dropping this on us. I for one was hugely disappointed by Rovio’s seemingly repeated failure to hear what those of us who’ve supported them over these years have been saying we like or don’t like.
I do give Rovio a BIG thumbs up for their immediate response to our outcries in that there will be an update to RMF to bring it back to the beloved ABO. I’ll add though, IMO, if this is something that has always been in the works, I’ll be even more disappointed with this company. Right now it’s “hats off” to them for listening to the objections and announcing plans to correct the “mistake.” Very few people, and certainly not me, want to find out we were being “played,” and by that I mean later discovering that this reaction was expected and the yet unreleased update was the plan all along.
I agree, they should not have included this new gameplay to an existing game. Why change a successful game? Why change a winning team?
For more than 25 years, all Super Mario Bros. games are more or less similar. Nintendo would never change the gameplay completely. That’s what people want. And the games are always successful.
i agree, and I do not have time to spend half the evening trying to get past the third level in red feather
I gave up and if I have to get through that stupid red feather game to get to the next level then I am deleting the game from my tablet.
You can three star a level by saving the egg, killing all the pigs, and using fewer than the allotted number of birds. You can two star by using more than the allotted number of birds or not killing all the pigs. But you can’t one star a level. Or can you?
I guess I don’t understand the point of having three stars if you can only two star or three star a level.
1 Star: Egg Saved only
2 Stars: Egg Saved + No Pig got away
If 1 of the pigs escapes without an egg, and they do sometimes fly away empty-handed, you can earn 1 star (assuming the egg never gets stolen successfully, by any remaking pig, which leads to level failure).
Did the most recent update disable the daily reward for ABO?
I still get rewards for Seasons, Rio, Space, and Star Wars.
I don’t think I have earned a single reward since I added the Mighty Red Bird’s Feathers.
Yes, you are right. No daily award any more, even if you open a level in which you can use power-ups.
Not a hater.. But it doesn’t belong in angry birds. I have spent days on end tryin to solve some angry birds levels.. And rarely ever .. In 2 years.. Wanted to throw my phone. This update made me almost do Many times. It just isn’t enjoyable to play for me. Maybe for some.. Everyone is different.. But it’s not the style of game that created so many fans of the original.
If they spin it off, that’s fine. But if this the main path going forward. I’m done too.
Is the RMF survey still available? I completed it a few days ago, but would like to do it again, now that I have completed all levels.
You can only take a poll once. Keeps the statistics unbiased.
it’s very weird. i took the poll once. and today i took it again… i never sign out of my account and use the same pc..
Not sure if Rovio is still caring to read opinions, or if anyone else is for that matter, but here’s mine. The update is awesome. totally unexpected, totally new. part of the fun of Angry Birds is how random it can be [Space levels in the middle of Summer, funny animations, secret achievements, surprise updates, even the entire concept of the King Pig is random] so i give this two thumbs up. one new section doesn’t dilute anything else in the game, and it probably is keeping it fresh for many.
I e mail Rovio ask about daily reward, yes, it has been remove PU daily reward,
We’re sorry to say that the Daily Reward system was indeed removed in the latest update of Angry Birds. We’re currently re-evaluating the system and considering if it should be brought back in some form in the future.
I don’t like it. I don’t hate it. There is a comment in the pro tip that some have not played enough of it to have a say. I have 3 stared 11
levels and 2 stared the rest. May stop soon as level 15 looks ridiculously difficult.
Verdict is still, ‘IT IS DIFFERENT’. It doesn’t belong in ABO!
I totally disllike the new chapter. Far too difficult for me and I find that, thru lising patience I’m losing interest in the whole game now. By all means have it as a separate game for those who enjoy playing it, but I prefer the classic game.
The red bird won’t go where I tap the screen. Very frustrating!! Allow the bird to strike where I tap on the screen and this would be a good addition.
The Red Bird automatically targets the closest pig.
The inability to zoom on the Android makes some RMF levels almost impossible to play. Why is zooming disabled?
—
Bob
i love this update!
but i have a question, where are other birds who helped in the protection of the eggs? they must be back to help red to save the eggs!
don’t you think so?
I really don’t like the egg defender level. It is way too hard to make it all the way through most of the levels. Also, I prefer to get a score. In the regular angry birds levels what I enjoy the most is being able to keep playing and increasing my score and comparing it to others.