I see a lot of potential in Angry Birds Boom! as an arcade admirer and the partner of another and it will be out later this Autumn
Attention, all arcade admirers! It looks like a mobile gamer’s favourite flock has a somehow refreshing way to maintain their relevancy as they celebrate their 15th anniversary. During the ambitious list of reveals throughout this year’s Sonic Central, including new outfits for Amy Rose, Shadow the Hedgehog and Mephiles the Dark coming to Sonic Dash, Sonic Dash+ and Sonic Forces: Speed Battle throughout the last three months of the year, Rovio Entertainment and Raw Thrills, Inc. had a surprise of their own; an arcade cabinet referred to as “Angry Birds Boom!”. Of course, this is not the first time the flock’s quest to eradicate green pigs has been adapted into an arcade game as you may recall playing Angry Birds Arcade at some point in the mid and late 2010s. As Fortnite fighters dance to “Bye Bye Bye” by *NSYNC with Deadpool in honour of the triumphant billion-dollar success of Deadpool & Wolverine that will be out on Digital and Blu-ray this October and take part in a game of golf in a new Topgolf map outside of the usual battle royales, I shall discuss the full potential of the next Angry Birds arcade game before it is my turn to be launched from a giant slingshot. Don’t worry! I’ll put on a crash helmet before that!
As Rouge the Bat and the “Find The Computer Room!” guy pull off new groovy looks in Sonic Racing, the big reveal of another arcade game in the Angry Birds series is raising some thick eyebrows but quite infatuating those who love first-person shooters in arcades. Be sure not to mess with the FPS Robot in Hero’s Duty from Wreck-It-Ralph though!
The gameplay style is a lot like NERF Arcade in terms of being a first-person shooter two players can experience together. Considering how the models of the force-feedback launchers feature Red as the first player on the left and Chuck as the second player on the right, it seems like there will be no option to choose to play as any bird besides them aside from Bomb being the battler in a Boss battle, which is quite a shame as I would have loved to play as Stella. No! Not the Stella from Helluva Boss! The rewards system may be a number of tickets (or a ribbon, according to Tommy Pickles and his fellow babies in “Piggy’s Pizza Palace”, an episode of the fifth season of Rugrats) depending on how far the player has progressed throughout their turn, but personally, I care a little more about the gameplay experience than earning enough tickets for a certain item at the prize counter. Moreover, the gameplay may not be as faithful to a user’s solo adventures with the flock as Angry Birds Arcade seems. However, it still looks quite thrilling as a more chaotic equivalent of NERF Arcade, especially if you love causing destructive mayhem in a game, such as The Simpsons: Hit & Run and Moving Out.
By the look of the gameplay, I also have a feeling that Chuck will not demonstrate his incredible speed at all, which would be disappointing to fans of the flock, yet it still provides a balanced experience for both players. As long as the gameplay is engaging, it is swell, no matter how many tickets I could win.
What can I say apart from the “Boom!” in the game’s logo looking like what you would see for a dramatic effect in a comic book? In terms of the cabinet’s design, it is understandable why fellow fans of the vengeful avians would consider the design of the Angry Birds Arcade cabinet more faithful to what made the series iconic in the first place as its launcher creatively resembled the slingshot from the first-ever game, yet the two launchers of Angry Birds Boom! have a little more cred to show that Red is Player 1 and Chuck is Player 2 alongside colour-coded seats as a reminder of Deadpool & Wolverine. Aside from a striking design for the cabinet, the game’s graphics displayed on a 65” screen with an RGB LED border for full-on interaction are rather generic but vibrant in a 3D style as the timer in the HUD is fittingly designed to make the time limit more intense. Can you imagine an 8-bit adaptation of Angry Birds in a retro-styled arcade cabinet? Now that would be a swell combination of a modern mobile gaming craze we have cherished since 2009 and something that ‘80s kids and ‘80s teens adored back in the day.
I can already imagine playing this game with my fiancé. Aside from how the cabinet has such an eye-catching design, I can also safely say that the graphics are at least not needlessly flashy, thus leading to concern on whether it will be accessible for those with photosensitive epilepsy or not, unlike Space Invaders Frenzy.
In conclusion, I see a lot of potential in Angry Birds Boom! as an arcade admirer and the partner of another and it will be out later this Autumn. What could be next? An arcade adaptation of Catherine: Full Body for the older players? A spin-off title starring Ruby, Red’s sister and possibly co-starring Jo, the second non-binary member of the flock? After plenty of those who do not allow a specific religion are already craving some green bacon, our animal crossers are sure to check out a new paid offline version of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and make the most of the last Halloween celebration in the original online version before its closure this November. Aside from how I must condemn the terms “woke” and “wokeness” being used as crutches or pandering buzzwords when it comes to criticism, there are games that have some form of inclusion AND compelling gameplay, such as Moving Out and the eventually redeemed Cyberpunk 2077, so please spread kindness and rationality if you consider gaming a big part of you, even after destroying the shelters of those pesky pigs.
I think a spin-off starring Ruby ought to bring back Matilda’s girlfriend from Angry Birds Seasons, thus giving her a name and a slight redesign and the same ought to apply to Red’s love interest who was only known as “Girl Bird” around that time. Other allies in said spin-off could also include Tony, Terrance’s cousin and the little striped bird who was only around during an Easter celebration back in 2012, thus reducing the likeliness of the same measly controversy surrounding Angry Birds Stella back in 2014 being repeated. But for now, let us continue to celebrate the series’ 15th anniversary, especially this December.
