A decade ago, a yellow bird soared through pipes that strongly resembled the one you would see in a Super Mario game. The challenge he proposed led to widespread fury caused by one failure to dodge the pipes, yet it was considered rather addictive like a drug and resulted in plenty of copycats, such as Flying Tickets. Unfortunately, the app was removed from the App Store due to its creator, Doug Nguyen’s regretful resentment towards its success being earned for the wrong reasons as it was not as progressive as Candy Crush Saga and its spin-offs still are today. But in the middle of this decade, a resurrection spell for the bird is yet to be cast. Some of our fellow mobile gamers may think that the gaming industry is running out of ideas by hearing about that concept, but I guess the bird from an infamously memorable app deserves a second chance, considering how plenty of us miss the 2013 and 2014 days. Let us discuss what the upcoming revival of Flappy’s legacy has to offer, thanks to the Flappy Bird Foundation Group, but let us also acknowledge that the app’s original creator is not involved in its development whatsoever and a serious allegation that needs to be addressed…
Can you believe that Flappy Bird is coming back?! Well, the news is not all a nice bowl of birdseed for a reason that will be explained later on.
One notable difference between the original and the revival is the graphics. Flappy’s feathers are still a summery shade of yellow, but his eyes are a little smaller and his beak is strikingly bigger. The logo has also received a colourful makeover, but I can see why some of my fellow players would prefer the old one for the sake of simplicity, yet I think the new one has better font in my opinion. I like how there is a castle and a fountain in the background in the recreation of the land of green pipes we all rhythmically tapped on back in the day, but I find it strange how the species of birds in the revived intellectual property all have three eyes, just like Blinky the Three-Eyed Fish from The Simpsons. A little more on that will be expanded on later. Flappy will soar through a variety of different worlds that provide the same gameplay formula as a sign of some creativity put into the revival, including a basketball-themed level and a Wild West-themed one with pipes being replaced by cacti. There is nothing wrong with a slight visual update. I mean, at least the new look for the birdie is definitely not as unappealingly drastic as Conker the Squirrel’s questionable redesign in Microsoft HoloLens. However, the elephant in the room will be expanded on later as well.
Back in early 2014, I played the original game and considered it a game that was made by trolls.
In Autumn 2024, I sense an opportunity for some redemption…but on one condition! Cut ties with any relations to what is causing this concept to receive flak, which may result in its cancellation after a lawsuit, but it would still be better than being redeemed in a deceitful way.
Since there will be brand new worlds for Flappy to fly through, there appears to be a brief story/adventure mode, along with a few others to choose from and quests to complete as you can tell by the map and HUD shown on a smartphone in the reveal trailer, providing a bigger reason to play aside from the return of the challenge that infuriated millions of users but hopefully with its difficulty toned down a little if enough complaints about it were filed. It worked in a patch for Catherine, right? And no, I doubt that the writing department took inspiration from Smosh’s parodic skit and I doubt that there will be a secret mode named “Crappy Bird” that turns the challenge into pooping on third-party characters. As for a few tier aspects of the gameplay, how the player can tap repeatedly to hatch an egg (possibly for a reason that will be explained later) vaguely reminds me of how an egg would hatch in Ice Age Village and there must be some reason to load all those birds into one flying coach. If the game becomes successful for even smelling like redemption after a serious issue that will be explained later is tackled, there could be some new seasonal and chronological chapters to play and such, which has worked for Candy Crush Saga since 2013.
Can you imagine the enhanced reboot on YOUR phone or tablet already? Well, in an alternate universe when some serious exposures of it are not happening. We are yet to see what the vault is for, but that is currently not important. And yes, The Sims FreePlay has also remained relevant as a simmer can tell by the recent “That’s Simoré!” update?
The bird will return…but not alone. The player will get to choose a variety of birds from a flock that can be unlocked as the game progresses. One way to earn a new comrade is spending ten diamonds as an example of a new rewards system aside from earning coins (as clichéd as it is), even the store is likely to offer micro-transaction deals and plenty of players have learned about the psychology of micro-transactions and the overshadowing impact of them, especially in freemium games by now, which is why I always stuck to ways to earn in-game currency and progress through a modern mobile game, such as Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and Kim Kardashian Hollywood (which is no longer available to play) that do not require a penny. As interested as I am in knowing a little about Flappy’s fellow birds, I am still a little bewildered at how they have three eyes, but I guess that provides a little creativity. I am not saying that the roster will be the next Angry Birds, but it would still be great to see more than one playable member of the flock. New additions to the gameplay experience, including new characters, new worlds and new modes would not only make it a lot more rewarding but also enriched in terms of creativity and gameplay value, but a certain issue still needs to be addressed.
The character selection screen sure looks colourful, but there is still a fishy smell lingering. I bet you would not expect some of Flappy’s friends to dress up as a bunny, a frog and a bee, huh? There might as well be some new members in the flock during seasonal events and as part of updates, just as long as an issue is addressed and action is taken behind the scenes.
AA big plus for me would be dressing up each character in different accessories, much like choosing an accessory for a duck in Duck Game. Chances are some accessories would require a certain number of coins or gems to be unlocked though, yet there is strong hope that the game will not end up being as greedily reliant on the player’s real-life currency to elevate the overall gameplay experience as Club Penguin Island was as it is bad enough that it is being exposed for a certain misdeed that is despised by artists. At least we can still admire some of Juliet Starling’s brand new outfits in Lollipop Chainsaw RePop.
And now, let us address the elephant…or bad piggy in the room. I was quite thrilled to see the confirmation of a revival of Flappy Bird…until some people on X, formerly known as “Twitter” accused the game of being an NFT (Non-fungible Token) project. This is incredibly concerning as NFTs are loathed by artists for their associations with art-related scams and how hazardous they are to the environment. I recall how thankful l was for the game Mythic Protocol not being involved with NFTs during its development nearly a year ago. It can be argued that the game will be free to play, so chances are that it will not be a scam, unlike the outrageously and laughably bad app known as “I Am Rich” that would cost almost a million dollars, only to consist of a bragging mantra. However, there is some rather convincing evidence to back up the accusations, meaning that the return of Flappy Bird may not be triumphant after all. I see some potential that would be saddening if it went to waste, so action needs to be taken to ensure that a revival of Flappy Bird will not be deceitful as the thought of its alleged association with NFTs tarnishing such potential is devastating. Second chances for games that were considered infamous must consist of real artistry if money is to be made as a reward for dedication.
If the developers of the reboot truly care about its reputation, they may need to update the visuals to assure that there are no NFTs and that any profits do not seem like scams, make a public apology and vow to assure that the game will truly be about redeeming Flappy Bird. Surely, Doug Nguyen can step in to make sure that he will be credited, despite how he regretted developing the original game.
I doubt that the upcoming reboot of Flappy Bird will ruin our lives as it seems to promise to provide a lot more than a notable challenge, yet it would be vital to cut ties with any NFT organisation. Surely, micro-transaction deals can be ripped on, but as much as I respect a developer’s efforts to earn money in some way to feel rewarded for the hard work put into the revival of Flappy Bird, a bigger priority would be assuring a notably improved gameplay experience and action is taken against what could cause it to crash and burn. The first version will be available to download from the App Store and Google Play a little later in the second half of 2024 after so long, but it might end up not becoming a highlight in gaming in 2025 for a reason. Ultimately, only time will tell. In the meantime, the spines of Call of Duty comrades shall shiver once Michael Myers haunts the sixth season of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Call of Duty: Warzone 3.0 and Call of Duty Warzone Mobile as if Halloween is already being celebrated, fans of Lollipop Chainsaw are rejoicing for the rehash of Juliet Starling’s eighteenth birthday, the fifteenth anniversary of the Just Dance series is being celebrated and Minecrafters can continue to express their creativity. Until then, let us continue to follow our ambitions, but also strive against scamming.
As previously mentioned, the developers need to act upon the exposures of the development being associated with NFTs if they truly care about the reboot’s image. As always, if any image I use in an article is an NFT or a project I blog about is associated with an NFT manufacturer, please let me know as soon as possible. I do not want to risk promoting scams as that is not what I am about as a writer. Please show Nguyen some compassion and support and wish him all the best, especially if he feels like what has “ruined his life” is coming back to haunt him.
