Curious how Rovio planned on dealing with physics in the forthcoming Angry Birds Space? I have been, too. If we presume that Rovio is playing by the physical laws of space, a lack of gravity fundamentally changes the game. But apparently, that’s the point.
Rovio took us to the international space station, courtesy of the video below of course, to show us a little bit about how the new version of the game will work. An astronaut, Don Pettit, did a little demo flinging a plush red bird in a zero gravity environment. It should go without saying, but that little red bird flew straighter than an arrow through the space station.
“We’re seeing all of this in a weightless environment, which is what Angry Birds Space will look like, with gravitational fields from planetary bodies,” said Pettit.
But then we got to the really cool part: the first time any of us have seen Angry Birds Space in action. And boy, does it look awesome. Those planetary bodies he mentioned pull the bird in, and change the course of the trajectory. And if you’re paying close enough attention you’ll notice that some of our favorite birds, Big Red and Yellow, have changed outfits. Big Red is now Big Green, and Yellow is now swathed in a lovely shade of purple.
It’s worth considering the meaning behind Angry Birds switching things up so drastically. All three versions of the game — Angry Birds, Angry Birds Rio, and Angry Birds Seasons — have gone on to be monstrously successful. But are people getting bored?
Angry Birds Space will be significantly more challenging than previous versions of the game, and after years of success not fixing what isn’t broken, I think we can all agree a refresh is in order.
Update: I reached out to the Mighty Eagle himself, Peter Vesterbacka, to see if Rovio chose space (and thus, a zero-gravity environment) to make the game more challenging? Here’s what he had to say:
@jordanrcrook there’s zero gravity in space, but planets and gravity wells make it more fun.
— Peter Vesterbacka (@pvesterbacka) March 8, 2012