Angry Birds Go!

Angry Birds Go!
Original splash screen
DeveloperExient
PublisherRovio Entertainment
DirectorJon Gibson
DesignerNic Cusworth
ComposerPepe Deluxé
SeriesAngry Birds
Platforms
Release11 December 2013
GenreRacing
ModesSingle player, multiplayer

Angry Birds Go! is a 2013 kart racing game developed by Exient and published by Rovio Entertainment. A spinoff in the Angry Birds series, players control characters from the series in go-karts and compete in several types of challenges and competitions. Controls are limited to steering only as all races are downhill, and karts can be upgraded using virtual currency collected during races. Toys-to-life elements are also featured as the game is compatible with the Telepods toy line by Hasbro.

Go! was spawned from demand for an Angry Birds kart racer and Rovio wanting to take the franchise in a new direction. It was announced through social media in June 2013 and spawned speculation over which genre it would be. Angry Birds Go! was released for mobile devices on 11 December 2013. It was downloaded 130 million times despite mixed reviews from the specialist mobile and video gaming press, who considered the experience bogged down by its upgrade system and microtransactions despite solid controls, graphics and racing gameplay. A reworked cloud version titled Angry Birds Go! Turbo Edition was released in August 2019.

Gameplay

In Angry Birds Go!, players race as and against Angry Birds characters.

Angry Birds Go! is a kart racing game utilising 3D graphics.[1] As a bird of their choice, the player competes in downhill races and challenges, which begin by launching their go-kart from a slingshot. Go! includes multiple game modes: "Race" is a competition against multiple other characters, "Time Trial" is a single-player mode where the player must reach the finish line before time runs out, "Versus" is a race against one other character, and "Fruit Splat" requires the player to collect a set number of fruit before the finish.[1][2]

Each bird has a singular power-up that can be activated a finite number of times.[2] More birds are unlocked by defeating them in boss races in each level.[2][3] The speed of the kart cannot be controlled, while steering can be done via motion controls or arrows on the touchscreen.[4][5] Karts take damage upon impacts and can be upgraded, the latter of which alters its appearance.[6][7] Coins—which are gained either in races or with crystals, which in turn require real money to purchase—must be spent to upgrade karts. Races and challenges can only be entered if the player's kart has a sufficient power level, which can be increased by upgrading. Characters become tired after being used five times; their energy can be restored by either waiting or spending crystals collected during races.[4][5]

Additionally, Go! is compatible with Telepods, toys-to-life figures by Hasbro, which allow the player to scan the corresponding kart and character into the game.[1][2] A Jenga mode can be unlocked either via a code included with a pirate ship-themed Angry Birds Jenga board game or through an in-app purchase.[8] In Jenga mode, the player launches their kart down a ramp and into blocks and pigs.[2]

Development

Angry Birds Go! was developed by Exient, who was approached by Angry Birds owner Rovio Entertainment to take the franchise in a new direction. They decided on making it a kart racing game because of supply and demand. Exient had never developed a kart racer prior to Go!, thus "an immense amount of research" went into the appeal of the genre.[9] The developers believed it was important that the go-karts were "held together with chewing gum" and did not have engines, which was in reference to the pigs' structures from the Angry Birds puzzle games as well as the vehicle construction from the spinoff Bad Piggies (2012).[10] The Europop soundtrack composed by Pepe Deluxé "added to the sense of fun" according to Exient director Graeme Monk.[9]

Release

Rovio announced Angry Birds Go! in June 2013 when a teaser image was uploaded to their Angry Birds Facebook page, featuring the title and the tagline "something new is coming". No gameplay details were included, leading to speculation over whether it would be a kart racing game or an endless runner.[11][12]

Angry Birds Go! was released for Android, BlackBerry 10, iOS, and Windows Phone 8 on 11 December 2013,[1][7] as a free-to-play title.[13] Multiple patch updates followed and introduced new content: version 1.4.0 released in July 2014 and introduced online multiplayer,[14] with local multiplayer following in April 2015.[15] The 1.8.4 update, released in July 2015, added late Formula One driver Ayrton Senna as a playable character portrayed by the yellow bird Chuck.[16] In November 2014, Angry Birds Go! was reported to have reached 100 million downloads.[17] In April 2015, Oskar Burman—general manager of Rovio Stockholm—tweeted that Angry Birds Go! had received 130 million downloads, surpassing the total sales of the Mario Kart series at the time.[18]

In 2019, a reworking titled Angry Birds Go! Turbo Edition was released for the mobile cloud gaming service Hatch. Turbo Edition includes four-player multiplayer—the original version's multiplayer was strictly 3-versus-3—as well as a leaderboard where the highest-scoring player receives prizes. Additionally, all microtransactions are excluded.[19]

Critical response

Angry Birds Go! garnered a "mixed or average" critical response according to Metacritic, a review aggregate website.[20] The core game was well-received for its simple and intuitive touch and tilt control options, as well its appealing graphics, incorporation of Angry Birds characters, and fun, varied racing action.[a] However, reviewers, even positive ones, generally considered the experience repetitive, irritating, costly and exploitative due to the unethical microtransactions characteristic of other freemium titles; powering up karts for the later tracks required either racing earlier levels repeatedly to collect coins or paying high prices for more coins and the best-performing karts.[b] Adding to the perceived tedium was the slow regenerating of energy units, forcing players to either wait lengthy periods or purchase diamonds. Only some alleviation was given via unlocking other player characters.[c] Publications such as IGN and The A.V. Club suspected Go! was primarily designed around purchasing microtransactions.[21][5] The sponsored power-ups particularly annoyed MacLife and PC Magazine.[23][6]

Notes

References

  1. ^ a b c d Webster, Andrew (15 October 2013). "Rovio takes on Mario Kart with Angry Birds Go". The Verge. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Dredge, Stuart (11 December 2013). "Angry Birds Go! – review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  3. ^ a b c Nichols, Scott (17 December 2013). "Mobile reviews: GTA San Andreas, Angry Birds Go, Skulls of the Shogun". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 18 December 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  4. ^ a b c Slater, Harry (11 December 2013). "Angry Birds Go! Review". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on 17 January 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Plagge, Kallie (17 December 2013). "Angry Birds Go! Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 7 June 2025. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  6. ^ a b c d e Eddy, Max (11 December 2013). "Angry Birds Go! (for Android)". PCMag. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  7. ^ a b Orry, James (15 October 2013). "Angry Birds Go! will be released for free on December 11". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  8. ^ "Rovio confirms that you'll be able to use Telepods and Jenga toys in Angry Birds Go!". Pocket Gamer. 24 September 2013. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  9. ^ a b Mckeand, Kirk (21 May 2014). "From kart to finish: The making of Angry Birds Go". PocketGamer.biz. Archived from the original on 16 January 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  10. ^ Willington, Peter (28 March 2014). "The game design of Angry Birds Go! - exclusive interview". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  11. ^ Usher, Anthony (13 June 2013). "Ready, steady, Angry Birds Go! Rovio teases brand-new title". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  12. ^ Dredge, Stuart (12 June 2013). "Angry Birds Go! set to open new chapter for Rovio's Angry Birds". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  13. ^ Dredge, Stuart (16 October 2013). "Yes, Angry Birds Go! could knock Nintendo's Mario Kart off its perch". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 July 2025. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  14. ^ Dotson, Carter (2 July 2014). "Angry Birds Go Gets a Multiplayer Mode in Latest Update". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on 16 September 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  15. ^ Priestman, Chris (9 April 2015). "Angry Birds Go! gets local multiplayer races on iOS today in its latest update". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  16. ^ Orry, James (8 July 2015). "Ayrton Senna now a playable character in Angry Birds Go!". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  17. ^ "Angry Birds Go tops 100 million downloads, adds team multiplayer". Joystiq. Archived from the original on 18 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  18. ^ Brown, Mark (9 April 2015). "Rovio manager: Angry Birds Go! is bigger than Mario Kart". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  19. ^ Gregson-Wood, Stephen (12 August 2019). "Angry Birds Go! Turbo Edition is exclusive to cloud gaming service Hatch, available now". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  20. ^ a b "Angry Birds Go! (iOS)". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  21. ^ a b c d Larsen, Luke (4 January 2014). "Mobile Game: Angry Birds Go!". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  22. ^ a b Parker, Jason (18 December 2013). "Angry Birds Go! review: Fun arcade racing with some flaws". CNET. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  23. ^ a b c d e Hayward, Andrew (16 December 2013). "Angry Birds Go! Review". MacLife. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  24. ^ a b c "Angry Birds Go! is a decent-enough kart racer with some annoying drivers (review)". VentureBeat. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  25. ^ a b c Webster, Andrew (11 December 2013). "Angry Birds Go review: how free-to-play ruined the Mario Kart of mobile". The Verge. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  26. ^ a b c Yao, Yishian (10 January 2014). "Angry Birds Go review: Another iOS game bogged down by in-game purchases". Macworld. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
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