Common Sense Media Review
By Dana Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Still angry, but more ads in movie-promo pinball game.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Angry Birds Action!
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
To play ANGRY BIRDS ACTION! players still slingshot a bird toward the targets, which are usually eggs that the bird is trying to "rescue." Release the bird and watch as it knocks objects over, blows up bombs, or ricochets off the pinball-like objects. Once the egg is "rescued," the bird moves onto the next screen. After three rounds, the level is complete. Throughout the game, players are rewarded with points, power-ups that make the birds move faster, and more. If players use all the birds available without hitting all the targets, they have to start again. If birds are out of energy, kids will have to pay gems, wait as a timer runs down, or pay real money to continue. Players can also watch featured cartoons and video ads, connect to Facebook, and use "BirdCodes" for extra content.
Is It Any Good?
Though it's a fun game, the overwhelming amount of ads, movie promos, and direct links that take kids out of the app and onto websites make this app a less-than-ideal choice for kids. At the time of review, there's even a countdown to the movie's opening day in the corner of the main game screen. There's no doubt that the Angry Birds franchise is doing some innovative stuff, such as linking content to "BirdCodes" that kids can get on other products or at the movie for more content, adding related short cartoons, and including extra characters from the movie. Unfortunately, all the innovation is about marketing to kids through pop-up ads, video ads to earn rewards, and related content. In the end, the fun arcade game and the cute characters at the center of this app are crashed into, bowled over, and blown up -- in true Angry Birds style -- by the aggressive marketing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how advertisers market to kids. Read Common Sense Media's parent tips such as "How do I teach my kids to understand when something is an ad?" and play on the app with your kid the first time or two to point out what's being marketed, when, and how.
Reinforce your family's rules about in-app purchases with your kid before downloading this app. Is it OK to buy? If so, how much money is OK to spend?
Talk with your kid about anger. What are some healthy ways to manage angry feelings? Of course, it's all in good fun on the Angry Birds apps, but using extreme examples can sometimes help kids understand emotions.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Pricing structure : Free (with optional in-app purchases)
- Release date : May 3, 2016
- Genre : Arcade Games
- Publisher : Rovio Entertainment Ltd
- Version : 2.0.3
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 8.0 or later; Android 4.1 and up
- Last updated : July 11, 2020
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