Angry Birds launches AR game: how to play the augmented reality version of Isle of Pigs

Slingshots at the ready 
Amelia Heathman29 April 2019

Slingshots at the ready: Angry Birds is debuting a new augmented reality game exclusively for iPhone today in the form of Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs.

The game’s creators Rovio have been experimenting with immersive technologies for a while, debuting an AR version of the popular game on Magic Leap’s headset last year as well as a virtual reality version for headsets including Oculus.

However, the new Isle of Pigs AR game is the first time Rovio is making this type of immersive gameplay accessible to a wider audience, because as long as you have an iPhone that has iOS 12 on, you can get involved.

An Android version is in the works, but there’s no set launch date at the moment.

Here’s how it works

Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs explained

The new Isle of Pigs game allows players to bring the classic pig-constructed towers into their own environment.

Created using Apple’s ARKit technology, Angry Bird fans can beam the game onto any surface around them, such as a table or the floor. Thanks to the 3D viewing capabilities on Apple’s iPhone and iPads, players are able to walk 360-degrees around the levels to find the weaknesses and hidden items.

Once the target has been spotted, they can get to work using the Angry Birds slingshot to topple towers and pop the pigs.

The gameplay is similar to the VR: Isle of Pigs game that came out earlier this year, except players can bring the game into their own environment instead of viewing it on a headset. That means gameplay can be tiny, such as playing on a cushion, or life-size if you’re playing the game outside, according to a Rovio spokesperson.

Rovio worked with Resolution Games to create Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs, the same developers it worked with on the previous AR and VR games. These types of titles are all about part of Rovio’s mission to explore the future of gaming.

As Rovio’s CMO Ville Heijari told the Standard last year: “One of our strategic areas is to look at the future of gaming – so what are the devices people are going to be playing on five and 10 years from now. Augmented reality, mixed reality and spatial computing, it’s very interesting to us.”

Given that this year marks the 10th anniversary since the first Angry Birds game was released, it's interesting to see the different ways Rovio has been encouraging us to enjoy flinging disgruntled avian creatures around. Who knows what will be next?

Download Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs on Apple App Store now

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