Angry Birds Tips, Tricks and Ideas
So you have played Angry Birds for a while, even went through the whole game for a few times. But did you get 3 stars for all the levels without consulting a walkthrough? Probably not; it’s pretty hard, we know.
We compiled a list of tips and tricks to help you with those harder levels. Once you understand what the weak points are and how each bird works, it should be easier to get those 3 shiny stars, but you’ll still have to put in the work. This list will only give you the basics of how to be better at Angry Birds. Alternatively, you could consult a walk through, but that would be a little like cheating and cheating makes a video game get boring really fast. So you’ll win 3 stars, but the game will lose its replay value.
Angry Birds Ratings
The number of stars that you receive is based on your points. The idea is to reach a certain amount of points by using as fewer birds as you can. Since each bird left unused is worth 10k points, hitting that weak spot in the structure and killing as many pigs as possible in one shot is very important.
But killing a lot of pigs in one shot is not all that is important. The destruction caused plays a big part in the amount of points that you get, as well. There are plenty of stages that you can clear in one shot, but you won’t be awarded three stars. As an example, the very first level in Angry Birds, where there’s one pig that can be easily killed with the first bird, but getting the 3 stars require a bit of destruction, too.
So, as a rule: try to cause the most pig deaths as well as destruction with each bird.
The Horizontal Support Beam
A lot of levels are completed just by hitting the right horizontal support beam in the right spot, at the right angle. It’s usually best to hit the lower beam, if there are more than one, but this depends on a lot of factors. Many times, hitting the right beam will result in a lot of damage and destroyed pigs, but it may also result in a pig being safely covered by layers of wood, glass or stone, especially when the pig is on the bottom of the structure and the whole thing comes down without breaking his initial enclosement.
Rule: hit the weakest horizontal support beam, but consider other factors, as well.
Shooting the Angry Bird at an Extreme Angle
In some levels you will encounter a high structure that will block a straight shot. You could try to tip over the structure, but you may find yourself in the situation that we were talking about earlier: the pig being covered by several layers of material. In these cases, the best approach is to shoot the bird high up, over the tall structure. This technique is especially useful with the blue bird, who may tip over a structure, but it won’t do much destruction.
You may also find that it’s sometimes better to shoot the bird at an extreme horizontal angle. This is especially useful with the yellow bird, who can go through a few layers of wood and glass. The yellow bird shot at an extreme vertical angle is also great, for the same reasons.
This takes a little more practice, but you should get the hang of it in no time.
Rule: remember that shooting the bird at an extreme angle could be the difference between getting 1 and 3 stars.
Rolling the Angry Bird
Rolling the bird on the ground is great for hitting pigs and also clearing some wood and glass out of the way. This is particularly recommended for the yellow bird, but keep in mind that stone will stop it. You could do this, for example, on stages where you want to take out the support from the structure.
Be Patient
After shooting a bird and doing some destruction, wait for a bit, don’t be in a hurry to shoot the next bird. Some of the structure may still fall, pigs may roll, fall on the floor and die. This will help you gain more points per bird shot and that’s the most important thing, as we were saying earlier in this article. There were even a couple of levels where I didn’t shoot right away for some reason and a pig just rolled off the structure on its own.
It’s also a bad idea to hit a bird before it disappears. The force of the hit will be significantly dampened.
Zoom In or Out
You can zoom in and out to see the whole battlefield. This will help your targeting be more accurate and appreciate the distance between the slingshot and the pig’s base much better.
Use the Trail
The last bird that you shot will always leave a trail behind it. Use this to better appreciate where your next bird will hit.
The Black Bird
I found that it’s better to let the black bird, the one that explodes, blow up on its own. This bird will go through anything and it’s ideal to shoot at the base of a structure, for example, and let it explode by itself. Many stages have TNT boxes; the black bird is ideal for blowing them up and causing the most damage.
Remember, you can only improve your bird shooting abilities by practicing. So don’t just go for the points and the stars. Have fun while learning. Don’t get frustrated and start following a walkthrough. That’s a sure way of getting bored of this awesome game.
These are just a few tips that will help you be a better Angry Birds player. Feel free to add yours in the comment section below.