angry Birds are about to go karting but they face stiff competition in the form of Mario Kart

Angry Birds Go: All the facts

Release date: Out now

Platform: iOS and Android and BlackBerry 10

Price: Free-to-play, in app purchasing, in game advertising and sponsorship

What is it? Angry Birds gokarting, first 3D Angry Birds game

Why should I be interested? It’s a brave step away from the repetitive Angry Birds mechanic, aims high at taking on the likes of Nintendo

Angry Birds Go

Since launching in December 2009, Angry Birds has gone from strength to strength. After 8 game editions, a number of books, an animated series, theme parks and more merchandising than your average Disney flick, Rovio feels the franchise is ready to take on Mario and Co. with Angry Birds Go – a downhill kart racing game iOS, BlackBerry and Android.

This marks Rovio’s first step away from the aim and shoot mechanics of Angry Birds. This edition also makes the jump from 2D side scroller to 3D interactive world.

The similarties between Nintendo’s Mario Kart and Angry Birds are clear. The aim of the game is to race the evil pigs to the finish line and collect as many coins along the way. It features less aggressive tactics than Mario Kart as it doesn’t focus on weapon-based gameplay, but as you progress weapons do form a bigger part of the game.

With controls, you have two options: on-screen buttons or tilting the device from side-to-side. We prefer the latter, as it feels very much like the Wii edition of Mario Kart. Unlike Mario Kart, Angry Birds Go allows you to upgrade your vehicle from a “homemade soapbox car to a super-fly supercar”. To unlock these new motors you, again, have two options: earn rewards from racing or in-app purchases. 

Angry Birds Go has one large advantage over other MarioKart – it’s available on mobile devices. Nintendo refuse to port their beloved titles onto mobile, claiming the portable console market is where it wants to stay. Which is a shame because it would seem the Japanese company is missing out on a lot of potential revenue here. Can you imagine how popular an official Mario Kart game would be on Android and iOS? 

Angry Birds Go! is now available for download on all major platforms – even BlackBerry 10. And even if you're bored of the franchise as a whole, it's definitely worth a look. Rovio needs another BIG title. Can Go! go on to become the Mario Kart of the mobile space? Only time will tell.