Angry Birds Star Wars adds sci-fi flavor to bird flinging, available today, we go hands-on

[ ](http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/08/angry-birds-star-wars-hands-on/)

Finland's [biggest game studio](http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/26/visualized-inside-rovios-hq-video/) is heading back into the coop, pulling out its [Angry Birds](http://www.engadget.com/tag/angrybirds) franchise for yet another go on a whole mess of platforms -- this time, even Windows 8 and its mobile counterpart get some attention. Moreover, Rovio's teamed with the folks at LucasArts (now [part of the Disney family](http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/30/disney-acquires-lucasfilm-for-4-05-billion-plans-more-star-war/)) to craft an entirely thematic experience: enter [_Angry Birds Star Wars_](http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/08/angry-birds-star-wars/). But fret not -- just because _Angry Birds Star Wars_ _seems_ like a shameless tie-in doesn't mean it's a bad game (it is, however, a shameless tie-in, no matter which way you cut it). In fact, it's quite good, melding pieces of [_Angry Birds Space_](http://www.engadget.com/tag/angrybirdsspace) -- arguably the best and most creative entry in the Angry Birds franchise -- with new gameplay elements. Rather than birds which explode or other such modifiers, post-fling, _Angry Birds Star Wars_ equips each of several themed birds with one weapon apiece. An Obi-Wan Kenobi-themed bird uses The Force to push enemies or blocks, while a Han Solo-themed bird fires three blasts from a space pistol, just to name a few.

That _Angry Birds Space_ component is little more than gravity effects, but it helps to mix up the often redundant level design -- if you've played more than one Angry Birds game, you've seen most of what's on offer here. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, per se, but be forewarned if you're expecting the kind of innovation we saw from Rovio's last Angry Birds spinoff, [_Bad Piggies_](http://www.engadget.com/tag/badpiggies). _Angry Birds Star Wars_ launches today on iOS ($0.99 / iPhone, $2.99 / iPad), Android (Free SD version, HD is $2.99), Amazon Kindle Fire, Mac ($4.99), PC, Windows Phone, and Windows 8. Go after the break to check out the cinematic and gameplay trailers, along with the PR.

**Gallery: [Angry Birds Star Wars (hands-on)](http://www.engadget.com/photos/angry-birds-star-wars-hands-on/)**

[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/angry-birds-star-wars-hands-on/#5419815)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/angry-birds-star-wars-hands-on/#5419803)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/angry-birds-star-wars-hands-on/#5419804)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/angry-birds-star-wars-hands-on/#5419814)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/angry-birds-star-wars-hands-on/#5419805)

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[Angry Birds Star Wars adds sci-fi flavor to bird flinging, available today, we go hands-on](http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/08/angry-birds-star-wars-hands-on/) originally appeared on [Engadget](http://www.engadget.com) on Thu, 08 Nov 2012 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our [terms for use of feeds](http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).

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