It was just four days ago that Rovio, and by extension we, teased you about Angry Birds Go! arriving for Windows Phone 8. The link for the latest and greatest in Angry Birds gaming was leaked and passed around rapidly. But the sinking realization of the app’s inability to connect to Rovio’s servers hit quickly and many were left with just a useless icon on their device.
Tonight (or even early morning for some of you), that tale has come to an end as version 1.0 of a true working version of the game is now live in the Store. That's just shy of under two-weeks after iOS got the game, which isn't too bad for platform parity.
Weighing in at 98 MB, the latest Windows Phone 8 game is a new take on the popular franchise, taking a page from Mario Kart racing. The game notes in the description “Feel the rush as you fling those freewheeling birds and piggies down the track at breakneck speed – with plenty of twists and turns in a thrilling race to the finish line!”.
The game boasts these features:
- FIRST-EVER 3D ANGRY BIRDS WORLD! See the birds and pigs from every angle as Piggy Island comes alive in this rich and colorful 3D world!
- RACE AS THE BIRDS OR PIGS! Jump behind the wheel and race as Red, Chuck, Terence, Stella, King Pig, Moustache Pig and many other favorites!
- MASTER THE TRACKS! Plenty of racetracks, stunt roads, air courses and off-road races – each throwing big and unexpected challenges your way!
- AWESOME SPECIAL POWERS! Smash your opponents off the road and take that winning position thanks to unique special powers for each character!
- MANY GAME MODES! Test your skills with super-fun and surprising game modes: Race, Time Boom, Fruit Splat, Champion Chase and Mega Match!
- UPGRADE YOUR RIDE! From a homemade soapbox car to a super-fly supercar, with tons of karts and awesome ways to upgrade – yours to earn or purchase!
- MUCH MORE TO COME! The race has only just begun – so look out for many more fun things coming your way!
Indeed, the game at least looks like a nice changeup from the regular fling ‘em style of previous Angry Birds releases. Plus, it’s completely free (though you can bet there are some in-app purchases to make up for that “oversight”).
For now, we’re just going to fire up the 3D racer and take her for a spin, pardon the pun. For the rest of you, you can update the previous version or just grab the Store link here to get Angry Birds Go! for your Windows Phone 8 device. Note: you need at least 1 GB of RAM, so no Lumia 520/620/625/720s!
Thanks, Yarim B., Froi F., Kevin B., and Anmol M., for the tips!
