First off, if you’ve never played an Angry Birds game before, you should start with this one.  Utilizing themes / settings ripped straight out of the original star wars series (pretty much comprising Episode IV: A New Hope and Ep. V: The Empire Strikes Back), this unique mini-game-turned-fully-fledged-strategy title is infinitely enjoyable.  In essence you assume control over a squadron of somewhat flightless fowls which you hurl into enemy fortifications via a large slingshot.  In each stage the goal remains the same – to eliminate rival targets, of course.  However, as you advance from the start to finish of each level, you’ll see the inherent challenges increase dramatically.

For example, you start off in a desolate Tatooine; following an animated cut scene which details the familiar Star Wars story, you are tasked with taking out a few easily placed baddies.  You do this by pushing the left stick on the controller – the further you push; the more tension is created on the slingshot.  You also have to watch (and calculate) the trajectory of your bird, which is indicated by a handy little dotted line.  At first you might think this is a rather simplistic gameplay mechanic, not the sort of thing that will be able to hold your attention for very long.  Of course such an assertion would be wrong, as Angry Birds: Star Wars is perhaps one of the most addictive games you’ll ever play.

Rather than assuming the role of one character from the SW franchise, you’ll control an assortment of them, each one being an adapted bird-like personality from the movie series with their own special traits.  For instance, the Luke bird can swap his lightsaber in mid-air, while the Obi-Wan bird can force push things.  Similarly, the Chewbacca bird can utilize its immense size to bash things, the Leia-bird can pull objects and the Han Solo character can shoot a triple laser blast.  Don’t get the wrong idea though, these aren’t just random abilities that serve little to no purpose; instead, they’re often vital elements which you’ll have to tap into if you want to complete stages.  In fact, you’ll often have to pull off dramatic, inspiring moves if you want to complete some of the latter levels of each stage.

The game is also chock-full of content – over 250 individual levels spread out amongst no less than 8 different level packs.  Furthermore, each pack is like a mini game unto itself, with its own unique theme.  For instance, there are stages like “Death Star”, “Hoth”, “Moon of Endor”, and “Cloud City” which will appease the more meticulous and devoted Star Wars fans.  Additionally, there are also a number of “Boba Fett Missions” which are quite unique in the game.  Perhaps the most interesting levels are those which take place in space, where you often have to use the curvature of various gravity fields to zing around objects so that obstacles can be eliminated.

Hands down, this game is a must-buy for video gamers of all ages, particular fans of the Star Wars series (old and young, alike).  It’s highly engrossing gameplay can also be tacked by to players, either in coop or vs. mode. This one is a must-buy.

Rating – 9 / 10