Angry Birds and Star Wars get mashed together in the Angry Birds Star Wars Millennium Falcon Bounce Game. Here three birds as balls are used to take down Empirical Pigs (Marxist references not included) as they cover the iconic Star Wars ship.
The game is slated for ages 8 and up according to the box, and I think that has more to do with actually setting up the game than playing it. Assembling the Millennium Falcon was a bit more complicated than expected (or perhaps necessary) but once the initial setup is done, games will get underway with relative ease.
Bouncing the 3 bird balls players try to knock over cardboard pigs based on Greedo, Jabba the Hutt, a stormtrooper, Darth Vader and Boba Fett. The Millennium Falcon itself is set up to have a couple of compartments as well that will allow for scoring. Knock down a pig, get 1,000 points. Land in the center of the Millennium Falcon and get 3,000 points. Work the ball/bird into the cockpit and get 5,000 points. The first one to get to 30,000 points wins.
Of course there are plenty of variations that can be made as my kids discovered. It was only a matter of time before some of the Angry Birds Star Wars AT-AT Attack Battle Game started getting used. Then there are different ways to keep score.
While it is more for older kids, with a bit of guidance and help, some younger kids would be able to play along. Gently bouncing a ping pong ball towards a target does take more coordination and finesse than simply slamming it down to bounce high.
At $20 there’s a decent game here at combines a couple of different franchises that kids love. It may not be the best game, but it occupied my kids for a good while so far. The price isn’t too bad compared to some other Angry Birds Star Wars items, and while there is definitely a game in the box, there’s enough in there to allow for some creativity on the part of the kids, which is nice.
Were there tears? Well, yeah. One kid wanted the game to be set up one way, while another kid wanted it set up differently. Then there was the issue about whether or not a turn counted because of lack of bounce or “wasn’t ready” or whatever. Normal kid stuff.
Do you reset the Millennium Falcon after each bird is bounced or after a full turn? Where do you place each bird? Want to alter the scoring? How far back do players toss the ball from? These are all things to work out ahead of time. With a little planning (i.e. parental supervision) the Angry Birds Star Wars Millennium Falcon Bounce Game can be enjoyed by nearly the whole family ages 5 and up.