Rovio has ‘soft launched’ its upcoming karting game Angry Birds Go! in the New Zealand App Store. It’s due for worldwide release on December 11th, but we now know more about the gameplay and microtransactions.
According to PocketGamer, Angry Birds Go! has simple and fun gameplay but its free-to-play model spoils the fun. As this is a soft release, we could see changes to the system once the game is released worldwide next month, but for now, the microtransactions in Angry Birds Go! seem anything but micro. Soft releases are when an app is released in a small market for testing purposes.
Like most free to play games, you get in-game currency by competing in events, but you can buy more to speed your progress. Pocketgamer reports that in Angry Birds Go! it’s very difficult to compete without spending real money. You currently need to repeat events multiple times to get enough currency to upgrade your cart, and this is limited. Eventually you’ll need to buy a new kart, which can cost anything up to $100!
You can also buy a new game mode – Jenga Mode, and your birds get tired after 5 races. You either have to wait or pay to get your racers back on the track.
While the free to play model in Angry Birds Go! seems excessive, it worked very well for Real Racing 3. That game was heavily criticized for a microtransaction model that really got in the way of enjoying the game, but millions of players disagreed with the critics, making it a huge success for Electronic Arts.
We hope to play Angry Birds Go! soon, and we’ll have more coverage in the run up to its release on December 11th.
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[Source: PocketGamer]
