Review: 'Bad Piggies' a challenging spinoff

Enough Angry Birds, already. It's time for their rivals to hog the spotlight.

The villainous pigs that serve as the foil in Rovio's hit mobile title get their own game, Bad Piggies, a more challenging yet delightful puzzle game.

The egg-loving swine are featured in a series of levels where players have to guide them to the finish by creating makeshift vehicles out of wooden boxes, wheels, bottle rockets, umbrellas, balloons and other objects.

Each stage starts with a grid hosting a series of squares, which players use to place objects and create their vehicle. Like Angry Birds, the goal is to snag stars. However, instead of battling for a high score, players must complete three objectives to grab the maximum reward.

For example, a level might include two wheels, three boxes, a motorized fan and bottle rockets. In order to earn three stars, players must cross the finish line in time, collect a star and complete the level without rockets. Players don't have to earn all three stars in one trip, so they can revisit a level and collect any remaining bonuses.

As the game progresses, levels and contraptions grow more elaborate, such as balloons to send pigs airborne or umbrellas to slow down their speed.

When a player is stumped, they tap on a light bulb with suggestions for their vehicle, or even call a mechanic (for an extra cost) to build the vessel for them. The game includes 72 standard levels, 18 bonus stages unlocked when every star is collected and 4 sandbox levels where players can experiment with their creations.

Although Bad Piggies is an offshoot of Angry Birds, the game is reminiscent of another Rovio title: Amazing Alex. Like Alex, Piggies is heavier on the puzzle-solving elements, as players must determine the best way to construct their vehicles to capture every star. However, it retains its charm with every smiling pig bouncing down a steep hill or flying into the air after an explosion.

Just like Angry Birds, physics plays a huge role in how well vehicles will move through a level. Time a bottle rocket launch too late and watch vehicles flip over. Fail to pick up momentum on an upward slope and contraptions slowly glide back toward the start.

Although Angry Birds features simpler gameplay, Bad Piggies is just as fun and rewarding.

Publisher: Rovio
Platform(s): PC, Mac, Apple iOS, Google Android
Price: $0.99-$4.99
Release Date: Sept. 27
Score: 4 stars (out of 4)