[08.20.14] 'Flappy Bird' creator returns with new game announcement

It's been a while since anything has been heard from the creator of “Flappy Bird.” Finally, though, Dong Nguyen and .GEARS Studios have broken their silence and announced a brand new game that will be releasing later this week. It’s time to get addicted and frustrated all over again with the release of “Swing Copters” on Aug 21.

"Flappy Bird" goes viral

Back in February, a little game called “Flappy Bird” took the world by storm, blowing up almost overnight in popularity. Thousands of Tweets and Facebook posts seem to take over the social networking sites thanks to players expressing their frustration with the difficulty and inability to put the game down.The immense success, oddly enough, caused the creator to make the decision to remove "Flappy Bird" from the marketplace. Nguyen said he simply “cannot take this anymore” and went ahead with the decision to pull the title from app stores.

Potential legal issues

There were many accusations regarding the art direction of the title, as many of the assets seemed to be “borrowed” from Nintendo’s “Super Mario World.” Although not everything appears to be from the game, a lot of the sprites are clearly similar to those in "Super Mario World," if not possibly directly taken from. In fact, it's downright impossible to look at "Flappy Bird" and not instantly thing "Mario" when familiar with both games. Nguyen defended himself saying it was essentially a tribute to the game, much like the way that musicians often sample other songs that have inspired them.

"I just cannot keep it anymore"

This led many to question if the game was secretly being removed due to copyright from Nintendo. With artwork so strikingly similar and the absurd amount of press the game was receiving, naturally the conclusion would be drawn that someone at Nintendo would see the game and threaten legal action. Nguyen insisted that it had nothing to do with legal implications and he was removing the game for personal reasons. Again, he referenced the strain the publicity was taking on him and insisted that he just “cannot keep it anymore.”

"They are overusing it"

To justify the removal, Nguyen stated that the game was too addictive in nature and he was worried that people were “overusing it.” In an Interview with Rolling Stone, Nguyen elaborated, explaining that he was receiving thousands of messages from people about how the game was destroying their lives. People losing property or even losing their jobs because of the addiction, something Nguyen took to heart. In High school, he struggled with testing because of an addiction to the game “Counter Strike.” That was the moment he realized it had to go. However, this doesn’t mean it won’t be returning. He also revealed that he was working on a new version of “Flappy Bird” which will have warnings and insist players take the occasional break. No word on when that will be releasing.

"Swing Copters" has been announced

Dong Nguyen

Fast forward to Aug 18 when, out of the blue, Nguyen drops a brand new game via Twitter. It’s called “Swing Copters,” and the formula looks very familiar. It’s somewhat of a vertical take on the “Flappy Bird” game, only with an added level of difficulty. TouchArcade received a hands on exclusive with the game and released some video of the gameplay. You play as a little orange character wearing a propeller hat. As the character flies up into the air, he also starts to move in one direction - either to the left or to the right. The player then taps the screen to switch his sweeping flight path in the opposite direction. This is done repeatedly to keep the character wiggling back and forth as he automatically moves upward at the same time. Just like in “Flappy Bird,” players attempt to navigate through an endless series of gates, only now there is a slight twist. To make the already-seemingly-impossible a little harder, Nguyen added swinging hammers below each vertical gate, further blocking the path and increasing the difficulty. Each gate equals one point and the game will use the same medal system as “Flappy Bird.” In fact, the overall presentation is virtually identical… minus the flying fish, that is.

"Swing Copters" release date: Aug 21

“Swing Copters” will release tomorrow, Aug 21, on Android and iOS as a free download. If you can’t stand to wait that long to get another “Flappy Bird” fix, or if vertical flight just isn’t your thing, check out this list of “Flappy Bird” alternatives to find out which ones you should and shouldn’t download.

[02.16.14] Best replacements for ‘Flappy Bird’

So it’s only been a week since the demise of “Flappy Bird” and you’re having a tough time staying afloat after the news that it has been taken down from App Stores. Well, you could always shop around on eBay for a phone that has it preinstalled, but it turns out that may not work out so well.

Fear not, it didn’t take long for a wave of replacements, knock-offs, and spiritual successors to flood the digital marketplaces. The question is, which one’s are worth getting up early for and which ones seem to have flown the coop?

Flappy Bird

.GEARS Studios

That’s right, there’s still a chance you might be able to download the original Flappy Bird. If you ever downloaded it while it was available on the marketplace, you can follow the direct links to the app and reinstall it to any of your linked devices. This works for those of you that might have replaced your phone or just deleted it because you weren’t feeling the hype and now regret it. Obviously there’s no better ‘replacement’ than the original, but if you didn’t think ahead, this one’s not an option for you. Of course, this is the internet so there are other means to acquire it… but we’re going to run this list without getting our hands dirty.

Verdict: Download it!

iOS

Android

Clumsy Bird

Candy Mobile

Merging two of the most popular games on the market, “Clumsy Bird” takes the gameplay of “Flappy Bird” and mixes it beautifully with the art style and presentation of “Angry Birds”. With the same adorable graphics and even the micro-cinematics popularized by the series, “Clumsy Bird” puts together a very impressive albeit not very original package. The physics in “Clumsy Bird” are probably the most accurate representation on this list. The gameplay is tweaked ever-so-slightly with the concept of gems used as saves like in “Temple Run”. The graphics look like a Disney-inspired take on Angry Birds. “Clumsy Bird” also take a wide screen presentation for the gameplay as opposed to the portrait orientation of “Flappy Bird”. The only thing missing is the implementation of medals, but in the very least, there is a high-score system.

Verdict: Download it!

Android

Chicken World Trip

View fullsize

Dexati

"Chicken World Trip" has a very cartoony look to it like something right out of a Warner Brother's short. Like "Clumsy Bird", it also borrows an element from "Angry Birds" however this time around it's the level by level structure for game play instead of the art style. "Chicken World Trip” does have an endless mode like the original "Flappy Bird", but you'd be awfully lucky to notice it. "Chicken World Trip" is riddled with ads, and it's incredibly distracting and frequently interrupts the flow of the game. It's clear it's more of a cash grab than an actual attempt at emulating its predecessor. Likewise, the physics are completely off, and although it uses the same 'tap-to-flap' control, the bird does anything but float the same way.

Also important to note, during the process of writing this article, this game changed its name from “Flappy Chicken” to “Chicken World Trip” and lost its iOS version, so if you had by chance downloaded this already and were wondering where the new “Chicken World Trip” game came from, now you know. Unfortunately, the name and graphics were the only things that went through a metamorphosis. The game is still terrible.

Verdict: Skip it!

Android

Floppy Bird

Thanatos Games

“Floppy Bird” is probably the most accurate representation of “Flappy Bird” on this list. The graphics are a close psychedelic reskin with the only caveat being the bird character looking more like some weird “Flappy Bird” and “Nyan Cat” hybrid animal. It uses a “trophy” system to emulate the medals and the rest of the gameplay is virtually identical. The biggest difference between “Floppy Bird” and “Flappy Bird”, however, is the level of difficulty. The gaps to fly between on “Floppy Bird” seem to be ever so slightly wider than that of the original game, making it just a bit easier to progress. All in all, it’s not a bad alternative if you’re looking for a true replacement to the game.

Verdict: Download it!

Android

Ironpants

Eduardas Klenauskis

If you’re a fan of the classic “Helicopter” flash game, this game should feel right at home. “Iron Pants” merges the gameplay of it with the level design of “Flappy Bird”. Instead of tapping to fly, you hold down on the screen to rise up and let go to float back down. It also happens at an extremely fast speed which is actually hindered by the decision to maintain the portrait style presentation that “Flappy Bird” uses. If what you’re looking for is a game that’s as phone-smashingly difficult, you’ve found your winner. Graphically, it’s a solid presentation, but because of the poor decision to forgo the landscape view, it becomes a little frustrating as the game turns into more of a battle of maintaining your position in the middle of the screen and making split second decisions as to whether or not you move up and down rather than an actual process of navigating through gates. This is made even more painful by the overly generous hit boxes on both the player model and obstacles. “Iron Pants” is still doable, and it certainly looks pretty, but too many poor decisions and an intentionally deceptive ad placement make it one of the weaker choices on this line-up.

Verdict: Skip It!

iOS

Android

Splashy Fish

Massimo Guareschi

“Splashy Fish” could be viewed as the most ‘catered-to-a-very-specific-nitch’ game that ever happened. It’s basically a “Flappy Bird” clone developed for fans of the SNES educational game “Mario Is Missing!”. OK, so it’s probably not that at all, but it’s hard to relate it to anything else when you see Cheep Cheep swimming his way through some Roman Columns in an underwater environment that graphically looks like a “Super Mario World” inspired take on the classic World 2-2 from “Super Mario Bros.” As far as level design and physics go, the game is virtually identical. The only difference really is the lack of a score screen. It does keep track of your high score, but when you fail, you’re greeted only by an 8-bit game over and a second tap restarts the game. Even without the score screen, “Splashy Fish” still manages to implement a medal system, and perhaps even manages to improve upon it by turning medals into a wearable trophy you collect as you progress through the level. Each item you collect will be worn from that point on as a trophy of your high-score progress. The overall presentation is very pretty and “Splashy Fish” benefits greatly from quality craftsman ship and the fact that, unlike a few other games on this lists, its in-game ads are anything but obtrusive. All-in-all, it’s a great example of a gaming app done right, even if it may be a knock-off. That aside, it’s tempting to say that “Splashy Fish” does “Flappy Bird” better than “Flappy Bird” does “Flappy Bird”…

Verdict: Download It!

iOS

Androi