In case you are unfamiliar with the term, a ‘hipster’ is someone who deliberately follows obscure bands, eats unusual foods, and wears unconventional clothing in the understanding that they are some kind of fashion trendsetter.
This new breed of highly critical individual consciously rejects anything that is deemed to be ‘mainstream’, so it’s deliciously ironic that hipsters have been tasked to star in this risible Angry Birds clone.
Although the developer of this game may be feeling suitably smug at making such a biting indictment of hipster culture, the generally low standard of the product leaves little for the consumer to laugh about.
Ironic how ironic irony can beThe concept behind Angry Hipsters needs no introduction if you’re one of the billions of people that has already experienced Rovio’s aforementioned bird-flinging phenomenon.
You use a catapult to hurl various hipsters at the objects of their scorn – Starbucks coffee cups, expensive designer clothing, and Banana smartphones (no prizes for guessing what that product is supposed to represent).
Each level is constructed from various components, some of which crumble on impact while others remain steadfast.
The characters you use as ammo have different skills: one can execute a sudden burst of speed, for example, whilst another is capable of dropping bombs.
Smash and grabAs is probably abundantly clear by now, Angry Hipsters steals plenty of concepts from Angry Birds. What it’s not so adept at replicating is the inventive level design, engaging graphics, and general appeal of Rovio's famous title.
The stages in Angry Hipsters have been lazily conceived, with seemingly only the bare minimum of thought going into their layout.
Another issue is the rather iffy physics - objects don’t react as you’d expect them to, and anyone who has put a significant amount of time into Angry Birds will notice immediately that something is amiss with the way in which items fall and structures tumble.
That’s so last weekThe rough graphics lack any character or appeal, and they cause problems during gameplay, too. The background image is often designed in a way that makes it hard to discern obstacles and targets in the foreground.
The one highpoint of the game is the amusing sound bites that each hipster emits when you line up a shot. But even that gets tired quickly.
We can't finish this review without acknowledging that Angry Hipsters has an ulterior motive. The game comes with the Hype Machine music discovery service integrated, and as you play, you can choose whether or not you want a mixtape of songs to play in the background. If you hear one you like, you can go to the Hype Machine website or buy it directly from iTunes.
So, if it's a song discovery service you're looking for, and you don't mind paying 59p and playing a mediocre Angry Birds clone while you listen, Angry Hipsters might well be for you.
But judged purely on the basis of gameplay, it's like an office joke that has been taken one step too far. It’s derivative, poorly constructed, and despite the insultingly similar gameplay, it lacks Angry Birds’s winning allure.