Tiny Wings
App Store icon
Developer(s)Andreas Illiger
Publisher(s)Andreas Illiger
Platform(s)iOS
ReleaseFebruary 18, 2011
July 12, 2012 (HD version)
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player, local multiplayer (HD/iPad)

Tiny Wings is an iOS game developed by German game developer Andreas Illiger, released on February 18, 2011. It was the top-grossing game in the App Store for two weeks from late February to early March 2011.[1] The app was voted best iPhone game of the year in 2011[2] and has sold at least 10.5 million copies on iPhone and 1.8 million copies on iPad based on Apple's Game Center statistics.

According to Illiger, the core mechanic of Tiny Wings is inspired by Nathan McCoy's Wavespark.[3]

Gameplay

In Tiny Wings, the player takes control of a bird whose wings are too small to fly. The goal of the game is to use hills in order to gain speed and flap as long as possible. This is done by tapping and holding the screen in order to make the bird drop. The game play mainly revolves around timing your taps so that the bird slides down hills and flies up them. The game features special missions to upgrade the player's nest and increase their score multiplier. These challenges revolve around reaching specific islands or achieving certain feats a number of times in one game. The game's visuals are procedurally generated, making it look different every day.[4] An alternative game mode allows the player to race against three other birds controlled by AI.

Development

Designer Andreas Illiger made the game with the "dream of flying" and positive emotions in mind. He wanted to contrast games that are "destructive and negative." When designing the game, he designed it while considering whether a 1.5-year-old child could play it. Development took about seven months, with little changing from the original concept.[5]

Reception

The game has received highly positive reviews. Many reviewers praised the game's simple gameplay but complex nuances.[10] IGN gave the game a score of 8.0/10 and said that it "comes together as a very playable simple pleasure."[11] Slide to Play gave the game a perfect 4/4 and said that the game is "brilliant in its simplicity, originality, and ability to keep you coming back again and again."[12] Games Pundit gave the game 8.5/10 saying that "It’s one of those games that you can just pick up and play to eat up 10 minutes of time and have some fun too."[13] The game was featured by Apple senior vice president Scott Forstall as a "mind controllingly addictive game" at Apple's 2011 Worldwide Developer's Conference.[14] During the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Tiny Wings for "Casual Game of the Year".[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Top-Grossing iTunes App – Tiny Wings Still The Top Paid App". Archived from the original on 2011-05-31.
  2. ↑ "iPhone Game of the Year 2011". iTunes. Archived from the original on 2017-09-17. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  3. ↑ Clark, Richard (2012-01-11). "Andreas Illiger Interview". Kill Screen. Archived from the original on 2015-07-11. Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  4. ↑ Illiger, Andreas. "Portfolio, Tiny Wings". Tiny Wings. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  5. ↑ "Andreas Illiger: "Tiny Wings success was scary."". App Agent. 2 May 2012. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Tiny Wings for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2019-04-29. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
  7. ↑ "Tiny Wings HD for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2018-07-31. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
  8. ↑ Nelson, Jared (2011-02-22). "'Tiny Wings' Review – Flap 'Em With All Your Might". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
  9. ↑ Nelson, Jared (2012-07-12). "'Tiny Wings HD' Review – The Tiny Bird is Finally on the Big Screen". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on 2018-12-30. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
  10. ↑ Luke. "Tiny Wings Review: Is It More Than a Simple Arcade Game?". Fork This Llama. Archived from the original on 2011-08-16. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  11. ↑ "IGN - Tiny Wings Review". Archived from the original on 2011-03-01.
  12. ↑ "Tiny Wings Review at Slide To Play". Archived from the original on 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
  13. ↑ "Tiny Wings iOS- Review at Games Pundit". Archived from the original on 2011-05-01. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
  14. ↑ WWDC 2011 keynote, https://youtube.com/watch?v=LPMjUtfQPks?t=2475 Archived 2023-03-17(Date mismatch) at the Wayback Machine, 40:00
  15. ↑ "2012 Awards Category Details Casual Game of the Year". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
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