Early Bird

The early bird gets the worm and apparently has now inspired a video game. Early Bird is another game that pretty clearly tries to borrow something from Angry Birds while offering something different. The premise is simple. There's a worm in the ground and your little birdie wants it. However, along the way there are other tasty treats to eat and hazards to deal with. Like many games in the puzzle genre there are unlockable levels and you'll be shown an overview of the level before you begin your quest. Then you'll have to swipe to send your bird in motion trying to eat as many ladybugs as you can along the way all the while landing on the target where the worm resides. On each level you have a fixed number of swipes (denoted by the blue feathers in the screenshot) before you're done and it's time to try again. Also, note that swipes can be cumulative which is among the big differences in the game. You may, for instance, have to fly over a hill. One swipe isn't going to do it so in mid flight you'll need to swipe again to cross over its peak.

Graphically the game is on solid footing. It's also got the 'used and abused' cuteness factor going for it. Succeed and the results screen has Mr. Worm expressing his enthusiasm at being captured. Fail and the little birdie start to cry. The audio is also smooth and controls work very well. I always felt that my swipes were properly detected and executed.

Naturally, as the game progresses the levels get more challenging by being longer and also adding things such as wind. And, of course, scoring is dependent on a variety of factors such as how many of the possible ladybugs you consumed, how fast you completed the level, and how close the the middle of the bullseye you landed when you caugh the worm.

Early Bird is just $0.99 in the Android Market and is a solid game, but it's not going to win any awards as there's really nothing in the 'breakthrough' realm here. It simply joins the ranks of the many other quality puzzle games already available. Bottom line... it's a nice little time killer that's worth 4/5 stars.