Angry Birds Seasons

Rovio Entertainment
Company type	Video game developer
Industry	Video games
Founded	December 12, 2003; 22 years ago in Espoo, Finland
Founder	Niklas Hed, Jarno Väkeväinen, Kim Dikert, Mikael Hed, Tuomo Kaila
Headquarters	Espoo, Finland
Products	Angry Birds series
Website	www.rovio.com

Angry Birds Seasons—initially launched as Angry Birds Halloween—was the second installment in the Angry Birds puzzle game franchise, developed and released by Rovio Entertainment. Following the widespread acclaim of Angry Birds, this title debuted on Apple's iOS platform in October 2010 and subsequently became available on Android devices by December 2010. Its final update was issued in December 2016, and the game was eventually delisted from both the App Store and Google Play marketplaces in 2019.

From a critical standpoint, Angry Birds Seasons earned recognition for its creative incorporation of seasonal motifs, though some reviewers remarked on its heightened challenge level relative to the original game.

Gameplay

The core mechanic involves players utilizing a slingshot to propel different bird characters toward pig-occupied structures, aiming to eliminate them either through direct impact or by triggering structural collapses. The game encompasses 29 episodes, each centered around distinct holidays or seasonal themes, introducing unique gameplay variations. For instance, the "Haunted Hogs" episode featured ghost blocks that allowed birds to pass through them.

A significant update in October 2015 brought a new in-game currency called birdcoins, which notably changed the gameplay experience by placing access restrictions on episodes from "Trick Or Treat" through "South Hamerica," requiring payment. Birdcoins could be accumulated by completing levels or purchased via real-world transactions. This update also introduced daily "Quests" that rewarded players with birdcoins or Power-Ups, along with multi-day quests that unlocked new bird costumes known as "Birdwear."

The lineup of playable birds retained all original characters—Red, Chuck, The Blues, Bomb, Matilda, Terence, Hal, Bubbles, and Stella—and added Tony, who is Terence's cousin. Tony behaves similarly to Silver from Angry Birds 2, executing a downward smash when tapped.

Season 2010

The initial season launched in October 2010 with Rovio's release of a Halloween-themed version titled Angry Birds Halloween, exclusively for iOS devices and featuring holiday-specific music and visuals. On December 1, 2010, Rovio rebranded this edition as Angry Birds Seasons, expanding availability to iOS, Android, and Symbian 3 platforms. This update included 25 Christmas-themed levels designed in the style of an Advent calendar. All versions incorporated the earlier Halloween content and were distributed as separate paid applications, except for an ad-supported free version on Android. Users who owned the Halloween edition on iOS received the new Seasons content as a complimentary upgrade. The Halloween chapter was named "Trick or Treat," while the Christmas segment was titled "Season's Greedings."

Season 2011

In February 2011, Rovio introduced a Valentine's Day-themed update called "Hogs and Kisses," which added new levels and integrated Facebook functionality to send Angry Birds Valentine greetings. March brought the St. Patrick's Day update named "Go Green, Get Lucky," followed by an Easter-themed episode titled "Easter Eggs" in April. June saw the release of "Summer Pignic," a summer-themed update notable for being the only non-Christmas episode arranged as an Advent calendar. In September, the "Moon Festival" episode coincided with the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. October featured the second Halloween installment called "Ham'O'Ween," which introduced a new orange bird named Bubbles. The year concluded with December’s "Wreck the Halls," offering another set of 25 Christmas-themed levels structured as an Advent calendar.

Season 2012

The 2012 season commenced in January with the "Year of the Dragon" episode, inspired by Chinese New Year. This update replaced the Mighty Eagle with the Mighty Dragon, a complimentary character capable of circling structures to eliminate all pigs. On March 7, a Japanese Cherry Blossom themed episode was introduced. June brought the twelfth episode titled Piglantis, marking the second summer-centric update following Summer Pignic. Piglantis showcased fluid dynamics where birds, wood, and glass would float, while pigs and stone sank until defeated.

August saw the arrival of the "Back to School" episode, which introduced Stella, the pink bird. October featured the third Halloween installment called "Haunted Hogs," which added ghost blocks visible only to birds and pigs inside them. On December 1, Winter Wonderham was released as the third Christmas episode, designed like an advent calendar and including slippery blue ice that caused wood, ice, stone, birds, and pigs to slide. A special note for Android users: those who reached level 5 found a unique blue Intel Golden Egg linked to the web game Angry Birds In: Ultrabook Adventure, providing five exclusive levels; this Golden Egg was removed in 2016.

Season 2013

The 2013 season launched later than usual, with the magician-themed episode Abra-Ca-Bacon arriving in May. This update introduced "magic portals," a novel gameplay mechanic allowing materials, birds, or pigs to be teleported through portals. In December 2013, the fourth Christmas episode titled Arctic Eggspedition was released as an advent calendar that unlocked one level per day. This season was the shortest in the game’s history, comprising only two episodes.

Season 2014

Debuting even later in July 2014, this season presented its third summer-themed episode named South Hamerica and Pig Days, featuring levels unlocked on a weekly basis. On October 9, the "Ham Dunk" update celebrated the NBA Championships with basketball-themed stages. Later that month, a tweet from Visit Finland announced a new character named Tony—Terence’s cousin—who made his debut in the December 1 update On Finn Ice. Tony introduced a distinctive ability allowing him to crash straight downward when tapped. The Finnish band Apocalyptica contributed a remix of Angry Birds’ original theme for this release. Additionally, episodes were reorganized by their release year rather than by season order; for instance, "Winter Wonderham" was reassigned from the 2013 to the 2012 season.

Season 2015

The fifth season began in February 2015 with an expansion of Ham Dunk titled All-Star Weekend 2015, increasing the episode to 60 levels and surpassing Trick or Treat’s previous record of 45 levels. This update also introduced the Shockwave power-up (an electrical Bomb), which was free but exclusively available within Ham Dunk. In April, "Tropigal Paradise" launched as part of Rovio’s collaboration with BirdLife International to aid Pacific bird conservation efforts. June featured a third Ham Dunk update called The Finals, raising total levels to 67. October brought the fourth Halloween episode named "Invasion Of The Egg Snatchers," inspired by horror films from the 1950s. This update introduced BirdWear (costumes) unlocked through a scavenger hunt mechanic requiring timed item collection, offering optional in-game outfits. It also added a Power-Up Test Zone allowing unlimited trials of Power-Ups. The year concluded with the Christmas episode "Ski or Squeal," presented as an advent calendar and set atop a snowy mountain peak.

Season 2016

The sixth installment premiered on February 11, 2016, kicking off with a Valentine's Day-themed episode called "Fairy Hogmother." This episode introduced magical wands that activate specific effects and featured caged birds that grant additional lives once liberated. In March, the "Marie Hamtionette" episode paid tribute to the Versailles Festival, drawing inspiration from Queen Marie Antoinette. June brought the "Summer Camp" episode, set at dawn in a mountain forest with a seasonal summer atmosphere, alongside a new competitive feature titled "The Pig Challenge," where participants vie weekly for trophies and power-ups.

In August, "Piggywood Studios Part 1" was launched, showcasing pigs reenacting famous scenes from movies such as Indiana Jones, King Kong, and The Angry Birds Movie; its follow-up arrived in September. October included the Halloween-themed episode "Hammier Things," a spoof of the Netflix series Stranger Things, which served as the fifth and final Halloween content update. The year wrapped up with the seventh Christmas episode named "Ragnahog," which incorporated elements inspired by Viking culture.

Ports

During E3 2012 held in Los Angeles, Rovio alongside distribution partner Activision revealed intentions to release Angry Birds Seasons along with the original Angry Birds and Angry Birds Rio on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo 3DS platforms. Packaged as Angry Birds Trilogy, these titles were tailored for each console, featuring compatibility with PlayStation Move, Kinect, support for high-definition displays, and glasses-free 3D visuals. Additionally, the trilogy became available on both Wii and Wii U systems.

Reception

Angry Birds Seasons was met with favorable critiques. Tracy Erickson from Pocket Gamer observed that the Halloween update presented increased difficulty compared to the original game, resulting in more trial-and-error gameplay while preserving its fun factor. Sarah Jacobsson of Macworld emphasized the demanding nature of the levels found in the Christmas update and commended its affordability at $0.99 (with Angry Birds Seasons HD priced at $1.99). Abigail Holden from Lazygamer awarded the PC edition an 8.5 out of 10 score, endorsing it for both newcomers and long-time followers of the series.

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