Pigeon Panic! Review

When I was young I would chase pigeons around because it was oddly satisfying. Jump forward to my twenties and I’m still doing that, looking like a fool. Now though, developer Combo Studio has created a new solution that takes advantage of the latest technology made available from iOS 11 and Apple’s AR Kit to make this pastime even more fun.

Pigeon Panic! is a simple concept that makes good use of AR to allow for players to have a laugh with their phones. Once you open up the game you need only look at the floor, tap to throw some food on the ground to entice the birds and then get ready to run. Once they land and begin to get stuck into the food that is your moment to strike as you have a short amount of time to run into the crowd of pigeon and earn yourself some points. As you run into the pigeons and scare them away you will earn combo points for hitting the large groups and spooking multiple of the birds in one go.

Though there is not much depth to the game, the core concept is delivered well and functions as you would hope. The only thing to note is that you do need a large space to play and because the pigeons might land anywhere, ensuring you have room to run helps. Therefore Pigeon Panic! is best suited for outside play. Regardless, the game has a fun gameplay loop that you can enjoy time and time again. It might not be one you play for hours at a time but it’s nice to pick it up and chase some pigeons from time to time. Grab a friend or two and see who can get the highest score and you are onto a winner.

As with other titles that are making early use of the AR Kit and Apple’s iOS 11 update, Pigeon Panic! proves that if nothing else, the future of mobile phone powered AR is very promising. By taking the fun of chasing pigeons and making it always available in your pocket, this is one you will want to check out for sure. Here is hoping that there are some future updates to bring more content to the game and push this great title further.

Pigeon Panic! is available to download now for free on the App Store.