And so the inevitable happens – Angry Birds Go is big on IAPs, has energy system

It all comes down to whether you think Angry Birds was popular because it was good, cheap and offered tonnes of content or because people simply couldn’t resist the little birds.

If you think it’s the latter, then new kart racing title Angry Birds Go presents the inevitable conclusion of that belief.

Pocket Gamer has taken a look at the game, which overnight underwent a ‘soft launch’ in New Zealand. And what it found makes for difficult reading.

The game itself sounds decent enough, offering Mario Kart style racing controlled via tilt or touch and a range of character-specific power ups. These can be activated once or twice” for free or loads of times if you’re willing to pay.

You can see where this is going, can’t you?

Events are locked until your karts are sufficiently upgraded. Yes, this can be done using the currency won in-game or by simply buying the necessary coins with your real-world cash.

Karts can only be upgraded so far, however, meaning that sooner rather than later gamers are encouraged to upgrade. One of the karts available to purchase costs 69.99. Yes, a penny short of seventy English pounds.

Additional game modes can also be purchased or can be accessed when buying a corresponding real-life retail pack that contains the right code.

Topping off the ways to pay is an energy system that allows for birds to race five times in succession before tiring themselves out. To carry on playing gamers must either wait for their birds to recharge or… well, you can probably guess.

In Pocket Gamer’s words the game feels as much like a shop as it does an app, and as much like an advert for Hasbro toys as a game”.