Angry Birds Rio was a 2011 puzzle video game developed and published by Rovio Entertainment, and is the third installment in the Angry Birds series. The game was released on March 22, 2011 and promoted as a marketing tie-in with the 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios co-produced animated film Rio. While utilizing the same basic gameplay as Angry Birds (2009), Angry Birds Rio added a number of new elements, most notably the first use of boss levels. Angry Birds Rio was discontinued on February 3, 2020 along with Angry Birds Star Wars (2012), and Angry Birds Star Wars II (2013), with the games also being delisted from Google Play and the iOS App Store.
In Angry Birds Rio, Red, the Blues and Chuck have been kidnapped and taken to Rio de Janeiro by the Smugglers under the orders of an evil cockatoo named Nigel, the main antagonist from the film. Just as in the original Angry Birds, players use a slingshot to launch the birds at nearby structures, with the intent of hitting targets located on or within them. Instead of the pigs that have stolen eggs, players must now rescue caged exotic birds or defeat Nigel's marmosets, depending on the level being played. Because of the game's setting, several characters from Rio make appearances. Blu and Jewel are both featured as types of bird exclusive to this game, along with all the existing birds from the series.
The game also includes the first boss fights to appear in the series, in which the player uses the birds to defeat Nigel, as well as Mauro, the leader of the marmosets. In other levels, Luiz helps defeat the marmosets and destroys materials and blocks to get the player extra points, as well as hidden items to collect as the player progresses through the game.
The plot of Angry Birds Rio is essentially the same as that of the film Rio, albeit with the Angry Birds being present and the story being from their point of view.
When looking after their nest of eggs, Red, Chuck, and the Blues are captured by a helicopter and are whisked away to Rio de Janeiro. They land in a smugglers' den, where several other rare species of kidnapped birds are being kept. Nigel explains how they are an exceptionally rare species, making them worth a very large sum of money. Enraged, the Angry Birds break free from their cage and begin freeing the other birds. Upon freeing Blu and Jewel, the protagonists of the film, Blu states that he cannot fly. Since Blu and Jewel are chained together, the flock decides to escape into the forest. Later on, Nigel hires a group of marmosets to track them down and bring them back. The marmosets are unsuccessful however, as the Angry Birds easily overpower them. Nigel attempts to take on the birds himself, but ultimately fails.
The flock encounters Rafael, who takes them to his friend Luiz to remove the chains off Blu and Jewel. Unfortunately, while celebrating being unchained, Jewel is captured by Nigel. Red, the Blues, Chuck, Blu and the rest of the Angry Birds manage to track them down to the parade. There, they defeat Mauro, the leader of the marmosets, and Blu finds Jewel inside one of the fake parade floats. However, Nigel finds Blu attempting to break free Jewel and kidnaps him too, prompting the Angry Birds to chase after the parade float to rescue them. The smugglers' plane containing Blu, Jewel and the other poached birds takes off with the Angry Birds hiding away inside. They successfully free Blu, Jewel and the other captured birds and send Nigel into the plane's propellers, causing it to fall. Using the malfunctioning plane, the Angry Birds pilot the plane and crash-land back on their homeland, reuniting with their eggs and conveniently saving them from some thieving pigs in the process.
