How to Win at Flappy Bird

Dong Nguyen’s game is famous for both its popularity and its difficulty but now, with our guide to Flappy Bird, you can win at one of the world’s hardest games.

Flappy Bird image

For a game with an entire concept that’s based around a bird with the most terrible flying skills since the dodo was around, Flappy Bird would, perhaps, be better off being called ‘aerially inept bird’, because no matter how hard you try, it probably seems like getting the game’s character through more than one or two sets of pipes seems impossible. But it’s not and you know it’s not, it’s just that the game is proving far more difficult that you initially thought and the horrible ‘thwack’ of Flappy Bird’s character hitting the floor or one of the game’s many green pipes is likely starting to grate. Read to our guide then, which can help you win at Flappy Bird.

1. Rhythm

Less in the way of a killer drum beat or a well-timed metronome, the very first point on this list comes through hours of Flappy Bird play. My score is pushing one hundred and it didn’t get like that by taking the game anything less than seriously. Analysing the title as a hit app showed me that the key way to win at Flappy Bird is by establishing a rhythm.

That might mean two taps of your thumb and then a rest or it might mean a quick fire succession of jumps and then a dip in the gap between the Flappy Bird pipes, but putting that rhythm in place is almost a surefire way to get the most out of the game. It also means that distractions would likely have to be limited, specifically music, as this can be a real off-putting factor to your Flappy Bird success, if only because the distraction of singing along can and will cause you to accidentally send your bird careening into the floor.

2. A Sturdy Platform

You’re on your way to work, the subway carriage is juddering and your Flappy Bird score may as we be in the minus numbers. Or, perhaps, you’re playing the game at your desk at work, spinning around in your desk chair both for your own amusement and so that your boss doesn’t see you ferreting valuable work time into a popular smartphone app. This will not do if you want your score to do anything but impress your peers.

Another key element to doing well in Flappy Bird is simply to rest your arm or wrist or hand on something as you play, to keep both your screen still and your attention focused. The Super Mario-esque background that the game’s developer included can easily become a blur and a tight grip on your smartphone and an arm kept as rock solid as a marble quarry can help you achieve to Flappy Bird greatness.

3. Focus

Unlike the first point in which I pointed out the disadvantages of Flappy Bird distractions, this type of focus is actually more specific. When playing the game, don’t watch the pipes, watch the bird.

It may be a difficult feat, given that the pipes are, after all, the primary source of danger in the game, but in focusing upon the bird, you actually yourself in a much better position to maneuverer it than if you were looking to avoid the obstacles. For example, when playing any other game, you might focus on the enemies and not the lead character, but this is one of the reasons why Flappy Bird is so difficult; it’s difficult to change the preconceive notions have about games and their difficulties, but doing the opposite of what those other gaming titles are doing is exactly what could allow you to succeed in Flappy Bird.

4. Thumbs

Despite all of the other ways in which we use our smartphones, Flappy Bird is not really designed to a be a two thumb game. We read blogs with two thumbs, we scroll with two thumbs and we type out messages about our lunch on social media sites with two thumbs, but in Flappy Bird, that is most definitely not the way to play.

Going off of the suggestion about rhythm, using anything other than your dominant thumb to play the game (or simultaneous use of your right and left thumbs) could disturb this rhythm, making it all the more difficult to reach success in the game. Another example is that it can actually help up your game if you use your weaker hand to support the device you are playing Flappy Bird on rather than struggling to hold your phone in a position that leaves it to be top heavy, as the weight of the unsupported bit of your phone is only going to keep you from that all impressing Flappy Bird score.

What advice can you give to people who want to improve at Flappy Bird? Let us know in the comments.

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