'Flappy Bird' Creator Dong Nguyen Launches New Game 'Swing Copters'

The creator of the ultra-difficult game sensation, "Flappy Bird," has released a new title — and believe it or not, it's even harder. Dong Nguyen took the original hit game off the market, saying the attention and claims of people being addicted to it disturbed his simple life. But a new version of the game came back eventually, and so did Nguyen. His "Swing Copters" launched Thursday, a free download for Android and iOS.

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For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Like "Flappy Bird," you'll be guiding an airborne protagonist through narrow gaps — but now, you're going up instead of right, and the controls are both new and punishing. One tap causes your helicopter-hat-toting character to fly one direction, another tap causes it to reverse. That's it. But trying to drive your careening copter though spaces with swinging hammers menacing from both sides is incredibly difficult, and no doubt many players will quit and uninstall the game without scoring a single point. Nguyen's own top score is a paltry 8 — but a minute in the game will convince you that was no small feat.

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—Devin Coldewey