According to a tweet from Angry Birds maker Rovio, the much anticipated Angry Birds Space game has already been downloaded 10 million times in less than three days, reaching the Number One spot in over 99 countries. Angry Birds is considered one of the most popular games in the world, and the full-fledged sequel is already making waves.

The first game, with all its versions, generated half a billion downloads, but with such a strong start, the sequel seems to be at least as successful as the original. The iOS version of Angry Birds Space costs $1, the PC version retails for $6, while the Android version is ad-supported and free.

At the moment it is hard to estimate how much revenue has been produced so far from sales of the sequel, but Rovio is expected to release sales figures as soon as they are available.

New Gameplay

Strong consumer demand has definitely played a key role in the success of the game, but Angry Birds Space's brand new gameplay mechanics raised some praise as well.

Angry Birds Space keeps the game tradition, with all the existing birds and pigs at war, but it introduces some exciting new features. In Space, the pigs come dressed in cool robotic suits, go through a wormhole and steal the birds' eggs, prompting the birds to fly through that wormhole to try and stop them.

As any Angry Birds player knows, the birds are shot through a slingshot towards the pigs, in order to defeat them. Unlike the previous editions of Angry Birds, however, the birds do not fly true in Space. Players must now adjust their shots by taking the forces of gravity into account. Well, at least the game's forces of gravity, not Newton's, as Wired demonstrates.

In addition to such forces of gravity, players must also take into account the birds' unique powers, as well as environmental obstacles.

New Worlds & New Birds

Angry Birds Space also comes with four new worlds: Pig Bang, Cold Cuts, Danger Zone and Eggsteroids. By collecting the golden eggs, players will be able to open a portal towards special stages, which pay tributes to popular video games such as Super Mario Bros, Space Invaders, and Arkanoid.

Lastly, Angry Birds Space also introduces some new birds. The yellow bird featured in previous editions has now been turned into a purple triangular bird and can be aimed in any direction by double-tapping once released. The newest member of the gang is the Ice Bird, which can turn anything into an easily shattered piece of ice.

And, this is just the beginning - Rovio has promised more levels in the coming months.

(reported by Alexandra Burlacu, edited by Surojit Chatterjee)