Rovio has released Retry, an 8-bit flying challenge game created by its experimental publishing arm, LVL11. The game, which was soft launched in Finland, Poland and Canada earlier this year, has now received a worldwide launch.

The game places you in control of a small plane, navigating a series of increasingly difficult side-scrolling levels, collecting coins and avoiding obstacles as you fly towards the finish line. Clearly inspired by recent success Flappy Bird, the game requires users to tap the screen to propel the aircraft into the air, and rewards expert timing.

Earlier this month, the company announced it was cutting 16 per cent of its workforce, with 130 jobs set to be eliminated, following over-expansion and a slump in profits. The LVL11 unit, which was announced earlier this year, is tasked with creating another hit along the lines of Angry Birds.

“Rovio LVL11 are the guys next door to the guys making Angry Birds,” said Jami Lae, executive vice president of games at Rovio. “We have at any given moment over 40 game prototypes in circulation, and some of them become a viral hit inside the company. Retry was one of these, and it was the perfect candidate to be Rovio LVL11s first release.

“Retry is a tribute to the video games of the 80s a lot of us grew up with. The fun 8-bit aesthetics, chiptune music, the difficulty curve that hit you like a two-by-four – and you still persisted and beat those levels. It was all the sweeter for the challenge!”