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Title Arkanoid
Publisher Discovery
Game Type Sport
Players 1-2
HD Installable Yes
Compatibility OCS (Patch available for all)
Submission Chris Vella Profiled Reviewer

Review
Ahh, the first good breakout game on the amiga. I don't know what makes
these kinds of games so addictive but you always want to see what the next
level will look like.

This is the first commercial version of breakout that I know of. For the
people who have been living in a cave for the last 13 years this is how you
play the game. You control a bat object that you move horizontally across the
bottom of the screen trying to deflect a ball into colored bricks that are in
various patterns above you. When the ball hits a brick, the brick disappears,
miss the ball and you lose a life. There are some objects that fly around the
screen that try to hinder you from hitting the bricks. Sometimes hitting a
brick will result in a icon that falls to the bottom, collecting the icons
will result in a variety of changes to your bat. This can include making your
bat smaller or larger, slow down or speed up of the ball, lazers that you can
shoot at the bricks, and a level warp. The icons will have a letter, letting you
know which one does what. So clear all the bricks on the screen and go to the
next level. Thats the whole game. Not much variation but it's very addictive
and I can't explain why. I guess it because it so simple and fun.

In conclusion, I know that there are a ton of public domain versions of
this game but none of them really improve on this original version. I'm sure
this game is cheap to buy and is better than most PD versions. The only bad
thing that I can say about this game is that you can't make your own levels
and the game doesn't come with all that many. That bad point aside I have to
say that I'm glad this game is in my software collection.

"Classic gaming at its finest"

Arkanoid is one of those strange games that doesn't really fit any sort of genre and pretty much takes whatever spot that it really wants to. You could chalk it up to action, or to puzzle, some would dare to call it a shooter, and other people just call it weird but fun! Set in some distant and surreal future, you take control of a small cylinder that reflects a small ping pong type ball back towards a tone of multi-colored and patterned bricks that range in a variety of score and toughness to break. While it doesn't seem like much of a game, it is very addicting and can cause hours of mindless fun and drooling!

-The Game Play-

Basic and addicting, you're placed in stage after stage of blocks suspended at the top of the screen. Your goal is to remove the blocks from the top of the screen, in order to proceed to the next level. Through-out the stages, you'll break blocks that will release small power-ups that you can use to take out more blocks, either by extending your reflecting bar, or giving you a laser power-up! There is a two-player option that is more or less like a competition to see who can clear what levels. Outside of that, you have one secret to unlock, but that is where any sort of secret seeking ends. Mainly what you'll replay this game for, is that it's very addictive, and can be very fun to play once you get into it!

Depending on your tastes, you may find that Arkanoid offers enough addicting game play to keep you riveted for a couple of hours or more! Usually, a seasoned player can get through the first ten stages without using more than a single quarter and after that, it just depends on what type of score you'd like to get. As the stages move on, the ball moves faster so be prepared for that and be prepared to find that the blocks are harder to remove from the playing field. Skilled gamers should be able to work through these levels and make it all the way to the end of the game, being able to see all of the different patterns that are available.

Simple and to the point, you control the small bar at the bottom of the screen that is easy to use and moves in a total back and forth motion, in order to reflect the ball back up against the blocks at the top of the stage, There isn't anything special or advanced involved, the fire button controls the laser pick up once you receive it for maximum brick clearing and there is no real control of that either so you’ll find that it is just mindless shooting! Gamers of any skill should be able to learn how to use this within the first ten minutes of play and you should be able to master it within a half an hour.

-The Visuals-

While not the most impressive in terms of special effects or explosions, Arkanoid delivers the goods in terms of bright colors, different level designs, and sets of special weapons that basically blaze across the screen with some pretty good displays! You'll find yourself looking at multi-colored blocks, but in different patterns throughout several different stages and that is really the only distinction between stage one and the final stage!

-The Audio-

The music is what sets the tone of the game, it is uplifting and puts you in a pretty good frame of mind to break down blocks. Each stage doesn't have much of a variation on the music that you can tell, so be prepared to listen to pretty much the same tunes over and over again. The sound effects are pretty basic, in which the bing, bing, bing of the ball being bounced off the blocks. Outside of that, there isn't anything else to listen to, so be prepared!

-The Verdict-

You're placed in a game that plays fairly well, and has the most simplistic of game playing, with an addictive trait that is matched by several games of this era. While it's not the flashiest of games, and it doesn't have the cinematic of some games these days, you have, when you play, a piece of living history at your control. For gamers who are looking to play a game that will seem to make time disappear, you really can’t get any better than this for your Amiga system. Worthy of being in your collection is an understatement and anyone who owns the system should have this at the top of his or her collection list.



Reviewer's Score: 8/10 | Originally Posted: 10/01/02, Updated 10/01/02