Arkanoid
1986
- arcade
- science fiction
- single player
- multiplayer
The story
NES port of Arkanoid. The original Breakout concept involves controlling a bat at the bottom of the screen and using it to catch and direct a ball so as to hit all the bricks which are arranged at the top of the screen. It was unpopular for over a decade, before Taito revived it with some new ideas in this arcade game. The game's plot redefines the bat as a Vaus spaceship, the ball as an energy bolt, and the bricks form a mysterious wall stopping the ship from progressing to safety. By the mid-80s, power-ups were popular in most types of arcade games, and Arkanoid features them. They are caught by positioning the bat below them as they fall (meaning that you risk missing the ball if you go for them at the wrong time). The power-ups include lasers (which are mounted to each side of the ship and allow you to shoot out the blocks), a catching device (so as to be able to fire the ball off at a different angle every time you hit it) and one that slows the bolt down.
What it’s like
Bright, flat primary colours on a black field, with the bricks stacked in clean rows like rainbow tiles and a small silver paddle sliding along the bottom edge. The screen is static and frameless, so the whole experience is a single tight view of a grid, with the ball's tick-tick rhythm and bleepy chiptune effects filling the quiet between hits. Pacing is brisk and bouncy, building as the wall thins and the pings speed up, then settling into the satisfying crunch of a cleared level. The vibe is cheerful, focused and a little bit retro-cute: easy to pick up, hard to put down, with a playful sci-fi wrapper of a lone ship against a mysterious wall. Intensity is low; there is no gore or cruelty, only a mild tension when a falling power-up tempts you into a risky catch. It suits short bursts on a rainy afternoon, a nostalgic evening with the NES, or a commute-length session, and fits players who want a clean, compulsive arcade puzzle with a light touch of spaceship drama.
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