Enjoy a classic video game, add a respected studio, a dash of modernity, and a bit of Battle Royale. Shake everything to mix every ingredient and discover the new version of Arkanoid, the famous brick cutter from 1986! Open your history books, we are back in the footsteps of the great arcade game saga!
To understand where the Arkanoid comes from, you have to look at another game: Breakout. In the early 1970s, when everything still had to be invented, Atari reversed everything in its path with a game of pong, a tennis “simulator.” The reception from the public was so impressive that the pub owners contacted the company explaining that the station was no longer operating. In fact, the coin mechanism is blocked by countless coins that accumulate in the compartment designated for this purpose. On its way, Atari, through the voice of its founder Nolan Bushnell, asks two of its engineers to develop a new concept. The duo, made up of future Apple co-founders Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, then imagined a game of PONG that could be played on their own, following the conception of Nolan Bushnell and Steve Bristow. This difference leads to Breakout, a fantastic title based on a very simple idea: with a paddle placed at the bottom of the screen, the player pushes a ball to break bricks placed in height. When the ball hits a toy, it disappears, but the ball continues on its way. It is then necessary to manage the recoil and offset the projectile by making it bounce, as I understood it, on the racket. Otherwise, the ball falls into the void and the player loses credit. The game is a success, but Steve Wozniak will admit, years later, that his friend Steve Jobs cheated on him by giving him $375 when the contract signed by Jobs, unbeknownst to him, was $5,000. Be that as it may, it was Breakout that gave Arkanoid the acclaim ten years later.
Of men and bricks
In the mid-1980s, Taito’s management decided to build a brick and looked for a way to make the project a success. To get the best game out there, a competition is created between the employees, as a bonus, a nice bonus and the marketing of the game. The duo that stands out next consists of Akira Fujita and Hiroshi Tsugeno. While taking up the concept of Breakout, the latter develops a universe (the paddle is replaced by a paddle called Vaus) and incorporates a series of bonuses to help the player. During the game, by breaking some bricks, items fall on the screen and the user can use different effects: expand the paddle, extra balls, a ball that sticks to the paddle and even activate the lasers! But the arcade station obligates, Taito is also there to pocket as many coins as possible and the challenge is strengthened by the presence of more resistant or even completely indestructible bricks. To implement this project, Japanese designers were inspired by the film Tron for futuristic aesthetics and paid an artistic vice to create 3D models that were converted into 2D elements. Upon its release, Arkanoid was so visible that it became the highest-grossing game of 1987 – and the highest-grossing convertible in the United States. In short, a trading card that has become a classic.
Reimagining a 35-year-old concept
Based in Paris, studio Pastagames is famous for its high-quality productions (Rayman Legends, Rayman Mini, Pix’n Love Rush, Pix the Cat, Pang Adventures, etc.) and Arkanoid made sense immediately after the release of Pac-Man Party. Royale in 2019. But what do you expect? As with the original, it all begins when the Arkanoi’s ship is under attack. Unfortunately, little Vaus has managed to extricate herself, imprisoned in a parallel dimension with only her courage left to avoid sinking into the interstellar void. To regain their freedom, the crew must destroy the “Walls of Space,” in other words the Walls of Space in order to gain access to the evil entity, Doh, responsible for destroying the Arkanoid mother ship. If the older will be happy to find the original – instantly available between the different game modes – then curious will look at what makes the 2022: Battle Royale edition the power of it!
It’s no surprise that Arkanoid Eternal Battle uses clichés from the 1986 game. It is therefore always a matter of a small ship, Vaus, placed at the bottom of the screen and an increasingly crazy ball bouncing off the bricks at the top of the screen. The game mechanics are instinctive and the huge improvement space allows you to take advantage of the different ideas of the designers of Pastgames. Technically speaking, the studio was happy to propel the player into a very successful futuristic electrician. The menu music is very engaging and the game is full of visual details: streaks of light, flashes of light, vibrations, graphic triggers, colors that light up the screen… There is no doubt that the immersion is total! The interface is also great and makes it easy to switch from one mode to another.
Alone in front of the world
Watch out for Laser Doh in the final battle!
Battle Royale mode is undoubtedly the mode that attracts attention as it allows you to face 24 players simultaneously who have one goal: to survive! The principle is simple: you move from one table to another and each mistake leads to missing places in the order that is displayed in real time. Duh cares about eliminating the laggards, and the goal is simply to get the best spot. If you manage to survive among the last participants, you have the right to face Doh in an epic duel where the boss does not give any gift (destroy lasers, etc.). During games, it is entirely possible to hinder your direct competitors by sending them boosts (visual adjustments, Vaus shrinkage, sudden speed boost, etc.) via the side buttons of the controller. To divide the games, the developers have combined different types of bricks: those that destroy nearby blocks, those that turn a ball into a ball of antimatter or even those that increase their values. Items simultaneously offer dozens of effects (speed reduction, piercing bullet, Vaus stabilizer, extra life, next level, etc.). It is even possible to “rush” to move your ship very quickly from one direction to another. Arkanoid retains its core of last year, but has been enhanced by recent addictive reinterpretations. In addition, it allows you to play with other media users.
DOH, nor OH!
Visually stunning and well thought out, Arkanoid Eternal Battle offers a single mode called Neo as well as a multiplayer mode for up to 4 players (with a choice of the number of rounds and the addition of one or more AI-managed players if needed). As shown above, the room for improvement is huge and the frustration of the first parts quickly wears off once you take the scale of the different mechanics and Vaus speed. The small ship accelerates its movements when one of the directions is maintained and the sensitivity of the controls is configurable in the options. Arkanoid Eternal Battle isn’t a great game, but it does what is expected of it. Battle Royale, when there are people around (because it is not always the case), is very addictive and multiplayer in this type of game is always just as effective. In short, all good! Now the game should become known to everyone to compete online.
conclusion
strength point
- successful artistic direction
- music harmony
- new mechanics
- Single player, multiplayer and online mode
- Respect the original work
- The final battle against Duh
Weak points
- Story Bonuses (skins for decoration)
- We would have liked more musical themes
- Visual disturbances related to items that appear in the middle of the game
To stretch the joints! So respectful of last year’s hit, Arkanoid Eternal Battle is decked out with a hit electric look and new mechanics that will delight fans of the genre. Unblocked brickbreaker, Pastgames title is a good idea to incorporate an innovative Battle Royale mode, but also a single or multiplayer mode for long winter evenings. If the content could be more generous – if only in terms of rewards – the area for improvement is that we return to it regularly to improve our reactions. A good little game is just waiting for a large community to give full meaning to Battle Royale.
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