Arkanoid

Genres

Platforms

Summary

NES version of Arkanoid. The original Breakout idea centers on controlling a paddle at the bottom of the screen to bounce a ball and destroy all the bricks arranged at the top. It remained largely forgotten for over ten years until Taito brought it back with fresh ideas in this arcade title. The game's story reimagines the paddle as a Vaus spacecraft, the ball as an energy bolt, and the bricks as an enigmatic wall blocking the ship's path to safety. By the mid-80s, power-ups had become a staple in many arcade games, and Arkanoid includes them. These are collected by positioning the paddle beneath them as they drop (though doing so at the wrong moment risks losing the ball). The power-ups include lasers (mounted on either side of the ship, allowing you to fire at the blocks), a catching device (enabling you to launch the ball at different angles with each hit), and one that slows the bolt's speed.