Gamertell Review: Arkanoid DS

Title: Arkanoid DS
Price: $19.99
System(s): DS
Release Date: June 17, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Taito/Square Enix
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Pros: The classic arcade game with multiplayer and online modes, touchscreen controls and twice the height. Also a decent price.
Cons: The tiny gap between screens and a few extra frustrating levels.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 90; A-; * * * * out of five.

Arkanoid DS is all shades of old school arcade style videogame fun.

This 1980s arcade game (an evolution of the classic Breakout game) has received a handheld makeover with more modes, cute unlockables and decent use of the DS’s two screens and touch control scheme.

Saving the World One Brick at a Time

You’ve already seen many incarnation of the game but, just to be safe, you move a paddle back and forth, bouncing a ball up to a colored brick wall (or whatever configuration it might be in) until all of the blocks are destroyed. Some bricks take a few hits and some spew back powerups including catch-and-release, laser fire, multiple balls or an extra wide paddle.

While Breakout featured a standard solid wall of colored bricks, Arkanoid has bricks in various configurations, some forming characters, recognizable shapes or simply annoying, harder to hit arrangements thanks to well-placed unbreakable bricks. The width of the play area also changes with some levels, making it more difficult to get the right angle to wide out a board.

The game also features WiFi multiplayer with a single card (and up to four DSes) or online against random worldwide gamers or friends. The host selects the match rules and game type (be the first to clear the board or clear certain colored squares. The multiplayer mode works rather well with a smooth and steady connection, although the online mode uses the same lobby-less random player selection as other Nintendo games.

When playing against an opponent – live or CPU – you’ll also be able to collect Dr. Mario style attacks that toss extra bricks on an opponents screen, reduce the paddle or even slow down the ball (which can be bad if you are trying to clear the board first).

Destroy all Bricks

Keeping it in the spirit of the DS, you can play using with the stylus, which is far easier and faster than the control pad. If you are especially quick you can tap the screen so the paddle makes a mad dash to that point. Of course, you risk causing an awkward spin that will force the ball to quickly bounce between the side walls and build up speed.

After trying it both ways – stylus vs. control pad, that is – I scored much better and had better precision with the stylus than the control pad, getting much further into the single-player boards.

The only bit of weirdness is the gap between the top and bottom screens. There’s a tiny moment where the ball makes the screen-to-screen transition and, at times, you’ll swear there is an unbreakable block hiding in there. After clearing a few boards, you’ll be so used to the gap that you won’t even know it is (or isn’t?) there.

My only wish is that they would have allowed powerups to be combined. As it is, acquiring any powerup immediately removes the other (so no super giant paddle with laser fire and the ability to catch super blasting multiballs).

Pretty much anything you do in the game earns you points which can then be cashed in to unlock backgrounds, more thumping music and even different brick designs including Space Invaders alien shaped bricks. Not really necessary, but it does offer a nice change, especially if you get sucked into the game for several hours (and you probably will).

Keeping the Classic Cool

Arkanoid does well preserving the fun of the original brick-busting game while adding multiplayer modes and taking decent advantage of the DS’s touchscreen. You’ll easily get sucked into into this game for hours at a time, busting bricks, challenging online opponents and otherwise enjoying a casual, arcade style gaming experience.

And, yeah, it’s only $20.

Site [Arkanoid DS]