The original arcade classic Breakout has a mighty legion of clones behind it. Similar games like Arkanoid and Alleyway have come out over the years, adding small enhancements to a simple-yet-fun formula -- yet they never seem to escape the shadow of the original. Break’Em All for the Nintendo DS is the latest entry into the Breakout-clone battle zone. Developer Warashi has done an admirable job adding depth to a basic concept, but it’s still not enough to make Break’Em All a must-play.
"Its pick-up-and-play mechanics are novel..."
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Break’Em All basically plays just like it’s inspiration. The object of the game is to break all of the blocks towards the top of the screen by directing a flying ball into them. Players control a paddle at the bottom of the screen that moves from side to side using either the stylus and touch-screen or the shoulder buttons; the latter being the superior method. Moving the paddle below the ball sends it hurdling towards the blocks, and when it hits either a block or a wall, it eventually makes its way back towards the bottom. If players miss the ball with the paddle, the ball falls into a pit and a life is lost.
Break’Em All’s biggest enhancement to the Breakout formula would be a Gradius style power-up selection Warashi created. After a certain number of hits, the player will have the option to use a power-up. The more hits, the better the power-ups. For instance, a player speed his or her ball up after only a few hits, but if they save that power-up they’ll eventually be able to create a "Laser ball," which slices through bricks as though they aren’t there instead of rebounding off of them. There are five slots on the power-up bar, and players can choose one of two options for each slot, allowing players to customize their experience. The power-ups add eloquently to the classic experience without changing the gameplay.
What holds Break’Em All back isn’t a flaw in its design; the fundamentals are as solid as any Breakout clone that came before it. Instead, Break ’Em All is held back by the fact that the entire package feels incomplete. Included in the package are three full modes of play: a classic "beat all of the levels" mode, an underdeveloped "adventure" mode, and a strange, nearly unplayable competitive mode that uses the basis of Breakout in some odd ways. There are over fifty levels in the classic mode, and getting through them all will certainly take several tries, therefore offering at least a few hours of gameplay. The levels are far from ingenious, but they’ll certainly provide players with a sizable challenge.
"... the entire package feels incomplete."
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The adventure mode uses similar levels, and strings them together into worlds. At the end of each world, there is a boss which players must defeat using the ball, the paddle, and any power-ups they’ve equipped themselves with. This mode makes it obvious that Warashi is a development house with a love for shooters, so imagine trying to defeat one of R-Type’s bosses with a paddle and a ball to get an idea of what you’ll be doing here. Honestly, the boss battles are fairly irritating. The game really wasn’t designed for obstacles that pop-up out of nowhere, causing your ball to careen into the depths below; gamers are likely to become frustrated quickly when all of their hard work in adventure mode ends in several seconds because a boss can make bricks appear out of nowhere. Adding bosses was certainly a remarkable idea, but the execution is flawed.
The competitive mode is probably one of the strangest uses of Breakout gameplay ever seen, though it’s not likely to catch on. Players choose from a menu of oddly shaped paddles. These paddles all have a weak-point at their respective centers. After choosing the paddle, the game begins on an open field with balls floating around in it. The balls are in free-fall until one of the eight players in the field hits it with their paddle. If a ball hit’s a player’s weak spot, they’ll lose some energy. If they lose enough energy, they’ll die. Players are supposed to attack the ball with their paddle, sending it into their opponents "no-no spots." Hitting the balls causes your paddle to "level up" and change into a bigger, better protected shape. Unfortunately, the paddles are so oddly shaped that it’s hard to judge whether you’ll be striking it with your own weak spot or not, so the best strategy is to avoid the balls altogether.
"Biggest enhancement: a Gradius style power-up selection"
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All of the modes support local multiplayer, so if your friends have a DS they can play as well. However, the multiplayer options are quite possibly the weakest part of the entire package. In classic and adventure mode, players move through the levels at their own speed, merely competing for score. Cooperative or competitive gameplay would have been novel -- imagine two paddles competing on the same board. The strange competitive mode is also playable by up to eight people, but anyone able to play that mode for more than five minutes likely belongs in a round room with pillows on the walls; take your DS and slowly back away.
Break’Em All’s saving grace is its price point. Twenty dollars brand new isn’t a lot to ask, and Break’Em All’s classic mode is admittedly a great time if you have fond memories of Breakout. Its pick-up-and-play mechanics are novel if you’re just looking for something to pass the time on a bus ride or a road trip, but expecting anything more from this game will only send the ball of your expectations hurdling into the oblivion beneath the paddle.
