Nerdicus NES Review #44 : Arkanoid

Title : Arkanoid

Publisher : Taito

Genre : Breakout

Players : 1 / 2 Player

Release Date : 1987

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $10 - $15 (upwards of $100 with the controller)

Ah, Arkanoid. The classic and seemingly perfect breakout game. Endless hours of fun, and countless incidents of absolute frustration when you lose your last damn "ship" on the later levels. Seeking a puzzle / breakout game that will make your hands clammy? Look no further than this classic example of breakout perfection.

The goal of the game is simple. Control your weird looking spaceship paddle back and forth, and prevent the ball from passing you by. At the same time, you need to clear all the bricks that are above you. Not all bricks are the same though, and some take multiple hits to break through, while some don't break at all.

Fret not! You do have power ups that become available. But there are also items that weaken your ship. Multiple balls, a longer ship, or the dreaded shorter ship power up. Be mindful of what you pick up, but pick up as much as you can. 

The earlier stages are fairly straight forward, and basically introduce you to the mechanics of the game. The fun starts at the later stages where the bricks become an absolute cluster and the ball goes absolutely bonkers. You really need to keep on your toes in this game. Don't even blink. You miss that opportunity to hit that ball, and you're screwed. And be sure to knock out as many of those...alien..robot...things? Whatever falls from the ceiling.

There's not much to it in terms of strategy, just keep your eye on the damn ball. Angle your shots correctly, and attempt to knock out as many bricks as possible. That's about it. It's as simple and classic as you can get for an NES game. It becomes hard as hell later on. You have been warned.

My only quirk? I used that specialized controller once, and hated it. Felt it was easier using my regular NES controller. Might just be me though.

Best part of the game though? The clever block designs...OH, TAITO! You make me giggle.

Final Score (out of 5) :

Until next time. Keep on gaming!