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Arkanoid

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The original Breakout concept involves controlling a bat at the bottom of the screen and using it to catch and direct a ball so as to hit all the bricks which are arranged at the top of the screen. It was unpopular for over a decade, before Taito revived it with some new ideas in this arcade game...

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Developer
Atlus

Released on
1986

Size
1–2 Players

Version
NES

Requirements
Nintendo Entertainment System

Downloads
Action

Publisher
Taito

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

The original Breakout concept involves controlling a bat at the bottom of the screen and using it to catch and direct a ball so as to hit all the bricks which are arranged at the top of the screen. It was unpopular for over a decade, before Taito revived it with some new ideas in this arcade game.

The game’s plot redefines the bat as a Vaus spaceship, the ball as an energy bolt, and the bricks form a mysterious wall stopping the ship from progressing to safety.

By the mid-80s, power-ups were popular in most types of arcade games, and Arkanoid features them. They are caught by positioning the bat below them as they fall (meaning that you risk missing the ball if you go for them at the wrong time). The power-ups include lasers (which are mounted to each side of the ship and allow you to shoot out the blocks), a catching device (so as to be able to fire the ball off at a different angle every time you hit it) and one that slows the bolt down.

Arkanoid

Overview & History: Originally exploding onto arcades in 1986 before Taito ported it to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1987, Arkanoid breathed new life into the classic block-breaker genre. It introduced a distinct sci-fi narrative: when the mothership Arkanoid is mysteriously destroyed, the pilot vessel Vaus escapes only to get trapped in a space warp controlled by the villainous alien entity, Doh. To survive and avenge their crew, players must guide the Vaus through thirty-three hazardous, block-filled sectors of deep space.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

At its core, Arkanoid tasks players with bouncing a metallic energy ball into colorful arrays of bricks. While standard bricks break in one hit, silver bricks require multiple strikes, and gold blocks are entirely indestructible, forcing players to find alternative trajectories. The game revolutionized the genre by introducing falling power-up capsules. Grabbing the orange Laser (L) capsule arms the Vaus with twin cannons to blast blocks directly, while the blue Enlarge (E) stretches the paddle's hitbox. The green Catch (C) magnetizes the paddle to temporarily hold the ball, and the cyan Disrupt (D) splits the sphere into three chaotic projectiles. Players can also grab the grey Break (B) capsule to open an escape portal, instantly skipping to the next stage. Floating alien hazards drift down from portals, acting as deflecting obstacles rather than direct threats. The NES adaptation perfectly captured this tense, reflex-testing arcade action, culminating in an iconic final boss battle against Doh's giant, floating stone visage.