Introduction
Today we are going back in time, very far back in time, we are going to review an original arcade game. Which one? Arkanoid of course, this is one of my favorite games that I used to play in the arcade hall as a kid, I always wondered where my money went. After playing this game, I knew exactly where my money went.
What did I think before playing Arkanoid?
Arkanoid is a very traditional game that many people have heard about, it is like ping pong with a story for one player. Only you keep getting your ass handed to you. Man, I believe I have always sucked at this game, and I still do. Oh well, we should check out the Wikipedia page for more information.
The Wikipedia page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkanoid
This game contains all the information that you could possibly need. But, I think most people know what to expect from Arkanoid, you have a stick, a ball, and blocks. The ball will do everything it possibly can to outmaneuver you in any way possible. Man, why do I keep playing this game? The better question is, why do I keep doing this to myself?
Rating
I rated Arkanoid before playing with an 8.5.
Even if the original classic is cruel to humans, it still is fun to see that ball go up and down.
Story
The story is not very interesting, some mothership exploded and the Arkanoid manages to escape, only to get trapped in hyperspace.
Rating
I rated the story of Arkanoid with a 5.5
This is more of an excuse plot, as in, we needed something and this will do. We are here for the ball, not the story!
Gameplay
The gameplay is fairly simple, you give your coins and soul to the machine, and you pray to the arcade god that you can get a decent score, or even stop the ball from ruining your life. This is the perfect training to get your rage under control. Because you are going to lose, over, and over, and still, you enjoy that ball going up and down.
Nowadays, we have emulators, no more need to feed the arcade god with your petty coins, who even has cash on hand these days? If you followed the behind-the-scenes, Simone and I still visit arcade halls and offer the arcade gods our money there, did you know they don’t accept cash anymore? But, for Arkanoid, you no longer need coins if you have the emulator, let out a sigh of relief as you will lose, over and over.
In Arkanoid you will need to keep the ball up, while collecting bonuses, while this concept may sound easy, and you may think, ah, I will easily squeeze that lemon, then you are mistaken and in for a bad pie. If you get lucky, you get the super bonus that will let you skip a round. Man, this game is so hard, why did I give the arcade gods all my coins for this when I was a kid?
Rating
I rated the gameplay of Arkanoid with an 8.0.
Why don’t you take a spin in the arcade and see what you can do with your balls?
Sound and Graphics
Graphics
The graphics of Arkanoid, considering this game stems from 1986, are remarkable and colorful. Each round has new challenges for you, and more colors! There are even enemies to slay, but most of the time, they will slay you! The best upgrade is that your stick gets long.
Sound
While there are no soundtracks, the sound effects are decent if you hear a ping! Then it means your ball has not crashed — yet.
Rating
I rate the sound and graphics of Arkanoid with a 7.5
These graphics had me enchanted, they still look good.
What did I think after playing Arkanoid?
I really wanted to dig in into some arcade games, these are a great source of reviews. I mean, who still looks at the arcade games? Well, I remember them, and I intend to review them! There are other games I am thinking about, like Golden Axe.
It did not take long for me to realize, I still suck at this game, even though, I thoroughly enjoyed trying to keep the ball alive, which is a lot harder than you might think.
Rating
I rated Arkanoid with an 8.7 after playing.
If you have ever played Arkanoid, then going back to the original will feel like a breath of fresh air.
What are my personal thoughts about Arkanoid?
I had a great time with Arkanoid, even though I barely reached round five, and when I tried to record, I completely flopped. Oh well, you can’t be good at everything.
Rating
My personal Rating of Arkanoid is a 7.7
I hope that I have pleased the Arcade gods!
Last Words
Pros
- Try to complete all 33 rounds in Arkanoid to face DOH
- Collect weapons and buffs to try and keep the ball in the air
- Break blocks as the ball goes insane and tries to murder you
- Remarkable graphics for 1986, and the sound effects remind you that you are not dead, yet
- Praise the Arcade Gods
- This game is playable on an arcade, you will no longer lose all of your money
Cons
- Arkanoid is very difficult
I have to admit, I looked up the ending on YouTube, it was impossible for me to defeat DOH, maybe, one day, I will defeat, DOH!
The Final Rating
7.7
Please let me know what you think of Arkanoid in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed reading this review, I hope to see you in the next review!
If you liked reading this review, maybe you would like to share this review with your friends.
I remember playing this games for hours at a time 😀 So much fun. And the hard difficulty, for me, was part of it’s charm.
I remember playing this game as a child. Thanks for the review!
You are welcome!
I’m really pleased that you’re reviewing this game! I spent so much time playing it when I was younger! I still have the game’s music stuck in my head: a real classic, I love it!
I also enjoyed this game when I was young!
Please review more arcade games, as it is a lot of fun to revisit the past! Also, I’m shocked an early arcade game like this would even bother to include a story, let alone one as strange as being trapped in hyperspace…you generally don’t need stories to enjoy simple little arcade games like PacMan! And for arcade games in general, what emulators would you recommend?
I use the Romstation, it provides you with all the best emulators, a lot of it is French though.
Never played this one specifically but I’ve definitely played a game very similar to it! Sometimes the most simple games are the most addicting and fun!
One of my favorite games in the arcade and also my most favorite Breakout clone.
This is indeed a fun game!
Seems fun, reminded me of a game I used to play as a kid
Wow… There was a time when I played this one for hours on end 😀
could it be with the mouse? :thinking: but you could definitely select whether to start the ball to the right or to the left 🙂 You then get a small arrow indicating the direction. This helps a lot finding a small gap to shoot the ball through, at the beginning 😀 (or with every shot with the sticky-upgrade-thingy)
Yeah, I know the version you are talking about.
was fun to play in the 90’s
Nostalgic
I remember playing this game years ago
Oh, yeah, the memories of playing it way back. I don’t remember any story in it, though. It might have just been me clicking to get to play a game lol. I never managed to finish it. It’s consoling to hear you struggled with it too lol.
Retro games are hard, I never was good at games like this, lol. I’d rather play street fighter and Soul Calibur in the arcades in the hall.
Never played the original, but I did play a bunch of variations on this game! It’s enjoyable, but the most frustrating part is always spending minutes trying to hit that last block on the level! D:
Still, a fun way to pass the time.
Always a fun way to pass time!