

The ball is still active when it passes through those areas, only you can't see it until it comes out the other end. If you were playing this at an arcade and someone set a yardstick across the middle of the screen, the effect would be roughly the same.
Arkanoid ds review full#
To make full use of the space provided, this means that the developers had to split the playing area in two, with dead space at the center. Basically, the game is meant to be played with vertical orientation (like Tetris). I appreciate the depth of customization options here, but sometimes it seems almost like too much.Ī more serious issue I have with Arkanoid DS isn't even entirely its fault. I had to go through and adjust settings individually for numerous stages, something that was quite tedious. The only problem I had is that I couldn't find a way to conveniently make global changes. These things don't affect the actual play mechanics, but they're welcome just the same. You can also adjust things like the border and the appearance of the paddle. One especially cool design element is that you can change the visual presentation of the blocks to look like the aliens from Space Invaders. Here you can make purchases and modifications to your heart's content, provided you have enough in-game currency. As you clear stages, you'll receive points that can then be spent in the store (accessible from the 'Options' screen). The game's audio efforts are a mixed bag, but fortunately you can adjust sound effect and music volume independently of one another on the “Options” screen if you wish. New songs play on many of the five-stage sections you explore and many of them are quite good (some even with vocal bits). The clink of the ball as it bounces from one object to another quickly becomes abrasive, an attribute that is at odds with an excellent soundtrack. I wish that I could say the same thing for the sound effects, which quickly got on my nerves and prompted me to mute the volume. I had no reason to complain about even the default settings, since the two options are well-executed and precisely what most players would hope to find. Sensitivity can also be modified if needed, so that the game truly bends itself to your preferences. You're allowed either to use the d-pad to steer your paddle along the bottom of the screen (with 'B' launching the ball at the start of each round), or you can move it about with your stylus (and press 'down' to launch your ball). It's a nice diversion, but mostly just practice for the main campaign.Ĭontrols in Arkanoid DS take one of two forms, which you can easily modify-along with difficulty level-at the start of any attempt to play through Clear Game mode. The goal is to either break all blocks first on a randomly-selected stage, or to focus on being the first to clear a certain color. Finally, VS Com lets you go up against the computer. Quest Game lets you replay stages you've already completed, but adds restrictions on things like time or the number of times you can reflect the ball. This design ensures that you'll have to play multiple times if you want to encounter each new puzzle. You bust through stages in lots of five at a time, selecting from a branching pathway (as in Taito's other recent revival, Space Invaders Extreme) to proceed to the next batch. Fortunately, your options here are relatively robust: Clear Game, Quest Game and VS Com.Īs you might suppose, Clear Game is the general campaign. Unless you have a sibling or bosom buddy with a DS handy (only one copy of the cartridge is required for local multi-player), you'll probably spend most of your time with the single-player mode. That's cool, but who really plays a game like this at home? It has “road trip” written all over it and that means wi-fi generally won't be around. One of the first things you'll probably notice about Arkanoid DS is that it includes a versus mode so that you can play online. Just don't expect this newest entry to set your world on fire.
Arkanoid ds review series#
The series premise is and always has been extremely simple. That might not sound particularly intriguing, but really there's no better description of Arkanoid DS. Challenging new stages and options await. Power-ups can make your job easier-or, sometimes, harder. You know the drill: reflect the ball to break the blocks. Check out this description of Arkanoid DS from the game's case: Someone responsible for package design at Square-Enix must have been bored. If you were playing this at an arcade and someone set a yardstick across the middle of the screen, the effect would be roughly the same." "Basically, the game is meant to be played with vertical orientation (like Tetris).
