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The Breakout fever arrives on the Nintendo DS courtesy of D3 Publisher. Break’Em All is a variation of Breakout similar to games found on a variety of mobile platforms today. The game does include some new features and upgrades, though it mainly stays on the expected course.
Break 'Em All uses the touch screen on the Nintendo DS to control the paddle. By holding the paddle down with the stylus, you can move the paddle left to right. Aside from simply hitting the ball when it comes back down, you can earn power-ups by setting up combos or keeping a long string of hits going. As you do this, you’ll be awarded combos ranging from multiple balls or bigger paddles to bombs that will destroy many a block. As you progress, you’ll eventually come across boss battles. The bosses usually have a weak spot that you need to hit to beat the boss. Sounds easy enough right? Well the game tosses in some roadblocks, obstacles and barriers to prevent you from easily hitting the weak spot. The boss battles keep things interesting and manage to switch up the flow a bit.
Besides the quest mode, the game also includes a tokoton mode. This mode is split up into standard play, in which you’ll play through 50 levels and random play, which has you playing a random level out of seemingly endless variety. There is also a survival mode that can be played with up to seven computer opponents or seven other players. In this mode, everyone is on the same screen, trying to break the blocks. You can try to knock off other opponents and there are some defensive moves, but for the most part, it’s a pretty chaotic mode. If you want multiplayer but something a little more stable, the game includes a multiplayer version of the main mode I discussed above. There players are simply trying to get the highest score.
The game manages to keep things interesting by including countless level designs complete with a plethora of block types. Some require multiple hits, others require you to hit them from a certain side and some are roadblocks that simply cannot be broken. Generally, the game controls well. You usually know where the ball is going when you hit it although there are some strange hits every once in a while. For the most part, control via the touch screen is solid and more intuitive than it would have been otherwise.
The presentation of the game is good enough considering that it’s a pretty basic puzzle game. You’re pretty much looking at a paddle and a number of blocks. The blocks all pretty much look the same although they are made up of a variety of colors. The game does include scrolling backgrounds but these are bare-bones. The menu screens are easy to maneuver, but again aren’t visually catchy. The same more or less applies to the audio. The game does include a soundtrack which although simple fits the gameplay well. It’s even sort of catchy. On the sound effects side, you’ll just hear the ball hitting the paddle and breaking some blocks.
Break 'Em All manages to nail down the gameplay and proves to be a satisfying if familiar addition to the Breakout family. If you were looking for a new puzzler, Break ‘Em All might just satisfy your fix. It won’t cost you much since the game is only $20. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Jun 30, 2006
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