Breakout Beyond Review

Breakout originally released in arcades way back in 1976 and just like Tetris, people find ways to bring it back under different flavors; this is where Breakout Beyond comes in. If you’re not familiar with the game, it’s basically a single player Pong experience. Players need to break as many bricks as possible to reach the goal on the other side of the breakable wall by bouncing a ball with the paddle.

Players have a whooping 72 levels to get through and each become increasingly difficult as you progress. The longer the combo, the more special visual effects the game will display. You can also come across special blocks that will give you perks such as an additional barrier to save your ball, brick clearing blast or even a cannon to make a path through the blocks.

You can also enable a Focus mode to give you a chance to react in due time. If you still didn’t get your fix after all 72 levels, you can attempt the game with a friend with the 2 player co-op mode. Or you can test your metal in the unlockable endless mode where you can play forever or until you fail. Work hard and get your name on the leaderboards.

The visual aspect of Breakout Beyond is the star here. It’s super bright, colorful and shows how far this 70s arcade puzzle has come along. As long as you maintain your combo, the visual effects procedurally amp up for a more trippy experience. Soundtrack is fine; nothing special. It’s a mellow EDM inspired score that will allow you to focus on the task at hand. Much like the visuals, the audio side of things amp up the longer you keep your combo.

The main issue with Breakout Beyond (or most iterations of Breakout for that matter) is that the gameplay is a one trick pony. It lacks depths and shows how far we’ve come in terms of gaming since the 1970s. During long combos, things can be visually overwhelming to the point you lose track of the ball. Players wanting some diversity might lose interest after a few levels. Also only being able to use the joystick to move the paddle feels flimsy and lacks precision.

Breakout Beyond is another version of a great puzzle game from early age of gaming. Easy to pick up and play, great use of power ups and focus mode to help through some of the harder levels. However, it’s greatest feature is also its greatest downfall; lack of gameplay variety and replay value. If you’re looking for something different to keep you busy, Breakout Beyond is a great way to spend some time and money.