Game:

Arkanoid: Doh It Again (1997)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 59:25

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Here is the playthrough of Akanoid: Doh it Again done live on IGTV

Follow me on instagram @CabinSNES_fever to join me live or via my reviews and uploads to witness me take down all the games currently in my SNES colleciton, following on from having already beaten all 234 licenced UK releases for the NES. I only use original carts, no cheats & no save states.

REVIEW:
-There isnt any game I count myself more lucky for not having had to beat during my NES challenge than Arkanoid. With no continues, passwords or save, beating all 35 levels in one run is next to impossible. Blessedly the NES port wasnt released in the UK so it didnt quality for my NES challenge 🙏. This time, with no region restrictions to my SNES challenge, confrontation with Arkanoid may have caused anxiety. A jump in stage design from 35 to 99, would have meant removing the words 'next-to' before the word 'impossible', had the difficulty matched its predecessor.

Thankfully it doesn't. The inclusion of a password for every stage immediately reduces the frustration factor from reactor core meltdown level to jolly Saturday afternoon playthrough.

Any not familiar with Arkanoid, its essentially Taito's plagurised version of Atari's Breakout (another nail in Atari's awful copyright policy). Put simply, you must clear all coloured bricks by moving a paddle (or spaceship) along a horizontal plane in order to bounce a ball repeatedly into various formations of bricks. The ball continues to gain speed the more bricks it hits, eventually becoming nearly unstoppable. It may not sound that appealing, but believe me when I say it's fun, challenging and extremely addictive.

The concept has always been successful, but the tweaks Taito made via an array of fun powerups, elevates the experience no end. What could be more fun then equipping a Laser to your paddle? It's a testament to design that despite its simplicity even after sitting through 99 levels, there's still a desire for more!

The inclusion of unique boss encounters every 10 or so levels adds another welcome layer to what could be excused early on as very a one dimensional game.

It's not the first time the Moai statues of Easter Island have featured in a sinister gaming cameo, not least through Konami's Gradius, but I'm hard pressed to think of there being a more challenging use than through Atkanoids final encounter. I'm glad this last 18 months have taught me humility, patience & calm.... YEAH RIGHT!

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