Mini Overview: Breakout Previous (Swap)

Breakout Beyond hails from the team at Bit.Trip, a developer known for creating engaging experiences. This game invites you to navigate through a total of 72 levels (plus an unlockable ‘Infinite Mode’), many of which pay homage to legendary Atari creators or intellectual properties, such as ‘NOHLENN’ (Nolan Bushnell) and ‘RAH-BAHNET’ (Warren Robinett).

With striking neon visuals and a soothing, atmospheric soundtrack, Breakout Beyond serves as an unexpectedly calming experience. Although it can be challenging at times, it smoothly immerses you into a serene state thanks to its artistic design. Bricks shatter with soft sounds and vibrant bursts of color reminiscent of tiny fireworks, and if you achieve a noteworthy combo, it can truly transform into a visual delight.

Inspired by Atari’s ’70s arcade classic, the gameplay shifts the action sideways (as opposed to the original where you dismantled blocks from the top of the screen), which may seem like a bold move for longtime enthusiasts, but it functions effectively. Each brick you demolish brings you one step closer to your goal until you reach the ultimate target. As before, you’ll need to strategize your shots so that your ball bounces around independently for as long as possible, clearing the way and advancing the screen as appropriate.

To assist you, Beyond introduces several abilities that can be acquired by breaking specific bricks. These include multiple balls, a temporary barrier behind your paddle, a laser that fires from your paddle, and more. You can even stack these abilities, allowing you to find yourself in a situation where you’re juggling seven or eight balls in one go while firing lasers simultaneously. It’s quite exhilarating.

Of course, there will be times when the action becomes a bit too frantic for comfortable tracking in the typical gameplay.