Thursday, January 24,2008 @ 5:35pm
First Look: Block Breaker Deluxe for iPod
Apple's venture into gaming with the iPod has seen a number of titles from industry giants, such as Namco and Electronic Arts. Recently, however, the iPod has attracted mobile game developers like PopCap and Gameloft, the latter of which has just released Block Breaker Deluxe. The game revolves around the popular brick-breaking formula made famous by BrickOut and Arkanoid in years past, where players bounce a ball off of a movable paddle to destroy bricks on the play field.
Players begin their career as a newcomer to the "Breaker tables" – what non-player characters call the playing portion of the game. While you do not play against anyone, your task is to beat the Breaker tables in each of the six locations, which span over 50 levels. When you are done with the levels provided, Gameloft offers a level editor where you can create and share your own Block Breaker Deluxe levels with others.
Main title screen, club selector
Game elements are rich and varied; you can use 14 upgradeable power-ups to bust 11 different types of bricks. In addition to powers that are of standard fare for this type of game, there are a few new concepts such as the yo-yo power-up, where you can call the ball back to the paddle. Bricks also have a unique spin on them, with the teleport bricks that transport the ball to a random location on the screen when struck, or switch bricks that can change the layout of the level.
Once you have chosen a club to compete in, you progressively play through increasingly difficult levels. In each level, you can collect gifts, power-ups, and cash, and at the end of the level string lies a unique boss fight.
The game field
Gifts can be used to bribe one of the non-player characters into providing more solid power-ups to the in-game shop. The shop is where you can buy extra lives, gifts, enhanced power-ups, and access to a cruise ship. The scalable power-ups allow you to enhance the magnet power up, for example, which lets the paddle retain two, three, or more balls. Every time that power-up is collected in the game, it will have the upgraded features you paid for.
Shopping and viewing gifts
Block Breaker Deluxe provides a colorful game experience, with many different power-ups and mini-games. The ability to create and download player-made levels extends the life of the game considerably.