Arkanoid is a 1986 block breaker arcade game developed and published by Taito. In North America, it was published by Romstar. Controlling a paddle-like craft known as the Vaus, the player is tasked with clearing a formation of colorful blocks by deflecting a ball towards it without letting the ball leave the playfield. Some blocks contain power-ups that have various effects, such as increasing the length of the Vaus, creating several additional balls, or turning the Vaus into a laser cannon.
The film Tron served as inspiration for the game’s futuristic, neon aesthetic. Level designs were sketched on paper before being programmed and tested to make sure they were fun to play. The enemy and power-up designs were 3D models converted into sprite art. Early location tests for Arkanoid surpassed Taito’s initial expectations.
Arkanoid Gameplay
Arkanoid is a block breaker video game. Its plot involves the starship Arkanoid being attacked by a mysterious entity from space named DOH. A small paddle-shaped craft, the Vaus, is ejected from the Arkanoid. In Arkanoid, players maneuver a paddle-shaped craft named the Vaus along the bottom of the screen.
The player controls the “Vaus”, a space vessel that acts as the game’s “paddle” which prevents a ball from falling from the playing field, and attempts to bounce the ball against a number of bricks. The ball striking a brick causes the brick to disappear. When all the bricks are gone, the player advances to the next level, where another pattern of bricks appears.
There are game variations (bricks that have to be hit multiple times, flying enemy ships, etc.) and power-up capsules to assist the player (expand the Vaus, multiply the number of balls, equip a laser cannon, break directly to the next level, extra Vaus, etc.), but the gameplay remains the same.
On the final stage (33 on most versions, but 36 on the NES), the player takes on the game’s boss, “DOH”. Once this point is reached, the player no longer has the option to continue after running out of lives, making this segment more difficult. The game is over regardless of the outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
When was arkanoid released?
1986
Who developed arkanoid?
How many levels are in Arkanoid?
32 levels
The game ball has to stay above the paddle or you will lose a life. There is a total of 32 levels that you have to beat, not including the final boss, named Doh. The first level consists of six layers of colored blocks.
On which platform is arkanoid available?
Arcade, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Apple IIGS, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, Macintosh, MS-DOS, MSX, NES, PC-88, PC-98, Thomson, TRS-80 Color Computer, ZX Spectrum, iOS, Mobile phone
