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Breakout Beyond takes Atari’s seminal brick-breaker and gives it a fresh twist, courtesy of Choice Provisions — the studio behind the Bit.Trip series. While 2022’s Breakout: Recharged was a faithful modernization, Breakout Beyond moves in a more radical direction, introducing new mechanics, a side-scrolling structure, and an emphasis on strategy that makes it one of the most intriguing takes on the formula yet.
At its core, Breakout Beyond retains the essence of the original: a ball, a paddle, and a wall of bricks. Deep inside, it’s the same game I loved playing on my Game Boy Pocket. But instead of simply clearing the screen, your objective is to push forward, breaking just enough bricks to carve a path to the finish line. Each destroyed block nudges the screen to the right, slowly unveiling the stage as you attempt to keep your ball in play. The change from a vertical orientation to a horizontal one might sound sacrilegious, but it works surprisingly well, adding a fresh sense of momentum and progression.
Visually, Breakout Beyond embraces a neon-drenched aesthetic that evokes the glowing grids of classic arcade cabinets and the retro-futurism of games like Geometry Wars. The sound design is similarly sleek, pairing abstract electronic beats with satisfying, muted explosions of color when bricks shatter. It’s both hypnotic and exhilarating, striking a balance between high-speed intensity and an oddly therapeutic rhythm.
What sets Beyond apart is its arsenal of Arkanoid-style power-ups. Special bricks unlock abilities such as multiball, paddle-mounted lasers, and protective barriers. These can be stacked, leading to moments of sheer chaos as a flurry of balls ricochet across the screen while you fire off lasers in every direction. But chaos isn’t just for spectacle — many levels demand careful use of these abilities to navigate increasingly complex layouts. Bricks that require multiple hits, warp zones that fast-forward the stage, and strategic choke points all force you to think ahead, turning what was once a reflex-driven experience into something closer to puzzle-solving.
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Yet, for all its mechanical depth, Breakout Beyond doesn’t always play fair. Some stages rely heavily on finding the right power-up at the right time, creating frustrating bottlenecks where progress feels less like a matter of skill and more of luck. And while the game offers a slowdown mechanic — allowing you to briefly freeze time and reposition yourself — it doesn’t eliminate the occasional feeling of being at the mercy of unpredictable bounces and punishing layouts.
One notable omission is support for a paddle controller. Classic Breakout thrived on the precision of a physical dial, and while Beyond makes some accommodations — such as adjustable paddle speed and the ability to add spin to the ball — it never quite replicates the intuitive control of the original. Playing with an analog stick or D-pad feels serviceable but not optimal, an unfortunate limitation for a game that relies so much on precise positioning.
Beyond’s campaign spans 72 levels, laid out in a grid where unlocking one stage typically opens up several new ones, preventing hard progression blocks. An ‘Infinite Mode’ also awaits those who complete the campaign, bringing a global leaderboard into the mix — a surprising absence from the main game, where individual high scores are tracked but not compared online. Co-op mode allows for two players to take on the game together, though whether that enhances or amplifies the chaos is up for debate.
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In keeping with Atari’s recent output, Breakout Beyond leans into corporate nostalgia, sneaking in visual nods to classic titles. Stages are often designed to resemble pixelated Atari characters or symbols, with subtle references to Adventure, Yars’ Revenge, and other legacy titles. It’s a harmless addition, but one that underscores the current industry-wide obsession with mining the past for Easter eggs rather than simply moving forward. Breakout Beyond doesn’t need to remind us of Atari’s history — it stands firmly enough on its own as one of the boldest reinterpretations of the game in years.
Verdict
Breakout Beyond isn’t perfect. It has its difficulty spikes, its moments of overwhelming chaos, and the occasional bout of power-up dependence. But for those who have always struggled with Breakout’s rigid precision, it offers a version that feels faster, more forgiving, and — crucially — more fun. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran of the genre or someone who has spent a lifetime bouncing off its unforgiving mechanics, Breakout Beyond is an engaging, stylish, and genuinely fresh take on a half-century-old classic.
