ARKANOID 1 - Break all these bricks !

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Midi from Arkanoid

How to make attractive a breakout game ? Taito was concerned by this question in 1986 before the launching of Arkanoid on the market. You can indeed notice that such a game had so far only a limited interest, as it became fast repetitive and boring because the only parameters were the color of the bricks and the speed of the ball.

Arkanoid can be viewed as a master move, as it adds a story and new elements that lead the game to more ambitious goals with unexpected events at any moment and can therefore motivate the gamers !

The story ? The spaceship Arkanoid has been destroyed by enemy forces, but the pilot has succeeded to escape by using the mini-spaceship Vaus that was hidden in Arkanoid. However, he's prisoner in a strange universe made with bricks to destroy by controlling a bouncing ball .... Your bat is now the mini-spaceship Vaus !

The new elements ? The unbreakable gold bricks make your work harder, as you need absolutely to pass round them to get the opportunity to destroy the other bricks. The silver bricks can only be broken after 2 or more hits, so it gives more time for the fun. It's also the case of the enemy items that modify the ball's trajectory, but the luck can also help you sometimes to reach a brick in a bad location.

Another great idea : magical bonuses come from some bricks when you hit them and give bigger powers. Most of these bonuses are no more available when you catch another bonus, lose a life or go to the higher level.

You can so get an extra life (grey capsule), slow down the ball (yellow capsule) or open the passage to the higher stage (purple capsule).

Tips : Press UP+DOWN on the intro screen and type the GRAPH key four times, then press SPACE to start with infinite lives; press LEFT+RIGHT on the intro screen and type the GRAPH key four times, then press SPACE to play again the last played stage

Normally, you play with only one ball, but if you catch a light blue capsule, it will be splitted into 3 balls; the contact with a green capsule will magnetize the ball, so you can keep it a little glued to the bat and adjust your throwing.

			By default, you have a little bat; if you catch a dark blue capsule, it will become a big bat; the contact with a red capsule adds a laser shoot to your mini-ship (the spacebar is then also used for shooting).
	The walkthrough		Here's a walkthrough that allows to discover the 33 stages of the game !
			Stage 1 A very classical game's beginning !
			Stage 2 Silver bricks on the first line : think to open a passage on the right.
			Stage 3 The first unbreakable gold bricks : you need to adjust your shoot to take profit from the ball's bounces.
			Stage 4 Two blocks of bricks to destroy.
			Stage 5 A fortress of silver bricks.
			Stage 6 Six columns of bricks.
			Stage 7 Something like a sphere, full with bricks.
			Stage 8 A central column protected by many gold bricks.
			Stage 9 A central block and 4 bricks under good protection.
			Stage 10 You need to be very skilful to enter the protected area.
			Stage 11 Still more resistant silver bricks.
			Stage 12 Another area under good protection.
			Stage 13 Three blocks of bricks to demolish.
			Stage 14 A triple barrier of silver bricks.
			Stage 15 A monument of bricks.
			Stage 16 Five rows of bricks with an unfolding move.
			Stage 17 An umbrella of bricks.
			Stage 18 A solid bridge of bricks.
			Stage 19 A very compact monument.
			Stage 20 A defence system that is difficult to break.
			Stage 21 A fortress that is apparently not easy to conquer.
			Stage 22 The war of the trenches.
			Stage 23 Little fortresses to demolish.
			Stage 24 A mountain of bricks.
			Stage 25 A fortress that is difficult to conquer.
			Stage 26 A meeting area under good protection.
			Stage 27 Two solid high walls.
			Stage 28 A fortress with a V form.
			Stage 29 Two blocks of bricks with central protection.
			Stage 30 A solid line of oblique defence.
			Stage 31 So many mini-fortresses.
			Stage 32 The ultimate fortress.
			Stage 33 The fight against DOH, the enemy who has conceived this strange universe where your mini-spaceship is trapped. To beat him, you need to touch him 16 times while avoiding the projectiles coming from his mouth.
			After your victory, the strange universe built by DOH disappears and the time machine brings you back to the past : the real voyage of the Arkanoid spaceship in the galaxy has only started ... An original way to announce the future Arkanoid 2 !