Arkanoid
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| Arkanoid | |
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| Developer: | Taito |
| Publisher: | Taito |
| Game designer: | Akira Fujita |
| Release date: | 1986 |
| Genre: | Puzzle |
| Game modes: | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Cabinet: | Standard |
| Controls: | joystick |
| Monitor | |
| Orientation: | Vertical |
| Type: | Raster, standard resolution (Used: 224 x 256) |
| Notes | |
| In the KLOV Top 100 and one of the three best games in 1986 | |
Arkanoid is a simple yet addictive arcade game developed by Taito in 1986. Arkanoid is a Clone and a simpler Version of the earlier Sega's Arcade-Game Gigas and Gigas Mark 2 based upon Atari's Breakout games of the mid-to-late '70s.
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Gameplay
The player controls a small pad which prevents a ball from falling from the playing field, attempting to bounce it against a number of bricks. The ball striking a brick causes the brick to disappear. When all the bricks are gone, the player goes to the next level, where another pattern of bricks appear. There are other variations (bricks that have to be hit a number of times, flying ships, etc.) and power-ups (enlarge your pad, multiply the number of balls, equip a laser cannon, go directly to the next level), but the main gameplay remains the same. After 30 or so levels, the player will take on the game's boss, "Doh."
Legacy
Because of the game's popularity, four versions of the game were developed for the coin-op market: Arkanoid, Tournament Arkanoid and Revenge of Doh (Arkanoid II) both in 1987 and Arkanoid Returns in 1997.
Many of the 8-bit computer ports (ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC 464, Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit, Apple II) were very popular in Europe in the 1980s. Console ports on the NES and Game Boy were also popular and the game was also ported for 16-bit computers Amiga and Atari ST. The most recent Arkanoid game was a Super NES port called Arkanoid: Doh It Again in 1997.
Arkanoid has remained a popular game and is commonly cloned by aspiring game developers in freeware and shareware titles. Many companies have also regularly cloned the game in arcades.
Arkanoid's popularity led to it being featured in Rainbow Islands, which has a whole level (4 stages in all) dedicated to the game, including Doh as the level boss.
Cheat codes
Arkanoid has the following cheat codes:
- Level select: At the title screen, hold Start + A + B.
- Level skip: Hold Start and press A to skip to the next level.
- 255 lives: Enter NYOPUGLE as a password.
- Continue game play: Hold A + B and press Select, Select, Select, Select, Select, Start before the game over screen.
See also
External links
- The KLOV entry on Arkanoid (http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=A&game_id=6916)
- Javanoid (http://www.farfarfar.com/games/javanoid/) - Arkanoid clone in Java applet
- Javanoid 2 (http://www.andkon.com/arcade/javanoid/javanoid2/)
- dmoz.org (Open Directory Project) entry on the game (http://dmoz.org/Games/Video_Games/Action/A/Arkanoid_Series/)
- MobyGame's entry on the game ports (http://www.mobygames.com/game/sheet/p,22/gameId,1087/)
- UberWG Software Department - Arkanoid3D.NET - .NET Framework OpenGL Clone (http://www.Arkanoid3D.Net)de:Arkanoid