There are a few publishers out there that we really like because of the work they’re doing in bringing back video game classics, and one of them is Microids. They recently launched Arkanoid: Eternal Battle, which we’re reviewing for PlayStation here but is also available for PCs and other consoles.
We recently enjoyed what Microids did with XIII, but Arkanoid: Eternal Battle (which was developed by Pastagames, the studio behind Pix the Cat) takes us back much further. Arkanoid: Revenge of Doh was a fantastic experience when it was ported to home computers in the second half of the 1980s, and for many gamers who were around at that time it’s safe to say that Taito’s Arkanoid is their go-to reference for the brick breaker genre, and not Breakout.
Arkanoid: Eternal Battle features many of the classic elements that you expect from an Arkanoid game, but also introduces several new mechanics and modes – the most striking of which is a 24 player ‘battle royale’ option, which is as frantic and engaging as you’d expect. You want to be one of the last players left, scoring as many points as possible by grabbing pick-ups, hitting enemies and of course destroying blocks. When others clear their screen, you’ll lose points based on what you have left, and you’ll also lose points when your ball is lost.
Stay high in the rankings, and you’ll qualify for the game’s boss mode, which is played by the top 4 players in the session and will determine who comes out on top. It’s pretty much a straight up game of Arkanoid, but the multiplayer mechanics make it very engaging to play with a lot of tension being added as you score and lose points and move up and down the rankings.
If you prefer a more laid back experience, you can play the “Neo” mode, which is a single player take on the Eternal Battle mode that’s far less stressful and much more like the classic Arkanoid experience, but with updated visuals and mechanics. You can return to the original 1986 classic as well with the “Retro” too, which is a lovely touch – though we wish we had the option to play Revenge of Doh here as well.
Eternal Battle, which places all players’ screens behind each other and shuffles them based on how they’re doing, can look a bit busy – even though what the other players are doing is greyed out. It’s visually cool to see, but it’s also an assault on the senses and after each online session we always wanted to go back to one of the offline modes, which also includes a versus mode for two to four players. Eternal Battle is great in small doses, but you’ll stay for the timeless fun offered elsewhere in this package.
Score: 7.8/10
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