Being able to innovate upon such a game like Arkanoid or Breakout is easier said than done. There’s just so much you can do with a simplistic formula like moving a paddle in order to deflect a ball towards some destructible bricks. The original Arkanoid did build upon Breakout with power-ups and a “plot”, but that was basically it. For the most part, this has always been the formula in these games, to a nearly tiresome degree. Arkanoid: Eternal Battle, however, tries to be different. It’s far from an exciting arcade game, but hey, they did attempt to innovate, and I cannot criticise them for doing so.

Sure, if more Arkanoid is all you want, then Arkanoid: Eternal Battle still features two modes that are pretty much that: a port of the original arcade game, and a “Neo” mode, which is still the same old Arkanoid gameplay loop, with an improved visual aesthetic, new puzzles, and infinite continues… at the cost of half of your current total score. If Arkanoid: Eternal Battle was all about that, well, it would have been less interesting that a leaf in the wind. The controls are responsive and all that, but it would have been just another menial block breaking game. There is one more mode that makes it stand out.

The competitive battle royale mode is Arkanoid: Eternal Battle‘s main attraction. In essence, it works like Tetris 99: keep bothering about your own puzzle screen, destroying blocks, and racking up points. Every now and then, the game will remove the player currently sitting at dead last. It will keep on doing so until there’s a winner. This unintrusive battle royale formula has already been proven to work wonderfully in other titles, and it does work here as well.

That said, there is one major flaw within this mode. Well, it’s more of an issue regarding Arkanoid: Eternal Battle as a whole: not a lot of people are playing it. That means that it’s really hard to populate a match with human players. Unlike other games in the genre, however, Arkanoid: Eternal Battle does feature bots. You can, in theory, play this mode against twenty-four other CPU players without an issue. I mean, it is a bit boring, but that means that, at the very least, you can still enjoy what’s essentially a really fun take on the formula even if you’re by yourself. Small victories.

Arkanoid: Eternal Battle is a fun take on a dated and immovable gameplay loop, that suffers from the fact it will only be fully enjoyed if more people buy it and play its excellent battle royale mode. Even though it has other modes to satiate your brick breaking needs in case you’re a solo player, be it with the inclusion of the old arcade game or bots, it’s just not the same without the sheer chaos provided by lots of players going nuts at once. Maybe someday, once the game goes on sale, more people will populate its servers and make it more enjoyable. As of now, it’s fun, but I don’t think I can fully recommend it.

 

Graphics: 6.0 There’s just so much you can do to make an Arkanoid/Breakout game look visually appealing and innovative. Arkanoid: Eternal Battle sure tried, and it doesn’t look awful… just, y’know… dated.	Gameplay: 8.5 Just like how you can’t do a lot to change upon Arkanoid‘s visuals, you can’t do much when it comes to its controls, and that’s a good thing. It works as well as a game where all you need is a stick and a button should.
Sound: 6.0 It’s not bad, but it’s not exciting either. A bunch of bleeps, bloops and sci-fi noises accompanied by a generic but functional synth-based soundtrack.	Fun Factor: 6.0 The brand new battle royale mode is excellent. It’s tons of fun… if you can find other players to play alongside. Sure, you can play with bots, and there are other solo modes included in the package, but it’s nowhere near as fun as wreaking havoc with strangers online.
Final Verdict: 6.5

Arkanoid: Eternal Battle is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch.

A copy of Arkanoid: Eternal Battle was provided by the publisher.