An Extended Look at Breaking Block – Smiling Cat Entertainment

We’re now a month or so from the release of Breaking Block. I wanted to give everyone a more in-depth look into what they can expect with Breaking Block, and how it stands apart from other block breaking games available on the Google Play Store and the Appstore.

Fans of block breaking games will rejoice to find this free game to be a faithful addition to the genre. Players of block breaking games know that there are many ways get things wrong. I’ve seen a lot of poor implementations out there with downright bizarre physics and gameplay. Breaking Block’s custom physics have been tuned to give the feel of the classics. Tilt-based controls were cloned directly from the delightfully responsive controls in Prepare for Warp, and are a perfect and obvious fit for such a game.

Over 100 block breaking levels will be laid out over an extensive map of our Solar System. Your adventure will start at the Sun, and work outward past each planet. Your destination is in the Kuiper belt, located past Neptune.

With a palette of 12 block colors plus several special block types, the level layouts are bright and varied. Vertically-oriented blocks and smaller half-blocks add freshness to the gameplay without pushing the genre into alien territory. Each creation beckons for you to lay waste to it.

In each level, there are ten silver coins that can be earned. These coins can be used to buy upgrades to your power. Some coins are hidden in blocks. Some can be earned by achieving one, two, and three-star score rankings in the level. Some are held by alien forces.

Every block that you break gives you blocks to spend on unlocking new levels and buying consumable powerups. There are also several different ways to earn bonus blocks, such as completing levels in less time, using fewer balls to complete a level, and keeping the last block from the aliens.

Eight powerups and eight types of equippable rings will all help alter the gameplay to your advantage. Some of the powerups are classic staples of the genre, such as paddle extensions, lasers, the ability to catch and hold balls, and splitting the ball in three. Others are more unique, such as a chargeable forcefield and the ability to project a phantom copy of the paddle that can deflect balls and catch bonus items.

Even some of the classic powerups have unique twists. For example, when you get the laser powerup, the game will enter “Laser Frenzy” mode. During Laser Frenzy, you must destroy as many blocks as possible with your laser in order to score massive amounts of bonus points. Keep one eye on that ball, though, because if you lose it, the Laser Frenzy will end.

The equippable rings provide a more permanent bonus. Their effects include granting extra points, upgrading ball damage, and repelling aliens. In addition, regular power-ups can be purchased and equipped, then activated during gameplay.

You control the game’s difficulty by using upgraded balls that can be purchased with silver coins. Higher-level balls increase the game’s speed, but also give a multiplier to the amount of points that you earn. Using higher-level balls will put some of the game’s later 3-star scores within reach.

At each milestone of your journey, you will need to face an epic battle in order to proceed. For these battle levels, the gameplay changes slightly. The goal becomes to destroy certain blocks that power the block-based alien presence, while avoiding heightened hazards that endanger both ball and paddle.

Completionists will feel right at home with Breaking Block. With its multitude of levels, over 90 achievements, and over 1000 coins to earn, it will provide hours of block breaking entertainment. Every time you start the game, your progress will be prominently displayed on the title screen.

The in-app purchases serve two purposes. First, a single $0.99 purchase turns off the ads for life. Second, in-game currency can be purchased should you choose to speed up your path to more power. Currency packs start at the bargain price of only $0.99, and buying in bulk gives you even more value for your dollar.

First and foremost, Breaking Block was designed to entertain. While Breaking Block is a “Free-To-Play” title, it will never be pushy about it, nor will it ever stop you from playing or progressing at some arbitrary point. I think many games create a bad name for the term “Free-To-Play”. I’d like to challenge the perception that “Free-To-Play” games are out only to get into your wallet. Enjoy the game to your heart’s content. The in-game store will never be far away if you want it.

Of course, there are many other elements that tie a game like this together, including awesome music. As usual, Kevin MacLeod had several pieces that were perfect for a game like this, giving the game a Funky, Bouncy mood:

As of now, the game is feature complete. What remains now is to create the remaining levels and give the game some thorough testing over the next month. I hope that by sharing this extensive preview of what the game has to offer, I have interested you in checking out the game during its upcoming launch.