Breakout
Beyond

Breakout Beyond (2025) is an action arcade game where you bounce wrecking balls into block walls to smash a way through. Play involves moving the familiar paddle up-down movement to deflect the balls, but here you also get to curve the ball's trajectory to aim for weak points and power-ups. It stands out for having to split your attention between moving the paddle and plotting where to aim, combining core gameplay elements from classics like Pong and Peggle.

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The balls bounce differently based on what part of the paddle they hit and curl if you move the paddle when they collide. You must use these mechanics to destroy blocks and carve a path through within the allotted time. Some blocks contain power-ups that explode, shoot lasers or add extra balls when broken to increase the destruction if you can hit them. Breaking lots of blocks with the same ball enhances the effect of these power-ups and earns points that you can use to temporarily slow down time if things get too hectic.

As you progress through the 72 levels, the time pressure increases, demanding you specifically target gaps in the block walls and power-ups in order to navigate the obstacles in time. With practice, you learn that threading the needle to send your ball pinballing between lines of blocks is the most effective strategy for maximum damage.

The result is a simple yet intense game with a high skill ceiling and physics that extend the original Arkanoid challenge considerably. The bright, neon visuals and thumping electronic music are a nostalgic and exciting setting that fits the arcade feel.

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Our examiner, Jake Kendall, first checked Breakout Beyond 13 days ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 6 days ago.