Bust Some Balls With Magic Orbz

Those familiar with the Breakout genre know the drill; you have a bat and a ball and you need to keep the ball moving as long as you can to destroy the bricks above the bat (or paddle, if you will).

However the familiarity of Breakout ends there because instead of simple bricks to break, there are pirate ships, islands, and man-eating sharks to destroy. Some objects require multiple hits, while others destroy easily. Different explosives laced throughout the level add a helping hand as well.

Just like in updates to the Breakout genre, including Monkey Slam and Breakout: Boost, bonuses become available as you destroy things.

For example, weapons could be added onto the bat. This game has those updates as well, plus a few others. Whirlwinds, earthquakes, and triple balls join the artillery of cannons, lasers, and machine guns.

In addition to power ups, “power downs,” are also available. These can include shrinking the bat or ball, speeding up gameplay, or even killing you on the spot. The difference between the two are that the power ups have a green glow to them, while the power downs have red (or pink, depending on who you ask).

The options for controlling the bat include touching the move buttons on each side of the screen, or simply swiping across the bat to drag it. I found the buttons to be the easier approach.

The responsiveness was spot on, and I didn’t need to worry about my hands blocking the action on the screen.

This is a highly addictive game that works great on an iDevice. Fans of the original as well as those new to it will both appreciate this unique blend of game elements.

Take out anything getting in your way between you and the App Store to grab this title.