Play Arkanoid online

Arkanoid took the old bust-the-bricks idea and turned it into a seriously addictive arcade game. You control the Vaus, a tiny ship that doubles as your paddle, knocking out walls of colored bricks while power-up capsules rain down and change everything: lasers, a giant paddle, a sticky ball or three balls at once.

It was the cabinet where somebody was always saying one more game and then I'm out. On UsuArcade it's got its own machine on the floor, ready to play in your browser with nothing to install.

History

Taito released Arkanoid in 1986. It took the brick-breaker formula from the 70s and added a sci-fi story, dozens of hand-built stages, enemies drifting through the playfield and those famous power-up capsules.

The original cabinet used a spinner dial instead of a joystick, which gave you really precise paddle control. It was a massive hit, got ported to just about every computer and console of the day and spawned sequels like Revenge of Doh.

How to play

Slide the Vaus left and right to keep the ball from dropping past you. Every brick you break scores points; silver ones take several hits and gold ones won't break at all. Clear the screen and you move on.

Some bricks drop capsules: S slows the ball, C makes it stick to your paddle so you can aim, L gives you a laser, E stretches the paddle, D splits the ball into three, B opens a warp to the next stage and P is an extra life. You can only have one effect at a time, so choose wisely.

At the very end waits Doh, a huge stone head that takes a beating while it fires back at you.

Fun facts

• The Vaus is a ship escaping from the mothership Arkanoid, which is where the game gets its name.
• The arcade cabinet used a spinner dial instead of a joystick.
• The final boss, Doh, is a giant head that soaks up a ton of hits before going down.

In the arcade

Arkanoid was a take-turns game, and that's how it plays on UsuArcade, just online: invite your friend to your cabinet once they're in the lobby and trade turns, each on your own phone or PC. While one plays, the other watches live.

Nothing to install: it runs in your browser, gamepad supported, and every game starts with INSERT COIN, free. Everyone else in the lobby can watch and chat, and scores go up on the arcade's high score board.

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