Take one of those Arkanoid-inspired games out there and you would notice that it’s normally played in portrait mode. As a result, the action happens really far from where the player (represented by the paddle) is located. Now if someone were to take the game, and force the player to play it in landscape mode instead, the difference would be pretty clear, it would be like comparing tennis to squash (no offense ya tennis players).
The end result would be a more frantic and exciting change of pace, and the one Arkanoid-inspired game on the iPhone that does exactly that would be Meritum Soft’s Atomic Ball. My initial surprise at the landscape mode that it forces players to play in went out of the window and was replaced with excitement as the action was brought way closer to the paddle.
There are 60 levels grouped under several different themes; I like how the paddle looks different across the themes. In the underwater theme, the paddle is a submarine! Playing through the levels brings about an incentive of unlocking new power-ups, some of which I’ve never seen, like the drunken-ball power-up, in other Arkanoid/Breakout-inspired titles. Atomic Ball features Game Center connectivity, allowing for both achievements and online leaderboards.
I’m impressed that developer made good of its boast that the game “is so good that people behind desktop computers will envy you”. And what does this impressive arcade title get from Nine Over Ten 9/10? A 4 over 5 rating and two thumbs up!
Atomic Ball is available on the iTunes App Store for just USD 0.99. Check it out over here: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id388962118. I downloaded the game when it was made free for a limited time only at the end of March 2011.
