Review: Breakout Beyond for Nintendo Switch

Sure, let’s dive into it.

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You know when you’re just kinda wandering around, not literally, but in like, the mental landscape — that’s how I stumbled upon Breakout Beyond. At first glance, yeah, it’s a classic formula kinda tilted sideways. Longer playfields, more bricks — the usual distractions to burn the clock. But hold up, there’s a catch: you gotta unlock a ton of stuff. Like, is it worth it? Maybe you’re bored by then, or maybe you’re dragging a friend into this brick-bashing fiesta.

Yeah, two-player mode. That’s the real kicker. So, there I was, getting all “meh” playing solo. But then — surprise! — my wife jumps in with another paddle. Magic, right? Okay, so maybe the leaderboards disagree with my excitement, but hey, more on that later. First, you gotta tackle this ominous sounding journey — “voyage.”

So, here’s the deal: you get bombs, power-ups, slow-mo stuff — big whoop for point reduction. But you’ll definitely need that because the game loves to smack you around after the first few levels if you’re going at it solo. It’s addictive, though. Yeah, that “just one more try” vibe keeps pulling you back. But trust me, tweak that paddle sensitivity or face the agony of a ruined run. I got all completionist about beating all 72 levels — don’t ask me why, because it’s not even crucial. Still, you’re basically clicking through levels like unlocking a string of lame surprises.

Now, talking about looks and sounds — it’s the classic Breakout with a dash of spice. “Procedural audio and visual effects” they say. Translation: play better, see cooler stuff. And thank goodness, you can tweak the music and sound separately because, let’s be honest, sometimes the soundtrack is just too much.

Oh, I almost forgot — or maybe I just left it for last because it’s annoying. Those locked features? What a nuisance. Seriously, why’s infinite mode and the original arcade stuff tucked away like some treasure map? Brain boggle. If they were open from the start, it’d save some griping, especially if you’re itching for more variety or just some extra practice. Then there are the leaderboards — split into global, friends, and modes. Yeah, my wife and I topped the co-op charts, but it’s probably just showing that most folks are hanging solo.

Honestly, Breakout’s one of those things that’s pretty hard to screw up because, well, it’s been fun for ages. But I swear, Choice Provisions almost dropped the ball with this locked content nonsense. But hey, somehow, it still works — props to their creative mojo and the undeniable charm of bricks and paddles.

And now, I wonder why I noticed all this… but hey, it’s stuck with me.

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