Today Atari announced an exciting new version of the hit game Breakout, known as Breakout: Recharged. As one of the original video game publishers, Atari was the start of video games as everyone knows them today. With classics such as Pong, Space Invaders, and Centipede Atari is synonymous with retro gaming.
The original version of Breakout was released in 1976 as an arcade game. Players are given a single virtual paddle and ball used to hit the bricks. The goal of the game is to knock down as many of the rows of bricks above as possible. Each brick color is worth a different amount of points and as players get closer and closer to clearing the screen it becomes increasingly difficult to do so. The ball speed increases and the paddle size decreases making less of a bounceable surface area for players to use. The game is reminiscent of Pong but is designed more for single-player gameplay, though two-player is available with alternating turns. Breakout was also ported to the Atari 2600 and is also available to play in the Google Play Store, as a hidden Atari Breakout Easter Egg.
In a press release and trailer released today, Atari announced that a new version of Breakout is on its way. Set to release February 10, 2022, Breakout: Recharged will be available on Nintendo Switch, PC, consoles, and Atari VCS. The game not only features updated graphics that give it an entirely new neon style, but it also includes a few new and exciting features. The new elements of Breakout: Recharged include an endless mode (where players can challenge themselves to never-before-seen high scores), a local co-op mode (that allows players to break bricks side by side with another player), and a new challenge known as the Break Through Challenge. In this challenge, players must compete in a series of 50 different challenges that become more and more difficult with each level.
The release trailer also reveals some other exciting elements to Atari's newest title. There is a rail gun that will allow players to shoot tiles other than the ones the ball is hitting, a homing missile that can zero in on the target, and also what is called the unforgiving blast. In addition to these boosts for the players, some of the tiles appear to have boosts of their own. The trailer shows a few tiles shooting back at the player with some power-ups that can be detrimental to a player's progress. In collaboration with developers Adamvision Studios and SneakyBox Studios, Atari's Breakout: Recharged also includes an entirely new soundtrack by award-winning artist and composer Megan McDuffee that brings the 80's to life through the speakers.
Atari has started to bring back some of their classics and Breakout: Recharged is an exciting way to start the new year. With Atari titles such as Food Fight and Breakout getting overhauled it will be interesting to see what Atari will choose to remake next.
Breakout: Recharged will be available on February 10, 2022, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4|5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Atari VCS, and PC.
Source: Atari/YouTube