Breakout Beyond
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Breakout Beyond
The only gripe we have is that some of the smaller menu text can look a little blurry in handheld mode, but given the overall lack of text in the game, it’s not a dealbreaker. Whether you’re an old-school fan or a newcomer, Breakout Beyond may be the best way to experience Atari's stone-cold classic.
It's hard to mess up Breakout as it remains fun after all these years (decades even), but darn if Choice Provisions nearly did with their inexplicable decision to lock content, including online leaderboards. The fact that the game still succeeds despite this blunder is a testament to their talent and the timeless source material.
Breakout Beyond from developer Choice Provisions and publisher Atari is a nice tip of the cap to the classic game. While its screen configuration and pacing might be a little jarring for new players, the power-ups and gameplay elements that present good challenges will certainly hook them. The game does a great job of balancing classic Breakout ideas with well-thought-through gameplay design.
Overall, Breakout Beyond has a few notable flaws, mainly in its visual effects and paddle speed, but it remains a highly engaging and fun arcade experience. The level progression, unlockable content, and multiplayer modes add to its replayability, and the Switch's handheld mode makes it a perfect pick-up-and-play title. While the blinding flashes and overly fast paddle movement can be frustrating, the core gameplay is strong enough to keep you coming back for one more breakout attempt.
These few wishes aside, I really enjoyed my time with Breakout Beyond and I know I"ll return from time to time to play more. While I do wish there were some more modes or options, at the end of the day this shows the simple genius of an arcade classic very well.
With its boring initial stages out of the way, Breakout Beyond really amps up the fun factor with its clever use of power-ups and gimmicks. 🧱
Breakout Beyond doesn’t go beyond anything we haven’t seen before. It has its issues with paddle sensitivity and endless mode not being infinite, but both of which can be fixed in updates or patches. NeoBreakout by Digital Eclipse or any of the other games within Atari 50 collection do offer a more complete experience. Breakout Beyond is still a solid Breakout experience, in a pretty package to justify its own existence with a style and visual flair the series has deserved for some time now.
