Ark: Bricks of Egypt [by Arcade Lab]

It's no secret that I'm a fan of the Arkanoid genre.  I'm always happy to try out a new arkanoid based game, and when it comes from a studio that is good as consistently putting out very polished games as Arcade Lab is, it only makes the experience more anticipated.  In addition, currently I'm working on playing through Ricochet Lost Worlds, so I thought playing Bricks of Egypt would give me a nice break from that, and would at the same time give me a different perspective on the genre.

Bricks of Egypt definitely gives a different feel to breakout based games than we've had recently.  It features Egyptian-themed gameplay.  In fact for those who have been playing awhile, the most similar game I can think of this one, style wise, is Wilkanoid.  Both of these games feature a very strong theme that make you feel like you are not just playing a breakout game, but you are playing an adventure with a ball and paddle.

The unfortunate side of this is that though the theme is wondrously done, the game doesn't offer a lot in the vein of game play.  There are only a couple of departures from the tried and true power-ups, leaving the game feeling a bit like you've played this game before a million times, just with a different skin.  In addition, some of the better features that have been added to the genre over the last few years, such as being able to put spin on the ball when hitting it, and having that last brick, which is always seemingly impossible to hit, blow up on its own instead of causing undo frustration.

The lack of any real soundtrack to the game was also a disappointment as the fun, though low resolution graphics, set-you up for a great romp through Egypt, but the lack of music only transports you partially there.  The game is easy enough to pick up and play; the paddle is very responsive, and the ball does bounce off the paddle in the direction that you would expect it to (which doesn't happen as much as it should in arkanoid games).  If you are looking for a breakout based game that provides a different feel then you have been used to, this is definitely a game to check out.  However, for die-hard arkanoid fans, the lack of power-ups, and overall simplicity to the game will make it merely a nice diversion.

Added: April 15th 2004
Poster: Russell Carroll
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