BreakQuest

The Good
The gorgeous graphics, beautiful music and the amazing physics. Also one of the best parts and most ignored parts of these kinds of games was how good the actual sound as in sound effects was. I actually turned up my speakers to really get a kick from the sounds.

The Bad
That there's no sequel and you'll NEVER be able to play a breakout type game without remembering how much better this one was.

The Bottom Line
Sadly this is one of those games that has to really be seen in action. The still screenshots do not do it justice. Please do yourself a favour and try it.

The Good
The excellent technical execution
The sheer gameplay

The Bad
Some weaker levels

The Bottom Line
Gameplay

BreakQuest makes you want more. It's that simple. Just one more level, I just want to see what the next one will be like... The authors crafted 100 completely unique levels, and though the novelty seems to overshadow level design at times, most of them is really playable. Some of the levels, though, quickly turn tedious, but most are enjoyable.

Overall, the situation on the field changes so quickly - one moment you're owning the blocks with the power of a thousand missiles and numerous balls, the next you're back to a bare-bones paddle, which has trouble with clearing even one row. Frustration fails to come, though, since each level is a small art show, which soothes your senses by its very innovation.

Interface/Control

Mouse and keyboard are both available for controlling your paddle, though I recommend the former. The hissing sound and the flashy afterimages when you move around is a little distracting. A nice, although hard to use feature is the gravity function, which draws the ball towards your paddle.

Difficulty

I haven't tried to play through the game in one sitting, but even on Easy it's quite hard to avoid losing any lives. Thankfully, each life grants you two balls rather than one, which basically doubles the number of your continues.

Graphics/Physics

While 2D, BreakQuest has nothing to be embarrassed of when it comes to visuals. Excellent backgrounds and level elements, meticulously crafted paddle and bonus graphics. The physics are also well done, which is especially obvious with the various shapes the ball can assume, changing the way it bounces off everything.

Music/Sound

While the tunes repeat themselves, they are all of excellent quality, and some of them I've kept as MP3s to listen to! I especially recommend "Zarathustra". There's a download link for the music pack available on Nurium's forums. [Sadly, not anymore - the forums are dead now. If you want to get the tunes, visit Mirsoft.info or do a search for "Breakquest music" on Youtube.] The sound effects change with every level and are pleasant to the ear, if mostly forgettable.

Scope/Longevity

With 100 levels to get through, completing the game can take you a long time, should you - like me - limit yourself to just two or three levels per day. It feels just like the right length, although occasionally I got the feeling that the authors were running out of ideas and began repeating themselves.

Small Notes

• A very nice feature which I now find lacking in all other arkanoids: if you don't break any blocks for a long time, a weapon will materialize for you to use. Very useful for those stubborn, last blocks you never seem to be able to hit!
  - I have no idea who came up with the Gyro-Cursor option, or why is it on by default, but it's a complete mistake: a cursor which rotates around so that it becomes really hard to use the menus. Thankfully this can be turned off in the options.
  - What a pity that Nurium Games is apparently dead, since the last news post on their website is from 2005, and their forums are clogged with spam.