Arkanoid – Eternal Battle

Arkanoid – Eternal Battle is a skill game by Pastagames and Microids. You control the spacecraft Vaus, keep a ball in motion and destroy rows of blocks with it. Alongside the familiar arcade idea, there are modern variants with special abilities, local competition and an online mode with up to 25 participants.

Arkanoid – Eternal Battle was released on Oct 27, 2022. The game brings Taito's classic block breaker to Windows PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series. The same package includes solo tasks and multiplayer rules side by side.

Arkanoid – Eternal Battle has been released for PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series. Microids offers native versions for the two PlayStation and the two Xbox generations. The choice of platform does not change the basic principle of paddle, ball and destructible blocks.

A ball bounces across the playfield and smashes obstacles. You use the horizontally moving paddle to keep it in play. Speed, angle of flight and the arrangement of blocks demand precise inputs. Special items change the pace and open new paths through a level.

For Arkanoid – Eternal Battle there are cosmetic add-on packs such as Space Scout and Taito Legacy. They add thematic design content, not the basic four game modes. The Taito Legacy add-on sold on Steam requires the main game.

According to Steam, the PC version requires at least a dual-core processor at 2.5 GHz, 4 GB RAM, a GeForce 9500 GT or Radeon HD 4650, DirectX 11 and 8 GB of storage. Steam recommends a Core i5 at 3 GHz, 8 GB RAM and a GeForce GT 730 or Radeon R7 250.

Neo expands the classic concept with new blocks, visual effects and power-ups. One player fights through consecutive playfields, whose layout and difficulty vary.

Retro is based on the original Arkanoid from 1986. The presentation recalls an old arcade cabinet and focuses on the familiar block formations and the direct rules of the original.

In local versus mode, two to four people play against each other on the same screen. The matches are based on the mechanics of Neo. On PC, Steam lists a controller as a requirement for local multiplayer.

In Eternal Battle mode, up to 25 participants can compete against each other. The goal is to be the last player left standing. Successful players gain additional abilities that affect the ongoing rounds. The mode requires an online connection.

Microids developed the online competition with crossplay across the different platforms. This means players can compete in the same online matches regardless of the console or PC they use. The actual availability of online services may change after the original launch.

New items and powers change the classic ball-and-paddle game. In Neo mode, some power-ups make it easier to clear difficult block formations. In Eternal Battle, champions can use additional abilities and put their opponents under pressure.

The online leaderboards compare scores from Neo, Retro and Eternal Battle. Regular leaderboard phases were also planned for the competitive mode. The solo modes can be played independently of these competitive phases.

Pastagames combines glowing, abstract playfields with newly composed, dynamic music. The soundtrack was written by Xavier Thiry. The modern design visibly departs from the deliberately historical retro version.