EGA Walls

EGA Walls description

Due to its enormous popularity and simplicity of the genre breakout can be found on a variety of platforms, from Amiga to old fashion now X-Box. And every year innumerable army of these uncomplicated arcade games updated with new members. In an effort to diversify their creations, the developers were pleased and surprised us all sorts of settings, trying to make out what was happening under the then futuristic, then the fantasy; give the main "actors" names and history, sometimes inventing crazy stories where suddenly animated platforms, and balls saved the world or did other extremely important matters; have won the hearts of players amazing graphics effects or memorable, napadavshie soul music... But much less can be detected among hundreds of diverse variants of the old game something that's not just repeating the ideas of the original, but tried to make adjustments, thus developing the genre is not external, but from the inside – from the point of view of mechanics. Of course, to say that such attempts were not made, it would be unfair to many landmark examples of the genre. Suffice it to recall the Breakout after action in an unusual perspective and have included in the game the ability to bend the racket for the application of targeted strikes; or Z-Ball, vyzhivshy max from the physics of curve balls; or Krypton Egg, where breaking blocks is successfully combined with active fire on the attackers on the platform, the monsters... And today, to some of these outstanding examples, I want to add EGA Walls is the breakout that has not obtained any special popularity, nor any extension, but made an attempt to add to proven years mechanics a number of new features.

At first glance EGA Walls offers nothing fancy, plain background, familiar block wall, the little white ball, the platform... Stop. Why two platforms? One only has to start the game, as it becomes clear that such a split is not the result of accidentally running Hot-Seat mode, and the main idea of the author. In fact, why stop at one bat when you can simultaneously control two? Blue, for example, to catch the ball, and pink to pick up prizes and bonuses. Or each bit is set to withdraw half of the playing field and train duralast and attention. Both platforms are controlled from the keyboard, but generally the small pace of the game to get used to it is easy. Absolutely categorically-minded citizens generally can do only one second left to gather dust on the sidelines. Another thing is that with this approach, the game loses a sizeable proportion of its charm.

Another interesting finding of the author was a direct impact of the falling down of the bonuses at the ball. That is, if in flight, the ball will collide with icon symbolizing a prize that he did not fly through it (as would happen in any other arkanoid), and will bounce to the side. I will say, the change insignificant? Certainly not – when the ball at great speed changes direction sharply at the edge of the screen, this can easily lead to the loss, because to navigate in such an emergency is not always possible. And here already you catch yourself that for the next prize look not with joy, but rather with caution, and even outright anger – it is not clear yet, whose side he will perform...

Unfortunately, for all its wonderfulness EGA Walls is suffering from the common to the genre of disease – syndrome accidental acceleration. There's nothing worse than when the ball for no reason in two or three times increases the speed, leaving no chance to keep up. No less strange is the author's decision to "run" each new ball from the platforms and from the air low over them, and no hints as to which way he will fly, the game does not. It remains only to push the platform to the side and hope for a good contact. In particularly difficult cases, you can easily lose two or three lives, falling victim to a case.

However, EGA Walls is definitely worth the attention of every person, respecting the classic breakout genre. Game beautiful effects, forget about music, immerse yourself in its original simplicity and give credit to the author for attempting to bring into the world of arcade games is something new. He deserved it.

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Source: Archive.org, Mobygames.com