Arkanoid as a classic game was released in 1986 by Taito as an arcade game and was a clone of Atari's Breakout game, but still went on to become a classic of its own. The basic story is that the player controls a "Vaus" (the players paddle) and having just escaped the destruction of the mothership (Arkanoid) is trapped in space by someone between two walls and the player must defeat enemies by using the ships energy ball to pass through each level. The story was told through two separate onscreen cut scenes and that is about it. The original arcade game was a great classic due in part to its paddle controller similar to the Pong controller, as Breakout and Arkanoid are single player versions of the game.

The DS version of Arkanoid does not disappoint and comes with its own version of the paddle controller that slides into the GBA slot and fits very snug, not feeling loose inside the slot while still sliding easily in and out. The controller itself is extremely responsive and does rotate a full 360 degrees (although the game only responds to left and right motions) and over time feels the same as the first time it was used. The controller is smaller than the slide controller for Slide Adventure: Mag Kid, making it a bit more portable, and is a great way to play the game versus using the different button control configurations that the game has as well. One of the nice features of Arkanoid DS is that unlike Slide Adventure: Mag Kid, the game does work without the controller, adding a bit more value to the game by making it more portable friendly.

The Arkanoid paddle controller, Slide Adventure: Mag Kid Slide Controller, and the DS Lite dust cover for size comparison.

Overall, the controller makes the game, and it is very disappointing to hear that the North American version of the game will not include the paddle controller, as it was just recently announced. The Japanese menus are very easy to navigate, making the import very much worth it to have the paddle controller to use to play the game with. The game itself features a lot of unlockable content and a few different modes that need to be used to get them, first unlocking the levels and then playing them in the quest mode to earn the points. Points can also be unlocked while playing the versus game and used in the shop.

The controller inside the GBA slot of the DS Lite.

The games has two different single player modes; “Clear Game” and “Quest Game” and are accessed from the main single player menu, and are quite different. The "Clear Game" mode is the main part of the game where the goal is to finish each round of five level groups and advance to clear the remaining levels. The game features a huge assortment of levels that are all replayed again in the "Quest Game" only this time with a specific task and a time limit. The clear game mode is the basic game of Arkanoid and is just as beautifully simple as the original game, while still having some great level designs that are fun to play. Some of the level feature designs from Taito games, like one level that has the bricks arranged like Bub from the Bubble Bobble series, and another that references the series by having a rainbow made up of the bricks. The game also has a lot of Taito game artwork that can be unlocked in the shop part of the game, which features Bubble Bobble, Lost Magic, and Exit to name a few all of which can be used as backgrounds in the clear game mode or multiplayer modes.

One of the Bubble Bobble wallpapers that can be unlocked in the game.

Overall, the game is a great package and the Wi-fi features are a great addition, with the game featuring multiplayer that can be used without too much trouble. The Shop feature adds a great deal of replay time, going through the quest game to earn points to unlock all the bonus content that the game includes. The game is simply fun to play and is a must for fans of the Arkanoid series, or any gamer looking to have a great game to add to their collection. As stated before, the Japanese menus are easy to navigate for any gamer, especially if they have played import games before. The music in the game is simply amazing, providing mp3 quality music that ranges from some slow jazzy music to more upbeat rock tunes. Check out the Japanese trailer below to see the gameplay in action and a glimpse of some of the features as well as a sample of the music.

Japanese Trailer