Review: Breakout Beyond for Nintendo Switch

Breakout Beyond kind of feels like it took the old-school brick-breaking vibe, flipped it on its head, and then went ahead to stretch it out sideways. Longer boards, more smashing fun. Though, spoiler alert: you gotta unlock a bunch of stuff. Yeah, some might get bored waiting, but hey, some of us weirdos keep coming back for more, especially when there’s a bud around.

Seriously, that co-op thing? Totally the hook. I mean, at first, playing alone didn’t really light my fire. But then, my wife jumped in, grabbing the other paddle — ugh, everything changed. Felt like magic. Though, judging by the leaderboards, maybe not everyone’s doing this? Weird, but I guess I’m getting ahead of myself. Before diving into scores, you gotta play “voyage.”

So in “voyage,” you get to play with bombs, power up your paddle, boost the ball, even slow things down (yeah, it costs you points). The slow-mo is handy ‘cause the game’s brutal after the first few levels, especially solo. But man, I couldn’t stop trying. Oh, adjust the paddle sensitivity or you’re toast — too high or low kills your vibe. There are 72 levels — I wanted to beat them all. Call it a weird compulsion. Anyway, it’s pretty linear; beat a level, unlock another.

Presentation-wise, Breakout Beyond respects the classics but steps it up. “Procedural audio and visual effects that ramp up with your combo” — sound fancy? From Choice Provisions, so you bet it’s a sensory ride. The longer you rock that paddle, the cooler it gets. Oh, and tweaking music and sound separately? Super handy.

But wow, let’s talk about that locked content. Seriously, who thought locking stuff like the leaderboards was smart? Infinite mode, the classic game — all behind a locked door. It’s like, why? It’d totally boost the game if it was open from the start, for practice or just mixing it up. At least the leaderboards break down by global, friends, and modes. Oh, and right now? My wife and I sit at #1 for co-op. Maybe not enough people know the magic of two paddles.

Look, messing up Breakout is hard, it’s timeless fun. But Choice Provisions almost did with this whole locking stuff deal. Still, they pulled it off somehow, proving their skills and the game’s classic charm.