Score: 8
"Good, but not perfect."
date: August 12, 2007
First and foremost, awesome concept. I love the RPG elements, and the magic abilities were not only interesting, but saviors in my personal opinion. One of the things I hate about Breakout is that, once you get down to the last few blocks, it can be near impossible to hit the damn things. The spells gave me some more control over the ball, which made the game much less frustrating. Putting the emphasis on dodging attacks, rather than saving the ball, was a nice twist, but its also one of the programs. Mr. Devil is very bulky and not particularly fast. He also has the tendency to freeze up when more than one button is pressed at a time. Given how much damage each attack (or attacker) does, that just doesn't cut it. We need a faster demon, or at least a skinnier one. You could say that upgrading health counters this, but you'd be wrong. Each point gives you a meager 10 HP extra, and you don't have that many points to begin with. Since we're on the subject, does upgrading health seriously increase the regeneration rate? Because if it does, I sure didn't notice. A few more minor complaints: I can't remember the name of the skill, but the one that causes explosions randomly is DEMONIC. The explosion sends the ball flying at the exact same angle EVERY time, and if you're on a map with unbreakable blocks, that often prevents you from getting anything done. The boss idea was nice, and I really like the perks; an extra ball, upgraded to an MP-boosting ball (awesome idea there, btw), an extra upgrade points. Still, just having a giant block with extra health is a little...underwhelming. Since you already have angels attacking us, why not have a mobile boss? One that actually attacks, for that matter? Finally, throw us a bone, compadre; given the amount of upgrade paths we have, a few more points would be nice. You essentially have to decide what three things you're going to upgrade at the beginning of the game, which is unfortunate. Don't let all the criticism fool you, though; I really, really enjoy this game, and I think I've played it about 10 times now. The creativity, above all else, is superb. Still, I can't help but feel that this game could be surpassed immensely by a Noidzor 2...looking forward to it ;)