Anodia Review

Arkanoid. Breakout. Whatever players might know it best by, they're bound to know the formula. Expanding upon the classic bat and ball premise of Pong, Arkanoid et al requires players to bounce the ball towards numerous blocks. Once all the blocks are cleared, players are whisked off to the next level which involves the exact same gameplay. Numerous clones have been released but few have tried to add anything new to the concept. Enter Anodia, a game that sets out to do exactly that.

Players are taken through 48 levels in all, each offering an unique experience. While maybe there's still an element of repetition in terms of what's expected of the player (blocks need clearing), it still feels suitably fresh with variations on the traditional theme. Some levels might require multiple blows committed to each block, while others involve moving obstacles that each react appropriately to gravity and being hit.

Not knowing what's coming up next keeps players on their toes and intrigued to see what's coming up. More typical gameplay tropes are still there though with leaderboards to keep track of scores and a variety of power ups to aid the player in their quest. These are quite typical such as a gravity power up that ensures players are given an extra chance if they miss the ball, and bonuses that extend the size of the bat.

There's also the dreaded negative power ups that are sometimes annoyingly easy to wander into the path of, in turn causing the ball to deviate from its path or move much faster than before. A decent control system is vital for a game of this ilk and Anodia succeeds perfectly here offering two options in the form of tilt or touch based controls. Both work well and the flexibility of choice is certainly welcome.

Anodia does everything just right. It sticks to a tried and tested formula but adds a much needed dose of originality to make it a great game in its own right.