Game Reviews

Hyper Breaker Turbo

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iOS
| Hyper Breaker Turbo
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Hyper Breaker Turbo
|
iOS
| Hyper Breaker Turbo

Now that Curiosity has at last given up its secret, there are going to be a whole lot of block-busting junkies seeking their next fix from somewhere.

Hyper Breaker Turbo is a creditable replacement for cube-botherers of all persuasions, though you'll have to do more for your kicks than a bit of screen-tapping.

Pinball pong

This is another spin on that classic Breakout or Arkanoid template. You have a bat, a ball, and some fragile blocks, and the goal is to use the first two implements to smash all of the blocks.

Where Hyper Breaker Turbo differs is in the sprawling nature of the levels. Each stage is a twisting vertical corridor filled with bumpers, teleporters, awkward angles, and bonus power-ups. It's a bit like playing ping-pong on a giant pinball table.

You move your gently curved paddle within a limited zone that shifts as your ball progresses upwards through each level. In this way you're doing more than just sliding left and right - you can also move forward, with the momentum you pick up smartly influencing the speed of the ball.

Are we there yet?

Each level takes a while to complete, and on more than a few occasions you'll find your patience being tested. Occasionally the level design is tense and really quite inspired.

But just as often you'll find sections where losing your ball to its fiery fate below is almost unavoidable. At the other end of the spectrum, you'll often find yourself sat bored while the game virtually plays itself.

Such are the hazards of going for a constantly shifting, fluid level system. We'd have likes to see some shorter, snappier stages to vary the pace, but at least the developer of Hyper Breaker Turbo is trying something different.

Block party

As well as the varied level furniture and broad selection of power-ups, variety is added by three distinct level themes. Following the initial classic stages you can unlock (or purchase) doodle and neon stages, each of which comes with new challenges and level elements.

You also get a live 'Worldwide Blocks Broken' ticker to contribute to, and even videos of successful level runs to watch and contribute to, though we're unsure whether Hyper Breaker Turbo's slightly random, abstract gameplay and time-consuming levels lend themselves to such a provision.

Really, there's little point in pretending that Hyper Breaker Turbo is anything more than an entertaining new way to bust some blocks. And there's nowt wrong with that.

Hyper Breaker Turbo

An entertaining riff on the classic Arkanoid template with extended levels - though their sprawling nature also leads to a couple of dull patches
Score
Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.