Review written by Corn Bread
Chillingo - The Premier Games Publisher
&b=POCKETGAMER">Buy Spb Arkaball from Clickgamer
[Editor's note: Spb Arkaball has been superceded by Spb Arkaball II, which is where links in this review now redirect. The core gameplay is obviously the same, but with a number of improvements which take into account some of the "cons" Corn Bread mentions.]
I don't know why but, I have this obsession with Breakout type games, I'm not sure if it's due to the simple gameplay mechanics or the thought of using a metal ball to wreck havoc pleases me [Editor's note: I know which theory I favour!], but I just can't resist trying out every new Breakout clone released for the Pocket PC. Now enter Spb Arkaball, the latest Breakout clone to enter the Pocket PC gaming market.
Spb Arkaball is your basic Breakout clone; you move a paddle from left to right, using it to continuously bounce a metal sphere all over the screen destroying every block that it comes into contact with. Needless to say, you'll be transported to the next level once you have destroyed all of the blocks on the screen.
As with every game like this, there are various items up for grabs. These items are dropped randomly from blocks that you destroy, and can either help or hinder your progress in the game. The items are all fairly standard and are what you might expect from a Breakout game, such as lasers, multiple balls, paddle extenders, etc. - nothing special to write home about. You can control the paddle either by using your stylus or the hardware D-Pad controller, but I would recommend that you use the stylus instead of the D pad, as it's both faster and easier.
The graphics in the game are average, being not too bad but not especially good, either, and the animation is perfectly respectable. It's worth noting that the game is very stable as I have tested it on both an ARM and XScale equipped Pocket PC and it never once hung or froze on me.
The game has a total of fifty levels, although it's too bad that there is no continue option, as you have to start from scratch whenever you run out of lives. The game also has a smart minimize feature where you can pause and minimize the game, work on something else in your Pocket PC, reopen the game and go back playing right where you left off, a feature that is pretty handy. Another incentive to play Spb Arkaball is that you can opt to post your high scores right here on PocketGamer.org with the use of the high score upload program, Spb Pocket Highscores, and let your high scores be known to the world!
It must be the hardcore gamer in me, but I just find Spb Arkaball too slow for me, as the ball seems to move at a snail's pace! Playing it actually made me feel sleepy. Blame it on games like Bust'em and JimmyARK 2, but Spb Arkaball feels old and dated compared to them. Couple the slow ball movements with bland sound effects and the absence of background music, and Spb Arkaball comes out as a poor contender in this game genre. I usually go gaga over every Breakout clone that I play, but no matter how hard I try, I just can't force myself to like Spb Arkaball. Granted that Spb Arkaball costs less than $10, but I suggest you add a few dollars more and get a more entertaining and exciting Breakout game like Bust'em or JimmyARK 2.
Of course I understand that the slow speed may not be an issue to some gamers out there since there were some complaints before regarding Bust'em and JimmyARK 2 moving to fast. If that's the situation in your case, then you owe it to yourself to try out the demo of Spb Arkaball and see if the game is fast enough for you.
Spb Arkaball is available for the price of $9.95, and is compatible with all ARM and XScale equipped Pocket PC's. 760 KB of storage memory and about 2 MB of program memory is needed to run Spb Arkaball, and installation to either main memory or a storage card is supported.
Pros:
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Lots of levels
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One of the first games to utilize Spb Pocket Highscores
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Reasonably priced
Cons:
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No background music
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Sound effects are a little bland
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Movements too slow
Overall Score: 6/10
Many thanks to Spb Software for providing us with our review copy.
You may wish to search for more reviews of games from Spb Software. Alternatively, you can view all the reviews written by Corn Bread.
