 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(January 2013) |
| Vortex | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Apple Inc. Kabloom Entertainment |
| Platform(s) | iPod 5/5.5g, 3g Nano (Shipped With), Classic (Shipped With) |
| Release | September 12, 2006 |
| Genre(s) | Breakout clone |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Vortex is an iPod game created by Apple Inc. and Kabloom Games. It is an Arkanoid/Breakout clone with a top-down perspective and bricks arranged in a circular layout controlled by a click wheel
On Tuesday, January 30, 2007, Apple introduced a demo version of this game for free. It includes two sample levels. They have since removed the demo.
Vortex is currently[ specify ] one of the only games compatible with all the iPods able to play games (shipped with the iPod Nanos and Classics).
Vortex is similar to Arkanoid/Breakout, in which you use a ball to destroy bricks. However, the bricks are arranged along the inside of a cylinder. You use the click wheel to move the paddle around the cylinder to control where the ball goes.
The paddle now is slightly curved, conforming to the game's circular outer wall. The ball moves slower as it approaches the cluster of revolving bricks and faster as it moves away. The effect, if you like, is that of planetary gravity, except in reverse. The ball's trajectory and speed – whether traveling toward or away from the cluster – is continuously influenced by the pulling forces of the outer wall. The angle at which the ball strikes a brick, or bricks, also affects its direction and, usually to a lesser extent, its speed. The speed of the paddle upon making contact also has a subtle influence on the ball's path.
As game levels progress, the size of the cluster grows and the number of concentric circles comprising it increases. In the early moments of each higher level, the empty ring between the brick cluster and the outer wall grows smaller, a confinement that necessitates quicker paddle movement.
To pass the level, all destructible bricks must be shattered. Adding to the challenge, there are bricks which "retract" for a time, enabling the ball to pass through instead of shattering it. Certain sets of bricks also move around the circle. Other bricks take multiple hits to shatter. Steel bricks are almost indestructible, unless one hits a dynamite brick next to it, but are not required to complete the level. Dynamite bricks (indicated by red dots) when hit will take out several other bricks with its explosion but are also not required.
There are marked bricks which release powerups. The powerup, indicated by a small green sphere, heads out from the center and the player catches it to activate it. The powerups include resizing the paddle, changing the speed of the game, adding lasers or guns to the paddle, and extra lives.
Powerup bricks are not required to complete the level, but destroying a powerup brick, even if it is not caught, adds more points to the total than destroying a normal brick. The points score is equal to the points for the bricks destroyed plus the bonus points for timing.
All powerups expire if the player loses a life or beats a level with the exception the extra life powerup, which continues to have effect even after beating a level and expiring after losing a life.
In their review of Vortex, Pocket Gamer highlighted the integration of the iPod's scroll wheel with the 360 degree layout. However, the slow pace of the ball was criticized. [1]
All music in Vortex is made by D. B. Walker.
Arkanoid is a 1986 block breaker arcade game developed and published by Taito. In North America, it was published by Romstar. Controlling a paddle-like craft known as the Vaus, the player is tasked with clearing a formation of colorful blocks by deflecting a ball towards it without letting the ball leave the bottom edge of the playfield. Some blocks contain power-ups that have various effects, such as increasing the length of the Vaus, creating several additional balls, or turning the Vaus into a laser cannon. Other blocks may be indestructible or require multiple hits to break.
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Crackout is a video game by Konami that was released in Japan for the Family Computer Disk System on December 13, 1986, and in Europe and Australia for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. It is a Breakout clone, with some additional elements not normally found in other games in the genre.
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Breakout 2000 is an action video game developed by MP Games and published by Telegames exclusively for the Atari Jaguar on December 9, 1996. Part of Atari Corp.'s 2000 series, it is a remake of the 1976 arcade game Breakout, which spawned an entire genre of Breakout clones with its concept, such as Taito's 1986 arcade game Arkanoid. It is also one of the last licensed releases for the Jaguar, after it was discontinued in 1996 by Atari Corporation, who merged with JT Storage in a reverse takeover prior to the game's launch.
An innovative take on Breakout that works well with iPod's controls, even if it is a bit slow.