By Brad Cook

“Another big hit for the mysterious Block Breaker player!” crows VIP Magazine. Club 22 owner Ben Jordan adds: “That was absolutely incredible, no joke.” You have just defeated Club 22’s boss, accumulating more cash in the process. You visit James Lauren’s shop, where you purchase some extra lives and decide to upgrade your magnet power-up to level two, allowing you to catch and hold two balls at once.

Now it’s time to visit Marco’s Grove, whose owner, Michelle de Palma, doesn’t think you have what it takes to break into the upper stratosphere of Block Breaker players. You’re determined to prove her wrong.

This Kid’s Got Game

Block Breaker Deluxe takes traditional brick-and-paddle games to a new level, casting you in the role of an up-and-coming Block Breaker determined to enter and win a tournament held by Ace “The Shark” on his yacht in Shark’s Bay. Like any newcomer, however, you must start at the bottom, working your way through smaller venues, such as Neon Rose and Club 22, before you can hope to beat Ace at his own game.

Each of the game’s five main locations features 10 levels of increasingly-difficult brick-breaking action that earns you money, depending on your success. You’ll come across a variety of bricks, such as explosive ones that destroy all the bricks around them, switches that bring a new set of bricks onto the screen, bonus bricks that drop power-ups, and more. The power-ups you can activate include lasers, multi-ball, an energy shield that bounces back balls that miss your pad, a magnet for catching and releasing balls, and more. And don’t forget to grab the gift contained in each level; collect all of them to unlock secret areas, such as the tournament arena.

Those 10 levels are followed by a battle against a boss, such as Club 22’s disco ball, which shoots lasers at you every time you strike it with the ball. Defeat the boss and you’ll unlock a new location. Before you head there, visit James’ shop, where you can buy extra lives, power-up upgrades, or any missing gifts. And for a cool $1.5 million, you can buy The Siren, which generates a random level any time you want to play a quick game of Block Breaker Deluxe.

Watch Out For Curveballs

But just when you think you’ve mastered everything Block Breaker Deluxe can throw at you, the Coconut Casino and Shark’s Bay locations lob three new wrinkles your way: slot machine, craps, and poker mini-games. Each showers chips for you to scoop up, with more raining down depending on your success. The slot machine combination is random, but you can influence your luck in craps by bouncing the dice off the pad, and in poker you catch card symbols, such as spades or hearts, that form your hand.

We haven’t even told you about the Pong-like action you’ll find when you unlock and visit the tournament arena, nor have we said a word about James’ jet ski-riding friend who helps you unlock better upgrades at his shop. We’ll let you learn more as you play. In the meantime, VIP Magazine wants to interview you.

Tips and Tricks

• Many, but not all, power-ups are cumulative. For example, if you already have a multi-ball in effect, grabbing that power-up again will put more balls in play.
• When you’re faced with tight groups of bricks that have space between them, try breaking a hole in the nearest group and threading the ball through that gap at an angle, so it can bounce around in that space and eliminate many bricks.
• When using the magnet, the side of the pad that you catch the ball with will dictate where it heads when you release it. For example, grab the ball on the right side to angle it in that direction when you press the Select button.
• When you have the yo-yo power-up enabled, you can use both hands, one to hold down the Select button and summon the ball(s) back, and the other to move the paddle into position for your next shot. Even if a ball is about to pass through the bottom of the screen, pressing Select will send it horizontally to the pad.
• Before you press the Select button to begin a level, plan your strategy. For example, you might not want to hit a power-up brick directly above you, because the ball could take an odd bounce and force you to chase it, losing the power-up.
• Whenever possible, hit power-up bricks from above, rather than below, which gives you a better chance to collect what drops from them while the ball keeps bouncing around.
• You can break metal bricks if you hit them many times, so don’t give up if you find a wall of them blocking you from your goal and you don’t have any power-ups handy. You can also destroy metal bricks when you activate the yo-yo power-up, which pulls the ball straight through them. Of course, the Gigaball and Ultraball power-ups also let you destroy metal bricks with one shot.
• If you want the explosive ball upgrade, you need to unlock access to it at the shop. And to unlock it, you must visit James’ friend with the jet ski.

iPod Games FAQ

Do you have questions regarding any of the iPod games available from the iTunes Store?

Breaking the $1 Billion Barrier. Frantically firing lasers, grabbing power-ups, and keeping track of the ball: A professional Block Breaker in action.

Click to see price.

• Site: Block Breaker Deluxe
• Publisher: Apple Inc.
• Developer: Gameloft
• Genre: Action

More iPod Games