How to play
Brick Breaker is a ball-and-paddle arcade game. A wall of coloured bricks hangs at the top of the playfield and you move a paddle along the bottom. Launch the ball, keep it in play by bouncing it back up with the paddle, and break every brick to clear the level. If the ball drops past your paddle you lose a life. Lose them all and the game is over.
You aim with the paddle. A ball that lands in the middle of the paddle goes straight up. The further from the centre it lands, the sharper the angle, up to about 65 degrees at the very ends. The ball never travels perfectly sideways, so it always comes back down to you in the end.
Rules
- You start with three lives, shown as balls in the status bar. You can hold up to five.
- Coloured bricks break with one hit and are worth 10 points.
- Strong bricks are dark grey and show a number: the hits they still need. Every hit that does not break one scores 5 points. Breaking a two-hit brick scores 40 and a three-hit brick scores 60.
- Steel bricks cannot be broken. The ball bounces off them, and you do not have to clear them to finish a level.
- Gold bricks with a star are worth 25 points and always release a power-up capsule.
- Clearing a level adds a bonus of 100 points times the level number.
- The ball speeds up slowly the longer a level lasts, and every level starts a little faster than the one before.
- There are 12 designed levels. After them, new levels are generated endlessly and keep getting harder.
Power-ups
Catch a falling capsule with the paddle to use it. Each capsule is also worth 10 points.
- WIDE A much longer paddle for 15 seconds.
- MULTI Splits the ball into three.
- SLOW Slows every ball down for 12 seconds.
- LIFE One extra life.
- CATCH For 15 seconds the ball sticks to the paddle. Launch it when you are ready; it lets go by itself after 3 seconds.
Timed power-ups show a small bar at the top of the playfield that shrinks as time runs out. Losing a life or clearing the level cancels them.
Controls
Mouse
- Move the mouse left and right over the playfield to move the paddle.
- Click to launch the ball or to release a caught ball.
Touch
- Drag anywhere on the playfield. The paddle follows your finger's movement, so your finger never covers it. The page does not scroll while you drag.
- Tap to launch the ball, release a caught ball or continue after a pause.
Keyboard
- ← → or A D move the paddle.
- Space launches the ball, releases a caught ball, or pauses and resumes.
- P or Esc pauses and resumes. Enter also launches.
The game pauses by itself when you switch to another tab or window.
Tips and strategy
- Aim with the edges. The centre of the paddle is the safe spot, but the edges let you send the ball exactly where you want it.
- Break through to the top. Once you open a gap in the wall, send the ball through it. Up there it bounces between the ceiling and the bricks and clears many of them safely.
- Go for strong bricks early. They take several hits, so wearing them down while the ball is still slow saves trouble later.
- Use steel as a bumper. Steel bricks never break, but they are handy for bank shots into awkward corners.
- Stay safe first. Never chase a capsule if it means losing the ball.
- Follow the lowest ball. During multi-ball, always look after the ball that is closest to the paddle.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to break the steel bricks?
No. Steel bricks cannot be broken. A level is cleared as soon as every other brick is gone.
Is my progress saved?
Yes, in your browser. Your best score and the highest level you have reached are kept, and so is a game in progress. If you reload, you continue on the same level with the same score, lives and remaining bricks. Active power-ups are not saved.
What does "Continue from level" do?
It starts a new game on the highest level you have reached so far, with three lives and a score of zero.
Why is the ball getting faster?
The speed rises slowly the longer a level lasts, and later levels start faster. Catch a Slow capsule to get a breather.
Can I play on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Drag anywhere on the playfield to move the paddle and tap to launch. The game fits a phone screen held upright.
Why did the game pause on its own?
It pauses whenever the tab is hidden or the window loses focus, so you never lose a ball while looking away. Tap, click or press Space to continue.
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