Review: Breakout Beyond for Nintendo Switch

Oh man, so here’s the deal. Breakout Beyond is one of those games where they take the old-school “crack bricks with a ball” thing and do a little twist—make the playfield bigger or something. And yeah, it’s fun to pass the time. Although, heads up, you’ve gotta unlock a lot of stuff. Some folks might just get bored and bail, but others? They’ll probably keep coming back, especially if they’re buddying up.

I swear, the whole point of this game is the two-player co-op. Okay, I’ll admit, playing by myself got kinda “meh” after a bit, but pop in my wife to handle another paddle, and suddenly, it’s a party! Okay, maybe a small party, but still. Might not be everyone’s thing if you check out the leaderboards—oh, there I go, getting ahead of myself. Before you even dive into scores, you’ve got this “voyage” to deal with.

So, in “voyage,” you’re unlocking bombs or leveling up your paddle, slowing things down (which drops your score, but who cares sometimes?). It gets tough after the first few levels, especially solo. Yet, it dangles that “just one more try” vibe in front of you. But seriously, play with the paddle sensitivity. It could save your run, no joke. I got a bit OCD with wanting to conquer all 72 levels, even if it’s not essential. It’s still a step-by-step kinda game—you have to beat a level to unlock more.

Now, the presentation—it’s like this mix of classic with a bit of sparkle. The game talks a big one about “Procedural audio and visual effects”—whatever that means. The more you play and avoid failing, the more it jazzes up the sound and lights. It’s a nice touch. You can tweak the music and sound settings too, which I appreciated.

But wait—hold up. We’ve gotta chat more about this whole unlocking content thing. Why they lock stuff like leaderboards, infinite mode, or the original arcade game is beyond me. Super weird choice if you ask me. It’d be way cooler to have it all open from the start—for fun or practice, you know? At the very least, the leaderboards break down into global, friends, and modes. My wife and I hit #1 on the co-op boards, though it might just show people like solo better.

Here’s the thing—hard to screw up Breakout, cause it’s a blast even after countless years. But, man, Choice Provisions came close by locking stuff (even the online leaderboards?!). Still, despite that hiccup, the game rocks, thanks to their skills and maybe a little nostalgia magic.