Bounce & Give Me a Break!
Or, Why DSiware Pricing Sometimes Makes Me Go Whhaaatttt?
Or Also, You Should Be Playing AlphaBounce
Today’s DSiware releases for North America are pretty bland. But the one that stands out, and not due to its desirability mind you, is an Arkanoid-clone called “Bounce & Break”. Let me confuse you with its official description from a Nintendo press release…
In this Zen world, you will play in four different universes. Each universe is divided into four seasons. The best two scores are saved in the Top Ranking table. Be the best player to enter this Hall of Fame. There are two different game modes: classical and orientation. Depending on which mode that has been selected, the game’s rules will change slightly. There are many different bonuses that can be collected during the game.
Bounce & Break is a very standard Breakout game. If you’re so inclined, you can watch a video of it on the game’s official page at Nintendo. It’s essentially a mobile phone version of the genre, scaled across the two DS screens. Its also $5.00. Which is not a lot, but yet, in this case, its far too much. If I have decoded the press release correctly, there are only 16 levels! 16. Four worlds (universes), four seasons for each universe (levels).
The real issue here is that this game comes on the heels of another Arkanoid-clone which provides millions of levels and unique play for… $5.00. Released a month ago, AlphaBounce is a curious blend of block-breaking and simple RPG elements. Oh, and did I mention millions of levels? Yes, it’s kind of mind-boggling. You should be playing it.
The real curiosity is how these games are priced. I don’t want to dismiss Bounce & Break out of hand. It is what it is, and I’m sure there are DSi owners who wouldn’t mind having a little Breakout on their device. But AlphaBounce provides the gameplay of a retail release and might even be the best value to be had on the DSiware Store. For the record, I’m a little obsessed with AlphaBounce right now. I’ve already put a dozen hours into the game and am even working on a resource page.
Have you played AlphaBounce?
