Game: Galaxy Bricks
Genre: Arcade, Action
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer|Publisher: Emerald Knight Interactive LLC
Controller Support: No
Price: US $ 4.99 | UK £4.29 | EU € 4,99
Release Date: November 24th, 2023
Review code used with many thanks to Emerald Knight Interactive LLC.
Galaxy Bricks in Space
Galaxy Bricks is a simple arcade game that takes heavy inspiration from the arcade classics Arkanoid and Galaga. It’s a worthy attempt from someone who appears new to game development but doesn’t quite match the standard of the arcade greats.
The premise of Galaxy Bricks is simple. You’re a little spaceship at the bottom of the screen, and you aim to clear the board of all the bricks on the screen. You have two ways to go about doing this. First you can launch your space ball towards the bricks, then proceed to rebound the ball back at the bricks until they gradually disintegrate. To get the job done quicker, you can pick up some power-ups, which allow you to shoot destructive shots, making much quicker work of the bricks.
But it’s not all relaxing brick-breaking. As you destroy bricks, aliens will often spawn, which need to be taken out with your ship’s guns before they attack you. Additional power-ups like shields, additional balls and a devastating beam shot can be collected and activated on command when needed. The game only uses keyboard controls, so I’m afraid controller fans are out of luck.
A Clash of Designs
There are three campaigns to take on, each with ten levels and a unique space theme. Two come across as pretty bland space themes, one looking pretty similar to a rug I used to own. The one with more personality is the ‘doodle’ theme, which feels like something you would sketch in a notepad in school. However, striking enemy sprites were harder to see on this one.
Speaking of enemy sprites, these are all very small compared to the bricks you attack, giving an unusual clash with two designs that don’t feel they belong together. The game’s sounds are also very annoying, high-pitched, and drilling into the brain. I preferred just to play the game on mute.
As well as the campaigns, you can take on an endless mode to rack up a high score. I had a go at this mode, but the game failed to hold my attention, so I quickly lost interest. As someone who’s played a decent amount of retro arcade games, I feel this title doesn’t capture the speed or excitement of those games. But it’s also not helped by its many design issues.
Glitches
I encountered many bugs and glitches during my short playthrough of the game. When using the big beam power up, it instantly triggered a ‘game over’ during some levels but not others. The ball physics are off. No matter how I moved my ship on the ball rebound, it would simply move straight upwards and nowhere else, making me favour the destructive shots over its use. Enemies would spawn wildly and erratically for no reason. On top of all that, I just didn’t find the overall experience enjoyable.
Conclusion: Space Balls
Galaxy Bricks has a good idea for an arcade game, but its two design elements don’t combine to create an entertaining gameplay experience. In a different life, I know the difficulties with game development when you’re starting out, especially when you’re on your own. So, playing Galaxy Bricks took me back to the struggles I had creating my own game. I just don’t think this was ready to release on Steam. However, if you want to support a new game developer starting out, give it a look. Otherwise, this is an arcade experience you can easily pass on.
Final Verdict: I Don’t Like it
