![]() It may not sound exciting at first, by DX-Ball manages to mix things up with its variety of power-ups. Some blocks will release a power-up when they are destroyed if you catch it with your paddle, you can benefit from any number of boons. You can increase the size of your paddle, add more balls to bounce around, get the ability to catch and strategically re-launch the ball at your whim, or equip your paddle with a pair of blasters to shoot and destroy blocks in an instant. Powers stack as well, so if you’re able to nab each one that comes your way, keeping that ball up in the air can be a piece of cake. However, not all power-ups are so benign. They can have all sorts of negative effects one can shrink your paddle, one will cause the blocks to sink lower every time the ball bounces, one will increase the movement speed of the ball, and one will even outright kill you! Just to mess around with you, DX-Ball incorporates a variety of power-downs that can make things harder if you make the mistake of grabbing them. The power-ups and power-downs of DX-Ball make it far more dynamic and unpredictable than your usual Breakout clone. You have no idea just what’s going to pop up on every screen. Sometimes a level will be over in a flash because you got a good combination of abilities. Other times, it could take a good while before anything decent comes your way.Įither way, you could easily call this game the Super Mario Bros. DX-Ball would be fun for a few minutes on its own, but the assorted abilities you can receive at any time seal the deal and increase the replay value. ![]() It can be a very difficult game to put down. You might tell yourself: “Just one more game and I'll be done for the day,” but you’ll be back for another round in short order. Unfortunately, as much as luck can be your best friend, it’s just as likely going to be your worst enemy. Progress in DX-Ball often comes down to how lucky you are. Sometimes the power-ups will rain on you like it’s the first day of spring. Other times, the well will dry up and you’ll be left with a plain old paddle and ball. Make no mistake DX-Ball is not necessarily hard without the power-ups. It’s just that since you have so little direct control over where the ball bounces, nailing the last few blocks in a level can be an incredibly tedious experience. The only way to change the ball’s bounce, speed or direction without the use of a power-up is with proper timing and control of the paddle. Even that is pretty unreliable, and that’s assuming you can even pull the trick off in the first place. To be fair, the game will happily throw you a bone and bring you to the next level if a single block is left untouched for too long. It’s not hard to play but it has its annoying moments but most importantly it’s colorful and entertaining.However, that won’t do you any favors if there are still several remaining. When it comes to casual arcade games, DX-Ball is a great example. Apart from the good stuff, the blocks you destroy can also release powerups that can mess up your game if you don’t avoid them. There are 18 powerups to collect and they can split your ball into three pieces, convert it into a fireball, make it move faster, increase the size of your paddle and so on. ![]() Since watching a ball move at an average speed hitting one or two blocks every 10 seconds might make you yawn, DX-Ball introduces powerups which serve a variety of purposes. ![]() Powerups to help you along or make things worseĭX-Ball aims to make things interesting from the beginning and keeps them that way until you complete the game. Some blocks are initially indestructible and others simply can’t be hit out of pure bad luck because the ball might not follow the trajectory you need it to. There are blocks that need a single hit to be removed while others take more, or even require hitting from a certain angle. Sounds simple enough and it actually is, until the level structure start to become more complex. The goal of the game is to clear the screen of existing blocks that come in various colors and forms using a ball which you strike with a paddle that can only move on a horizontal axis. It’s based on a very simple principle and offers tons of fun for those who enjoy this genre thanks to its large number of levels, each one unique and more challenging than the previous. DX-Ball is one of the most popular ball-and-paddle arcade games ever made for PC.
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