Arkanoid: Revenge of DOH

Arkanoid 2 - Revenge of Doh is the sequel to Arkanoid, a popular coin-op created by Taito in 1986. The sequel was released in 1987 and ported to Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and XZ Spectrum in 1988.

I have to admit that I always had a soft spot in my heart for Arkanoid. As a kid, I still remember looking through a long list of random titles to search for that specific game where you control a bat, collect power-ups, and change your shape. I always had a clear preference for the shooting one because why bounce balls off bricks when you can shoot them down? Anyway, it is easy to say that this game marked both my youth and that of many other people, but... Did you know that it has a sequel? Welcome, this is Arkanoid: Revenge of Doh.

The game was initially released as an arcade game, published and developed by Taito in 1987. Similarly, the title was quickly ported: by 1988, there were already home computers and console versions.

The story of the game (because, believe it or not, a game of knocking down blocks with a ball has a story) is about a space entity called DOH. The evil being, whose name I find hilarious, aims to take revenge on the Vaus space vessel. Therefore, the protagonist returns to control the attack platform known as Vaus and overcomes several levels to finish with the villain.

True to the previous installment, Arkanoid: Revenge of Doh doesn't have any significant gameplay changes. It is the same game, but with some new power-ups and "enemies" (or blocks in the Arkanoid universe), that will have more resistance or regenerate. The game also contains two bosses that appear at the middle and the end of the game.

As with the gameplay, the game graphics suffer from excessive recycling of assets from the previous title, I guess with the excuse of respecting the essence of its predecessor. In theory, this has nothing wrong, but as the final product only presents a few bricks with new colors, the entry only feels like an attempt by the developers to squeeze the original Arkanoid's success is a game not very creative and not very original. However, being a copy of Arkanoid, the game still manages to be fun, and it is a good alternative or continuation for those who enjoy this iconic gameplay.