Breakout

Breakout is the 1976 Atari arcade game whose prototype was built by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs (before Apple existed) — Atari offered $750 for the design, plus a bonus for every chip saved. The game inverts Pong: instead of two paddles bouncing a ball between them, one paddle bounces a ball UPWARD into a wall of colored bricks. Each brick the ball breaks is destroyed. In our version, clear every brick to move on to the next level, where the wall gets taller. Despite its simplicity, Breakout has remained continuously playable in some form for nearly 50 years — and inspired hundreds of derivative games.

How to play

• Mouse, Left / Right arrows (or A / D), or touch-drag — move the paddle horizontally.
• Space — start the game and launch the ball. Once the ball is in play, Space pauses and resumes. Clicking or tapping the board also launches the ball.
• The ball bounces off your paddle, off the walls, and off bricks.
• Each brick the ball hits is destroyed — except the top row, which takes 2 hits.
• Clear all bricks to advance to the next level. Level 1 has 4 rows of 11 bricks; each level adds a row, up to 7 rows.
• If every ball in play passes below your paddle and exits the bottom = lose a life. You start with 3 lives.
• Brick rows are color-coded, and higher rows are worth more points:
  • Red (top row) → 70 points
  • Orange → 60 points
  • Yellow → 50 points
  • Green → 40 points
  • Blue, purple and pink rows (later levels) → 30, 20 and 10 points
• Broken bricks sometimes drop a power-up. Catch it with the paddle: W widens the paddle, M splits each ball into three, L gives an extra life. The wide paddle lasts until you lose a life or clear the level.
• Your best score is saved in your browser.

Beginner strategy

• Don’t chase the ball. Wait at the predicted landing point. The ball’s trajectory is deterministic after each bounce; learn to predict.
• Hit the ball with the paddle’s centre. Centre hits reflect straight up. Edge hits angle the ball more.
• Aim for high-value rows. The top red bricks are worth 70 points each. The lowest rows are worth far less. Try to break through to the top early.
• Don’t stand under the ball. The paddle’s reflection depends on where the ball lands on it — staying directly under the ball gives no control over the angle.
• Slow down to set up shots. Don’t keep the paddle in constant motion. Time your moves.

Intermediate strategy: the breakthrough

The most powerful Breakout technique is the “breakthrough” — punching a vertical tunnel through the brick wall so the ball can pass into the empty space ABOVE the bricks. Once there, the ball bounces off the top wall and rains down through the brick layers, destroying many in succession before returning to the paddle.

• Target a single column. Direct all your shots toward one vertical line through the brick wall.
• Get the ball into the upper chamber. Once the column is clear, the ball will tunnel through to the top wall.
• Let it bounce. Once in the upper chamber, the ball can stay there for many bounces, destroying bricks freely.
• The breakthrough explosion. A single well-set-up breakthrough can clear a big chunk of the wall in one ball flight.

Advanced strategy

• Speed scaling. In our version the ball gets a little faster every time it hits your paddle, up to a cap, and resets to its starting speed when you lose a ball. Adapt your reflexes.
• Use the mouse for fast saves. The mouse moves the paddle instantly; the arrow keys move it at a fixed speed. Switch to the mouse once the ball gets fast.
• Set up two breakthroughs. Some board layouts let you tunnel on both sides simultaneously, doubling the destruction.
• Make multi-ball count. Catching an M while several balls are in play splits every one of them. You only lose a life when the last ball drops.
• End-game patience. The last 1-2 bricks are hardest. Don’t try to break them with angle tricks; aim cleanly and let physics work.

Breakout’s origin story

• 1975 — Nolan Bushnell commissions: Atari founder Bushnell wants a single-player Pong-like game. Atari employee Steve Jobs takes on the prototype ($750, plus a bonus for using fewer than 50 chips) and brings in his friend Steve Wozniak.
• Wozniak designs in 4 days. His design used far fewer chips than a typical Atari board of the time. Atari’s engineers found it too compact to manufacture and reworked it for production.
• 1976 release. Breakout cabinets ship to arcades; immediate hit.
• 1978 — Atari 2600 version. Home console adaptation.
• The bonus story. Jobs reportedly told Wozniak the fee was $700 and split that, keeping the much larger bonus. Wozniak only learned the truth years later, and the story became Silicon Valley legend.

Breakout’s lineage

• Pong (1972) is the direct ancestor.
• Breakout (1976) is the single-player evolution.
• Arkanoid (1986) is the most famous Breakout variant — adds power-up capsules, multi-ball, enemies, and a final boss.
• Alleyway (1989, Game Boy) Nintendo’s Mario-themed Breakout.
• Brick Breaker (BlackBerry) Hugely popular on early smartphones.
• Wizorb / Shatter — modern indie takes on the genre.

Common mistakes

• Chasing the ball. With the keyboard, the paddle moves at a fixed speed and a fast ball can outrun it if you’re behind. Predict and intercept.
• Hitting with the same paddle spot. Same paddle position = same reflection angle. To vary trajectory, vary paddle position.
• Trying to “spread” the ball. Random hits spray bricks across the wall. Focused breakthrough attempts win games.
• Not adapting to ball speed-up. After a long rally the ball is much faster than at launch. Practice at full speed.

Variants worth playing

• Arkanoid (1986). Power-ups, multi-ball, a final boss. The most beloved Breakout variant.
• BreakQuest. Physics-heavy Breakout with bizarre level layouts.
• Wizorb (2011). RPG-flavored Breakout with shopping and progression.
• Shatter (2009). Physics-pull mechanics; you can suck or blow the ball.
• Brick Breaker (BlackBerry). Defined a generation of business phones.

FAQ

• Q: How many bricks in Breakout? A: The 1976 arcade original has 112 — 8 rows of 14. Our version starts with 4 rows of 11 (44 bricks) and adds a row each level, up to 7 rows (77 bricks).
• Q: Did Steve Jobs really design Breakout? A: Jobs took the job from Atari. Steve Wozniak did most of the actual circuit design. Jobs reportedly kept most of the bonus.
• Q: How do I aim the ball? A: Hit the ball with different parts of the paddle. Centre = straight up. Edges = sharp angles.
• Q: What’s a “breakthrough”? A: Punching a vertical tunnel through the brick wall so the ball reaches the empty space above. The ball then bounces freely, destroying many bricks per pass.

For other arcade classics, try Pong, Space Invaders, Asteroids, or Bubble Shooter.