Crackout/Gameplay

Controls

 * / : Use left and right on the direction pad to control the paddle at the bottom of the screen.
 * : The A button is the Action button which will initiate play by launching the ball, or executing whatever power-up you currently have assigned.
 * : Press and hold the B button to increase the speed at which the paddle can travel across the screen.
 * : Press the Start button to begin a new game, or to pause and unpause the action mid-game.
 * : Not used.

Paddle
You are in direct control of the paddle at the bottom of the stage. Your primary goals are to prevent the red ball from ever falling below the paddle, and to eliminate every brick (and potentially every enemy) from the current area in order to be granted access to the next area. Where the ball hits the paddle dictates how it will bounce off the paddle. If the ball hits the white are in the middle, it will reflect perfectly off the paddle. If it hits the red close to the center, it will bounce off at a sharp angle. If it hits closer to the sides, it will bounce off at a 45 degree angle. And if it hits the very edges of the paddle, it will bounce off at a very shallow angle. Use this information to not only keep the ball in play, but to better direct the path that it takes while you attempt to knockout all of the bricks.

Bricks
There are three different kinds of bricks: colored bricks, silver bricks, and gold bricks. Bricks of different colors make up the majority of the walls in each area. They only require one hit to defeat, but they vary in point value from one another.

Silver and Gold bricks, on the other hand, cannot be destroyed with one hit. In fact, Silver bricks cannot be destroyed at all. They are indestructible, and therefore not counted against you towards your attempt to clear an area of bricks. Gold bricks take two hits to destroy, and they increase in HP as you progress further into the game.

Bricks are not the only things that you must remove to complete certain stages. In some cases (mostly in the "Dark" levels), you must remove every dancing lizard that occupies the screen. In other cases, you may see what resembles a pinball bumper. A number in the middle of the bumper starts at 0, and increases to 9 every time it is hit. When you strike the bumper as it says 9, the bumper will be destroyed, clearing it from the area.

Power-ups
Power-ups appear when you hit certain enemies. In some stages where no enemies are present, certain parts of the boundary surrounding the puzzle can be struck to reveal power-ups. In order to activate a power-up, you must collect it with the paddle. Some power-ups are limited in duration.