Arkanoid/Gameplay

Controls

• Paddle: Use the paddle to direct the Vaus left or right across the bottom of the playfield. Rotate the paddle clockwise to move the Vaus to the right, or rotate the paddle counter-clockwise to move the Vaus to the left.
• Fire: Press the fire button to fire twin lasers up towards the top of the screen when the Vaus is configured in laser mode. When catch mode is activated, press the fire button to release any balls attached to the Vaus.
• 1-2 Players: Press to begin a one or two player game.

Vaus

You are in direct control of the spacecraft known as the Vaus 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 from the current stage in order to be granted access to the next stage. The Vaus has the ability to transform in two ways. One is by collecting the blue Enlarge capsule which extends the length of the Vaus. The other is by collecting the red Laser capsule which transforms the Vaus to the form shown on the right. In this configuration, you can fire Lasers up at the top of the screen. Enemies may also appear on the screen and slowly make their way down to the bottom of the screen. The Vaus can crash harmlessly into these enemies. They only serve as interference for the ball.

Where the ball hits the paddle dictates how it will bounce off the paddle. If the ball hits the silver area in the middle, it will bounce off at a sharp angle. If it hits the red bands near 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.

Brick
Value	50	60	70	80	90	100	110	120

Silver and Gold bricks, on the other hand, cannot be destroyed with one hit. In fact, Gold bricks cannot be destroyed at all. They are indestructible, and therefore not counted against you towards your attempt to clear an area of bricks. Silver bricks take more than one hit to destroy. In the beginning, they only require two to destroy, but the number of hits it takes to remove them increases by one every eight stages. To calculate the number of points Silver bricks are worth, multiply 50 by the stage number.

Power-ups

Power-ups appear after you remove a random number of non-silver bricks. Only one power-up capsule will appear at a time, and they slowly fall to the bottom of the screen. In order to activate a power-up, you must collect it with the Vaus. Power-up effects last until another power-up is collected or the current ball is lost.

Power-up	Name	Description
	Laser	Collect the red capsule to transform the Vaus into its Laser-firing configuration. In this form, you can fire lasers at the top of the screen by pushing the fire button. Lasers can be used against every brick except Gold bricks, and against enemies. Silver bricks can only be destroyed by lasers when they are hit the required number of times.
	Enlarge	Collect the blue capsule to extend the width of the Vaus.
	Catch	Collect the green capsule to gain the catch ability. When the ball hits the Vaus, it will stick to the surface. Press the Fire button to release the ball. The ball will automatically release after a certain period of time has passed.
	Slow	Collect the orange capsule to slow the velocity at which the ball moves. Collecting multiple orange capsules will have a cumulative effect and the ball velocity can become extremely slow. However, the ball velocity will gradually increase as it bounces and destroys bricks. The velocity may sometimes suddenly increase with little warning.
	Break	Collect the violet capsule to create a "break out" exit on the right side of the stage. Passing through this exit will cause you to advance to the next stage immediately, as well as earn a 10,000 point bonus.
	Disruption	Collect the cyan capsule to cause the ball to split into three instances of itself. All three balls can be kept aloft. There is no penalty for losing the first two balls. No colored capsules will fall as long as there is more than one ball in play. This is the only power up that, while in effect, prevents other power ups from falling.
	Player	Collect the gray capsule to earn an extra Vaus.