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.

Brick
Value	10	10	20	30	40	50	60	50

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.

Power-up	Name	Description
	Enlarge	Collect this power-up to extend the width of your paddle. This power-up will remain indefinitely until you collect a different power-up.
	Freeze Time	When you collect this power-up, all of the moving enemies on the screen will be frozen in time for a short duration.
	Double	If you collect this power-up, you will be given the one time ability to launch a second ball, white in color. Press to launch it. You can continue to juggle both balls even if you collect another power-up, but returning the white ball is not mandatory, and will not count against you if you lose it. If you lose the red ball while the white ball is still in play, you will immediately lose one life.
	Cannon	When you collect this power-up, you will be able to fire four small tiny bullets from the red ball at any time by pressing . The bullets will move in the four cardinal directions until they hit something. If they hit a brick or an enemy, they will remove it. This power-up lasts for a good period of time, but is not permanent, and will end immediately if you collect another power-up.
	Rocket	If you collect the rocket power-up, your paddle will gain the ability to fire four rockets from the center. Press to launch the rocket, and then prepare to press again when the rocket reaches an area that you would like to blow up. The rocket is a required power-up in order to complete certain stages that have normal bricks encased inside silver bricks which prevent you from completing the stage with the ball alone.
	Super	Collect this power-up to turn the red ball into a super ball. The ball will not appear to change visually, but it will crash through bricks and continue moving, only stopping to change directions at a boundary. Although this power-up can be used to clear a lot of bricks in very little time, it does not last for a long period of time, so take advantage of it while you have it.
	1-Up	Occasionally, red and white items will appear and fall down to the paddle. If you collect these red and white objects, you will earn one extra life. These objects can take the shape of a cherry, or a ring, or even a chicken bone. Regardless of the shape, if it's red, grab it.
	Konamiman	Konamiman is the only power-up that does not appear by destroying enemies. It will appear at random from the top of the screen in a "Light" level and dive straight down to the bottom. If you manage to catch him with the paddle, you will automatically clear the current area and be teleported to the "Dark" dimension while advancing to the next board. Konamiman never appears in a Dark level.