Some video games both suck and blow. But in the case of Shatter, a game that borrows heavily from brick breaking games like BreakOut and Arkanoid, that’s a GOOD thing! Originally a downloadable game for PS3, you can now buy it for the PC from Steam, and it’s well worth the price!

Like BreakOut or Arkanoid, you move a paddle on one side of the screen with the mouse. You must rebound a bouncing ball and break all the bricks on screen with it. Simple as that. It’s the new physics and gameplay gimmicks that makes Shatter feel fresh.

The main new feature of Shatter is you can make your paddle suck in air or blow it out. When you break blocks, special particles emerge. By sucking them in, you can build up a power meter that, when full, lets you perform a powerful laser attack that can destroy most of the blocks on screen. You can also use the power meter to activate a shield to protect you from falling blocks. Some blocks can move around and if they hit you, you’ll be out of commission for a short while, and that could cause you to miss your ball. Another way to keep blocks from hitting you is to blow air instead of sucking it in. This will send blocks back up to the top of the screen. But this also blows the much-needed power up particles to the top as well. Blowing and sucking also affects your ball trajectory, too. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to maneuver your ball around the screen with air and not even have to hit it!

Shatter also features varying playfields. Sometimes you’ll be on the bottom of the screen, or sometimes the sides or even in a circle! Certain blocks can explode, rocket around the area, or drop power ups such as extra lives or point multipliers. You can also release extra balls manually for a higher challenge. After a certain number of waves, you’ll go up against a boss battle where you must hit the ball on a monster’s weak spot to destroy it.

Fans of titles like Rez or AudioSurf will love the abstract, colorful graphics and immersive, beat-thumping tunes. Aside from the single player mode, there are competitive and co-operative multiplayer modes as well. Fans of classic arcade challenges and brick and paddle games will definitely want to get Shatter!

Kid Factor:

Shatter is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Fantasy Violence, probably because you must destroy critters made up of blocks like a serpent dragon or a “Blocktopus.” Reading skill is useful for the instructions, but there are also picture cues and most everything is easy to figure out just by playing. Younger gamers might need help with the tougher, later levels, though. Families with gamers young and old can enjoy the local multiplayer modes, too.

Tags: Game Reviews