Unlock outfits for cute anime ladies to wear while you swing a beam sword at a ball to break blocks in Pretty Girls Breakers! PLUS.  Yeah it’s pretty much a BreakOut or Arkanoid clone.  The PLUS adds new levels and game modes, but otherwise it’s more of the same from what I reviewed last year.  It’s available on PlayStation systems and Switch, but reviewed on PS4 here.

Gameplay is super simple.  Instead of a paddle, you control a mechanical robot thing on the bottom of the screen, and you can move left and right.  But you can’t just be under the ball to repel it back.  You must swing at it with a beam sword by pressing the X button.  If you time it right, you can send the ball upwards with more power.  Complete each level by clearing out all the blocks.  If you let the ball pass you on the bottom of the screen or get hit by a projectile, you’ll lose a heart.  Lose all of your hearts and you’ll have to start that level over again.

Like any good Arkanoid clone, when you break some blocks a power-up will fall.  Catch it to temporarily slow the ball down, give you another ball to hit, create a barrier, make your sword longer, and more.  You’ll have to watch out for other obstacles, too, like rotating bars and enemies that fire bullets at you.  Luckily you can deflect the bullets back like a ball to hit a block, but be careful as you chance getting hit, too.  With all the bullets and balls bouncing around, it can get pretty hectic, but that’s just part of the fun.  They’ve added a new endless mode where the blocks slowly come down from above and you try to last as long as you can.

The way you unlock outfits for the anime ladies is a little different here.  You earn points by completing stages, and you use those points to buy outfits and backgrounds.  You can view the ones you’ve unlocked as well as toggle options and read how to play from the main menu.  But this game really didn’t need the outfit unlocking part.  It’s just fun on its own.  It’s pretty easy to get all the trophies, too, if you’re into getting all the Platinum ones you can.

Kid Factor:

Pretty Girls Breakers! PLUS is rated T for Teen with ESRB descriptors of Fantasy Violence and Suggestive Themes. You use a robot to swing a beam sword at a ball to break blocks and destroy other robots,  but that’s as violent as it gets.  Some of the outfits you unlock include skimpy bikinis.  Too bad you can’t turn that part of the game off, otherwise this game would be suitable for all ages.  Reading skill is helpful for some of the text, but not necessary just to play.

Tags: Game Reviews