Arkanoid
Break bricks, catch power-ups, and defeat Doh in timeless arcade action.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Arkanoid is a block-breaking arcade game originally developed by Taito in 1986, later acquired and maintained as part of the Square Enix catalog through the company's merger with Taito. The game popularized the breakout-style genre by introducing power-ups, distinct level designs, and a sci-fi narrative involving a spaceship called the Vaus. Despite common misconceptions, Arkanoid was not the first game to enter the Popular Computing Weekly Hall of Fame in 1987; that honor belongs to another title.
- original_release
- 1986 (arcade)
- developer
- Taito (now part of Square Enix)
- platforms
- Arcade, NES, Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, and many others
- player_ship
- Vaus
- power_ups
- Includes Expand, Laser, Catch, Disruption, and Break
- levels
- 33 unique stages in the original arcade version
- sequels
- Arkanoid: Revenge of Doh, Arkanoid DS, Arkanoid Live!
Lore & Background
The story of Arkanoid centers on the Vaus, a small spaceship that must destroy a mysterious alien structure called Doh. After the Vaus is pulled into a dimensional warp, the player controls it through 33 increasingly difficult levels of bricks, each guarded by alien energy barriers. The final confrontation with Doh itself requires precise timing and skill, as the boss fires energy waves and splits into multiple targets.
Arkanoid's lore expanded in later sequels, such as Arkanoid: Revenge of Doh, where the Vaus returns to face a resurrected Doh with new power-ups and enemy types. The franchise's minimalist narrative—a lone ship against a cosmic threat—became a template for many later block-breaking games. Square Enix continues to honor this legacy through re-releases and mobile adaptations, keeping the Vaus's journey alive for new generations.
Reader's Guide
Arkanoid's significance lies in its revitalization of the block breaker genre, building on Atari's Breakout and establishing a template for countless subsequent games. Its commercial success was substantial: it was Japan's highest-grossing table arcade game of 1987 and the highest-grossing arcade conversion kit in the United States that year. The game received critical acclaim for its addictive, simple gameplay and improvements over Breakout. It won multiple awards, including the Gamest Silver Award, Compute! Games of the Year, and Best Arcade Translation from Computer Gaming World. Arkanoid spawned a long series of sequels and updates over two decades, including Tournament Arkanoid, Revenge of Doh, Arkanoid Returns, and Arkanoid DS. Its legacy endures through re-releases such as the Arcade Archives series on modern consoles. The game's influence is seen in its combination of classic paddle-and-ball mechanics with power-ups and a boss fight, elements that became standard in the genre.
Did You Know?
- Arkanoid was created by Taito designer Akira Fujita, who was inspired by the 1976 game Breakout.
- The game's name is a portmanteau of 'ark' (as in Noah's Ark) and 'android', referencing the Vaus's role as a savior-like vessel.
- Arkanoid was one of the first arcade games to feature a battery-backed save system for high scores on home ports.
- The Doh boss fight in the original arcade version was considered one of the most challenging final encounters of its era.
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