If you have been playing video games for a long time, then there’s little chance that you haven’t played a brick breaker game. To give you a more familiar analogy, Tetris is also a variant of a brick breaker game. Well, now that we have established some familiarity, let’s dive deeper into this classic game.

Brick breaker games were very popular arcade games. You have layers of colored bricks and a tossed up ball with which to break the layers. Controlling the momentum of the ball (usually a white ball) is a paddle which you have to maneuver from side to side. The complexity of the brick layers and the speed of the ball increases as you go up the levels.

Simple Brick Breaker [No Longer Available] is one of the many brick destroying games you will find on the App Store. It is probably the most popular one. The old classic (which is derived from another classic – Breakout) is free and there are no in-app purchases to make you stumble too. Simple Brick Breaker is popular enough to have been recommended on our Best iPhone Games page. Now, all you have to do is download the game and play.

Paddle Up!

After opening Simple Brick Breaker, you might be flummoxed by the absence of any instructions or a help link. Worry not, because the game has been intuitively played since it arrived on the scene during the 70’s. Simple Brick Breaker introduces us to a familiar interface. Here’s a screenshot from the first level:

The iPhone game has 101 levels each with a different challenge. You cannot jump to the next level if you haven’t cleared the one before, though you can go back and play any of the previous levels. What differs from level to level are the arrangement of the brinks, the number and speed of the balls, obstacles if any, and special elements that help you break the bricks more rapidly. For instance, here’s a screen of the third level and the level eleven which differs markedly:

All you have to do is start moving the paddle and the ball is hurtled towards the bricks.

Simple Rules of the Simple Game

Simple Brick Breaker offers no help file or instructions. If you haven’t played this game before, you will intuitively have to grasp them as you go up the levels. The game is not as simple as it looks and the advanced levels get progressively difficult either in terms of the layout or even in terms of speed of the balls (there are two balls – slow and fast). For instance…Level 8 has a simpler layout but the ball travels slowly. So, on some levels the key could be patience.

You get three balls to break the grid of bricks. The second objective is to not let the balls drop.  As you start breaking the bricks, capsules are released. Capsules are the “fun’ elements of different types. A capsule with a heart gives you an extra life. A capsule with a rocket is just that – rapid fire to damage as many bricks as possible. A capsule with three dots gives you three more balls and adds a bit of craziness to the calm game. Another capsule with a double-headed arrow probably makes the paddle longer (I am not absolutely sure about this one) and helps you deflect more balls. There are a few more you will discover along the way.

Tips To Win At Simple Brick Breaker

The first key to win at Simple Brick Breaker is to just survive. Sounds simple right? It can be if you play with concentration and just hit the ball with the middle of your paddle. With multiple balls it turns into a frenzy of brick breaking, but just try to get to as many balls as you can. The balls will do the rest.

Estimate the travel of the ball. With faster balls it is difficult and you have to just go by instinct. With slower balls you can reach and intercept them with a bit of judgment. Be careful when the balls rebound off walls.

Have Fun!

Simple Brick Breaker is probably the simplest game you can find on the App Store. If you have ever played the game on a BlackBerry (I haven’t), it will be very familiar to you. If you haven’t, just remember there are no special rules to kill your joy. Just move the paddle and hit the balls. Oh, grab the capsules that come floating down too. Simple Brick Breaker has plain-Jane graphics just like the arcade games of old, but I do like the sound effects. Why mess with a classic.

Have you played Simple Brick Breaker or any of the Brick Breaker variants? How does this no-frills game stack up against the razzmatazz of more modern mobile games?