Arcade guide
Brick Breaker Tips: A Still Paddle Beat a Wandering One 10 to 5
Key takeaways
- The paddle follows the mouse and a click launches the ball.
- With the paddle left in the middle, all three runs read 10 points and two lives about 20 seconds after launch.
- With the paddle swinging side to side, all three runs read 5 points and two lives.
- You start with three lives and ten levels, of which level 1 is open.
The first brick breaker tip is to keep the paddle under the ball: in Toybreak a paddle left still in the middle scored 10 points in about 20 seconds, while one swinging from side to side scored 5. Both lost a life in that time, so the rebound you choose is worth more than the distance you move.
How the game works
Toybreak is a brick breaker in a toy room, shown in a tall, phone-style column. You press play, pick level 1, read a hint card and click to launch the ball. The mouse slides the paddle. A bar at the top shows the level, your score and your lives, which start at three.
What we measured
We played in a test browser at 1280 by 800 pixels. In each run we launched the ball and then either left the paddle in the middle or moved it from side to side in a smooth sweep, and we read the score and lives from the top bar after about 20 seconds. We made three runs for each method, and all three gave the same result.
| Paddle | Score | Lives left |
|---|---|---|
| Left in the middle | 10, 10, 10 | 2, 2, 2 |
| Swinging side to side | 5, 5, 5 | 2, 2, 2 |
Three runs per method in one test browser; the identical results suggest the game is deterministic for a fixed start, but the sweep was not aimed at the ball.
What is on the screen
The playfield has rows of red, blue, yellow and green bricks, a pink paddle and a ball. The top bar has buttons for full screen, sound, pause and exit. The level screen shows ten levels, and only level 1 is open at the start.
4 tips that follow from the numbers
- Follow the ball. A swinging paddle that ignores it scored half as much.
- Stay calm. Both methods lost a life in 20 seconds, so each rebound counts.
- Catch power-ups only when the ball is safe.
- Click twice if the ball stays put. After the hint card the first click can close it.
Where to try it
Try it yourself in Toybreak. For another colourful arcade game, Prismhop asks you to match colours.
Frequently asked questions
How do you control the paddle?
With the mouse; a click launches the ball, sometimes after a second click following the hint.
What did a still paddle score?
10 points and two lives left, about 20 seconds after launch, in three of three runs.
What did a swinging paddle score?
5 points and two lives left in three of three runs.
How many lives do you have?
Three.
How many levels are there?
Ten; only level 1 is open at the start.
Does Toybreak work on a phone?
It is a tall column that works with touch; we tested it with a mouse.