When we started working on Doughlings: Arcade, there were a couple of things that we wanted to achieve.
Powers
We are fans of both Arkanoid and DX ball. One of the challenges that we faced was to capture that feeling, the old school gameplay experience while keeping it unique at the same time. There are really good breakout games in later 2010s and we had to create something really different to give arcade fans what they are looking for. That's when the Show Off was born. It may look like just power-ups first. But when you get used to the gameplay, you will realize that these personas are not just temporary powers but also a totally new way to experience Doughlings: Arcade. "Be anyone, do anything" as we call it.
Story
"Why do you have a story in a breakout game?" you may say, but we do because with the story, we have created the world, personas, targets and of course levels. Morpheus is not just a stick to bounce the ball. He is someone, a hero to save his friends. Doughlings are not just bricks, a people that are getting closer to a certain end. That's why you are not killing, but healing them with the cure of Morpheus. This won't be easy, but a fun journey with a lot of challenges.
Progression
You have the gameplay, you have the powers and the world with many different targets in it. So what else? Of course the laboratory. One of the downsides of other breakout games was the lack of progression. With Doughlings: Arcade, you have the opportunity to upgrade your personas any way you like. The more you make high scores, the more you will gather items to make you stronger. There is no upgrade in the lab which is unnecessary. As you face stronger targets in very difficult levels, you will realize how much the lab is important.
Controls
Let's be honest here. Breakout and brick breaker genres couldn't catch up with the current gamer needs. Controls are one of the parts that other games lack at the moment. Some of them have keyboard support but not the gamepad. Some of them have gamepad support but not the mouse. Most of them don't even have customizable keys. What we are giving you with Doughlings: Arcade is a full freedom. Do you want the keyboard? Good, and don't forget to change keys as you want. Gamepad? Why not, plug in and ready to go. Mouse? Well, we know that some of you like gaming with the mouse so we will add it too. Full control, full freedom, full fun.
Be a Level Designer
And of course the Level Editor. As Hero Concept we did our best to create a well-designed breakout experience with 90 different levels (including 15 secrets). But we know that you can do it better. Not just making it, you can show it to the world and let them play too! We will let all players create their own levels with everything in Doughlings: Arcade, upload it to the game and let other users to play and rate. We are sure that it will be so more fun to see your design at the top of the most liked levels. So prepare your imaginations. :)
Doughlings: Arcade may not be the best brick breaker game out there. But we know that it will be one of the unique ones among all. We recommend you to give a try with the release on May 9th and see it for yourself. Until then, have a nice week.
Hero Concept Team