This is a great game.

The sound and graphics are amazing. Even the screeching zeros that descended upon the game when it was free to give their worthless game design, marketing and biz advice more or less avoided the topic of how it looks and sounds, and that's because both are incredible. It's a gorgeous experience with a soundtrack that I'd buy separately.

But more, this game was created by people that obviously have or developed a lot of fondness for Arkanoid as an experience and franchise. I am playing it with a USB spinner that simulates being a mouse and the control is flawless. I used to own an Arkanoid arcade cabinet and the control here feels just as good as it did on real hardware. There hasn't been a single time where I lost a life where it wasn't my fault. You can zip around the boards in a way that feels right.

The retro mode, where you can play the original Arkanoid, is a delight. Yes, the screen has a filter on it to give it a curved CRT experience. I guess everyone complaining about this one lives in a reality without MAME, but in this one, anyone who wants to be playing the original on a flat rectangle of a screen can do so. I'm glad that the creators tried something different.

The new single player mode is fun with new boards. It is true that I have only faced AIs in the battle mode, but that's fine. I prefer it actually. A computer frustrates me every single day, I'm glad to have the chance to spank them in this.

As for the cost, I don't know what to say, I guess global inflation is allowed to affect every single small business and large corporation on Earth with the exception of Pastagames. Who knew that the collective pent-up anger of a mercurial global economy was going to take its rage out on a small group of modern-day retro game enthusiasts. Five bucks on Steam gets you the worst port of Frenzy they could dig up a few clicks over; this is what a good game costs now. Plus, it's on sale as I type this and the Thanksgiving and Christmas sales are coming.

This and Atari's Gravitar: Recharged are the two best contemporary games involving 1980s arcade IP. Arkanoid - Eternal Battle is fun. It's beautiful to look at and listen to, it has a wonderful flow, the new levels have just the right kind of learning curve and I didn't even get into the new powerups, which I like. I hope Taito works with them for other games like Elevator Action or Qix or something next. Well done.