I am of such vintage that the first game I remember playing on a home console was a variant of Pong, played on a Grandstand Sports console. The controls of this particular device were rotary paddles, with a cable joining them to the console.
What this is leading up to is the release of Tri Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Odyssey, the latest game to be released from Lillymo Games. Not only is it a strong contender for longest name of a game released in 2024, it is also a throwback to an earlier age in the style of game that it is. Remember Arkanoid? Well, it is like that with a few additions. What additions, I hear you ask?
I’ll start off with the story of Tri Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Odyssey, however, the narrative is the usual kind of nonsense that you’d expect. A decade has passed since the events of Twin Breaker (the previous game in the series) and Colin and Chris, our two heroes, have enjoyed a quiet life since that day. However, now they are called back into service, alongside a government liaison by the name of Dustin. You see, the data they returned with from the last mission has now been studied, and shadowy powerful figures are trying to use the information for their own nefarious ends. How can they be stopped? By going out and breaking some blocks, obviously. But this time, they aren’t just going to be exploring space; oh no, this time it’s all about exploring time itself!
The presentation of the game is next on this reviewer’s tick list, and here we are treated to a game that comes complete with a distinct retro look and feel. The graphics found in Tri Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Odyssey are pixelated and retro styled, as you’d expect, whilst the story is presented via the medium of static comic style panels with text overlays. There are no voice overs here, but to be honest, the story cutscenes begin to outstay their welcome very quickly, as every level seems to have an explanatory bit after it, and this does slow down the progression through the game. Luckily, they can be turned off, and there is even an achievement for completing a level with them turned off!
As far as the sound goes, there are the usual brick breaking sound effects (not a sentence I envisioned typing any time soon) alongside some banging choons to listen to. The presentation works very well for the style of game.
The most important bit of Tri Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Odyssey though is the gameplay, and this is, at its heart, a simple break bricking game. We launch the ball (a somewhat phallic shaped capsule that contains Dustin) at a collection of blocks, and are then tasked with keeping the ball in play while we try and get rid of the many blocks that are on the screen. Colin and Chris are sat in their respective spaceships, and it is these that bounce Dustin around the screen.
But here’s the twist and there are two “bats” to one “ball”. This means that the controls for the game are very tricky to get used to. You see, the left stick controls the left “bat”, while the right stick controls the right “bat”, and trying to watch and move two bats in synchronicity is a lot harder than it sounds. Still, with a bit of practice, it does soon become a lot easier.
But any game needs a gimmick, and in Tri Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Odyssey this is Dustin, in the “ball”. In addition to being able to smash bricks by crashing into them, Dustin can also steer the “ball” by using the two shoulder buttons. Doing this, he can manoeuvre into the few remaining blocks on the level, should it be required. Of course, it is somewhat tricky to figure out which way to steer the ball, as it is entirely dependent on which way he is going – going up the screen, the directions are reversed when compared to coming down the screen, as an example. Luckily, when he is in motion, the ball gets two indicators attached to it that shows which way corresponds to which button. Still not easy to see in the heat of battle, of course!
As we break bricks, various power ups can be released, ranging from the very useful, which makes a shield wall, preventing the ball from going out of play, to the not so helpful, where the bats can be shrunk to half their normal size; making things a bit trickier!
Progress through stages see bosses pop up, and these need to be defeated. Generally, they come across as quite well designed multi-stage fights. As an example, the first boss first has to have some blocks broken, before Dustin is fired into its mouth! Once in there, a maze needs navigating in order to finally defeat it. Add in other levels where we are essentially playing Snake and many more, and there is a good variety of things to keep us guessing.
In conclusion, you should enjoy your time with Tri Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Odyssey. The levels are varied, there are a host of things to do, and the boss fights add another dimension. The story is daft – and slightly annoying – but once it is turned off, things flow much better.
If you fancy a retro style brick breaker, Tri Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Odyssey should be seen as one worthy of a shot.
Tri Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Odyssey – A Brick-Breaking Adventure Through Time – https://www.thexboxhub.com/tri-breaker-a-sacred-symbols-odyssey-a-brick-breaking-adventure-through-time/
Buy Tri Breaker on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/tri-breaker-a-sacred-symbols-odyssey/9nh7qkwfgxh2
