History VideoGame / Arkanoid

* Nerf:

Also, oddly, the Vaus is a DLC character in ''ElevatorAction Deluxe''.

* MinusWorld: If you use cheats to skip past [=DoH's=] stage in the arcade version of the first game, you will find yourself with levels arranged with no pattern or design, some mis-colored blocks (only in official versions, bootlegs don't have any mis-colored blocks), some blocks that are completely invisible, and Silver blocks that take ''many'' hits to destroy, rewarding about ''200,000 points''' per Silver block. You can also glitch the ball off the play field and make it reach ridiculous speeds if it hits the roof of the play field.

* MinusWorld: If you use cheats to skip past DoH's stage in the arcade version of the first game, you will find yourself with levels arranged with no pattern or design, some mis-colored blocks (only in official versions, bootlegs don't have any mis-colored blocks), some blocks that are completely invisible, and Silver blocks that take ''many'' hits to destroy, rewarding about ''200,000 points''' per Silver block. You can also glitch the ball off the play field and make it reach ridiculous speeds if it hits the roof of the play field.

* EliteMook: The black spheres in ''Revenge of [=DoH=]'', which only can be destroyed by touching the Vaus. In a way, the silver bricks as well, as they require between two to five hits to y break (unless the Mega Ball power capsule is active).

* ArtifactTitle: The Arkanoid only shows up in the backstory of the first game; it's not present in any of the sequels sans ''[=DoH=] it Again''. ''Arkanoid DS'' takes it a step further and takes place in a completely different universe that doesn't involve the Arkanoid (or the Vaus, or [[=DoH=]]) at all.

* SequelDifficultyDrop: The original Arkanoid would only allow one power-up capsule on the stage at the same time, would not spawn any power-up capsules from silver bricks, completely lacked any way to destroy gold bricks, had a much less effective Disrupt capsule (the original would only split the ball into three; later games upped it to eight), and the game itself was completely linear (later titles would allow you to choose between at least two levels to advance to).

* InvincibilityPowerup: The Mega Ball. For one, it could plow through the black sphere enemies. More importantly, it instantly plows through ''any'' brick - even gold and silver bricks. The only things it would bounce off of are the walls and the Vaus. However in all games starting from ''[=DoH=] it Again'', it would be {{Nerf|nerfed}} to where it can no longer destroy gold bricks.

* AndYourRewardIsClothes: Your reward for finishing each of the 7 main clear mode trees for the first time in the DS version is another skin for the Vaus.

* ArtifactTitle: The Arkanoid only shows up in the backstory of the first game; it's not present in any of the sequels. ''Arkanoid DS'' takes it a step further and takes place in a completely different universe that doesn't involve the Arkanoid (or the Vaus, or Doh) at all.

* DroughtLevelOfDoom: ''Round 11'' in ''Arkanoid'', as well as similar levels that only have metal bricks that never release powerups. The ball will also speed up during these levels, which try to deplete your set of lives.
* EenieMeenieMinyMoai: Doh.
* EliteMook: The black spheres in ''Revenge of [=DoH=]'', which only can be destroyed by touching the Vaus. In a way, the silver bricks as well, as they require multiple hits to finally break (unless the superball powerup is active).

* FunWithAcronyms: The iPod Touch version ''finally'' gives DOH a meaning. It's an acronym for the Arkanoid's crew's term for the thing on account of its control of the fabric of time-space, "Dominator of Hours".

* HyperDestructiveBouncingBall
* InvincibilityPowerup: The superball/megaball power-up. For one, it could plow through the black sphere enemies. More importantly, it instantly plows through ''any'' brick - even gold and silver bricks. The only things it would bounce off of are the walls and the Vaus.

* MutuallyExclusivePowerups: Only one powerup is allowed at a given time. However, if you pickup a Disruption followed by a Mega Ball, the extra balls remain on the screen and can quickly clear the board. There is also a rare glowing powerup that combines these two powerups for you.

* SequelDifficultyDrop: The original Arkanoid would only allow one power-up capsule on the stage at the same time, would not spawn any power-up capsules from silver bricks, completely lacked any way to destroy gold bricks, had a much less effective Dispersion capsule (the original would only split the ball into three; later games upped it to eight), and the game itself was completely linear (later titles would allow you to choose between at least two levels to advance to).

** Wait, so it's a [[Series/DoctorWho Time Lord]]?

-->"THE TIME AND ERA OF THIS STORY IS UNKNOWN. AFTER THE MOTHERSHIP "ARKANOID" WAS DESTROYED, A SPACECRAFT "VAUS" SCRAMBLED AWAY FROM IT. BUT ONLY TO BE TRAPPED IN SPACE WARPED BY SOMEONE........"

* OneUp: The Player capsule. Technically counted as a powerup, which means that MutuallyExclusivePowers came in to play.

* PoisonMushroom: The Reduce {{powerup}}, which would shrink the Vaus. For expert players, this could be CursedWithAwesome, since you'd get [[ScoringPoints doubled points]] as long as it's active, and [[EveryTenThousandPoints extra lives are available at certain point plateaus]]. However, for less expert players, and any player who sees one rolling down right where the ball is about to fall, it clearly is detrimental.
* PowerupLetdown: The Twin powerup, as of ''Arkanoid II: The Revenge of [=DoH=]''. The Vaus would split into two smaller copies that would move together. It only barely increased the surface area of the Vaus, was distinctly smaller than both the Extend powerup or the Image/Illusion powerup (the latter was longest, but only active while in motion), and there was a gap between the two Vaus units that the ball could fall through, costing a life.

* UpdatedRerelease: ''Arkanoid R 2000'' is this to ''Returns'', which adds 150 additional levels and even features proper bosses.

* Main/IAmNotShazam: ''Arkanoid'' is a spaceship destroyed in the opening scene. The "paddle" you control is an escape craft named ''Vaus''.

Several sequels were made, such as ''Arkanoid: Revenge Of Doh'', ''Arkanoid: [[PunBasedTitle Doh It Again]]'', ''Arkanoid Returns'', and ''Arkanoid DS''.

* TheGoomba: In the games that have enemies, everything except the teleporting panels that randomly move your ball to somewhere else in the level. They go down in one hit, and touching the Vaus kills ''them'' not you: Their purpose is not to inflict direct harm, only to throw your ball off trajectory. On the other hand, bosses do kill you with their attacks.

* PowerupLetdown: The Twin powerup, as of ''Arkanoid II: The Revenge of [=DoH=]''. The Vaus would split into two smaller copies that would move together. It only barely increased the surface area of the Vaus, was distinctly smaller than both the Extend powerup or the Image powerup (the latter was longest, but only active while in motion), and there was a gap between the two Vaus units that the ball could fall through, costing a life.

* UpdatedRerelease: ''Arkanoid R 2000'' is this to ''Returns'', which adds 150 additional levels and even features proper boss battles on levels 100, 199, and 200.

Several sequels were made, such as ''Arkanoid: Revenge Of Doh'', ''Arkanoid: [[IncrediblyLamePun Doh It Again]]'', ''Arkanoid Returns'', and ''Arkanoid DS''.

* IAmNotShazam: ''Arkanoid'' is a spaceship destroyed in the opening scene. The "paddle" you control is an escape craft named ''Vaus''.

* MutuallyExclusivePowerups: The only way to stop some of them becoming {{Game Breaker}}s - a combination of the Mega Ball and the Disruption, for example, would end any level in seconds.

''Arkanoid'' is a 1986 {{puzzle game}} by {{Taito}}. It is very similar to ''{{Breakout}}'', with the addition of powerups, enemies, multi-hit and indestructible blocks, distinct levels, and a boss at the end. [[FollowTheLeader These elements were quickly adopted by similar games.]]

* AWinnerIsYou: The Commodore 64 version uses the standard Game Over screen in place of the ending.

Also, oddly, the Vaus is a DLC character in Elevator Action Deluxe.

* ExcusePlot: You're a spaceship trying to escape from a [[strike: much larger spaceship]] DIMENSION-CONTROLLING FORT DOH, by destroying blocks with a bouncing ball. Ooookay...

* TheGoomba: In the games that have enemies, everything except the teleporting panels that randomly move your ball to somewhere else in the level. They go down in one hit, and touching the Vaus kills ''them'' not you: Their purpose is not to inflict direct harm, only to throw your ball off trajectory.
** Bosses on the other hand do kill you with their attacks.

* LuckBasedMission: Were you playing the mid-[[TheNineties Nineties]] Macintosh version on a B&W monitor? So sorry, the odds were against you finding the right spot to beat Doh. True to an extent in all versions, because unless your grasp of geometry is at PHD level you won't be able to precisely predict the trajectory of or aim the ball correctly every time.
* MutuallyExclusivePowerups: The only way to stop some of them becoming {{Game Breaker}}s - a combination of the mega ball and the disruption for example would end any level in seconds.

* PoisonMushroom: The Reduce powerup, which would shrink the Vaus. For expert players, this could be CursedWithAwesome, since you'd get [[ScoringPoints doubled points]] as long as it's active, and [[EveryTenThousandPoints extra lives are available at certain point plateaus]]. However, for less expert players, and any player who sees one rolling down right where the ball is about to fall, it clearly is detremental.