YMMV / Arkanoid

• Anti-Climax Boss: The last level in Clear Mode in the DS version, since the target is so huge (a giant box containing one of the player's friends). It requires 50 hits, but takes up most of the map and can be damaged anywhere. In context, most of the preceding levels have been packed to the rafters with indestructible gold bricks.
• Demonic Spiders: In Arkanoid II: The Revenge of DoH, the black sphere enemies. Unlike most enemies, they would not be destroyed by either the ball or the shots from the Laser power-up - only being touched by the Vaus would destroy them. So not only would they deflect the ball, but they'd continue to be an obstacle until they moved low enough to be destroyed. In addition, they had a habit of "catching" the ball, which would not only shift the trajectory at random, but also the location. And they potentially can appear on any level, turning it into a Luck-Based Mission.
• Fandom Rivalry: There's an issue of Arkanoid vs Breakout.
• Game-Breaker:
  • Depends on the level, so there's luck involved, but certain powerups can be this way. This is especially the case in the objective-based quests on the DS version - if the objective is to destroy a certain brick, or all of a certain color, and a Laser comes along then a level that takes a couple of minutes to win normally can be ended in ten seconds. Lasers and the megaball are almost always examples on any level that lacks gold bricks.
  • Arkanoid II: The Revenge of DoH shows why Mutually Exclusive Power-Ups are in effect - power-ups were divided into "affects the ball" and "affects the Vaus" effects, and one of each could be active, making levels much easier when Disrupt or Megaball was active at the same time as Catch or Laser. On top of that, one of the effects possible from the shining capsule was to create a double-strength Disrupt (16 balls instead of 8) that also were Megaballs. If that came up, a player would almost have to intentionally try to lose the level.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • The very title of Arkanoid II: The Revenge of DoH.
  • The main theme sounds similar to the Superman theme. Taito would later make an arcade game based on Superman.
• I Am Not Shazam: Arkanoid is a spaceship destroyed in the opening scene. The "paddle" you control is an escape craft named Vaus.
• I Knew It!: The Quarter Guy predicted a Battle Royale Game mode in Arkanoid: Eternal Battle in a countdown video of franchises he'd like to see get a Battle Royale form.
• Newer Than They Think: The ball being "stuck" to the paddle at the beginning of the round? Arkanoid was the first game to have that; in all Breakout clones before that the ball materialized out of thin air somewhere between the bat and bricks.
• Scrappy Mechanic: Gold bricks. Indestructible gold bricks that not only mess with the ball's trajectories, but also gradually increase its speed.
• Sequel Difficulty Drop: 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 (most later titles would allow you to choose between at least two levels to advance to).
• Suspiciously Similar Song: The main theme sounds similar to John Williams' theme for Superman: The Movie.
• That One Level:
  • Missions involving mostly gold bricks tend to be this. An entire mass of them with only a few, or even a single, destructable brick is a common sight in later levels.
  • Round 3 in the original game deserves special mention, given how early it appears; It features three horizontal rows of gold blocks that the ball has to snake its way through, which turns the level into a Luck-Based Mission, since the multiball is the only powerup that can reliably help you, and only when the ball is already deep into the passageway.
• That One Boss: DoH. Colliding with his projectiles will destroy your Vaus, and you can no longer use continues once you reach him in the Arcade version of the original Arkanoid!