Bat ‘n’ Ball

If you are looking for something Arkanoid or Breakout, you’ll feel right at home with Bat ‘n’ Ball — but don’t expect a simple clone. Developed by Richard Langford, from Langford Productions (Project ZX I & II), this free indie game takes the classic block-smashing formula and cranks it up with clever twists and surprises.

Across more than 50 levels — nearly 100 screens if you count alternate routes and bonus stages — players will face everything from formidable mid-bosses and end bosses to areas that flip orientation, forcing you to adapt on the fly. Some bricks even hide alien creatures that leap at you in anger when struck, while others contain extra balls or bombs to help clear the board faster.

Fans of retro gaming will appreciate Bat ‘n’ Ball’s aesthetic and its faithful yet inventive gameplay. Double-bat challenges, teleporting balls, shifting bricks, and disruptive floor tiles will keep you on your toes as you aim for a high score and ultimate mastery of every stage.

The game was released in 2021 and is available for free on Windows, but donations are encouraged to support the developer’s hard work. If you’re a breakout or Arkanoid enthusiast, this one is a must-try — and it might just keep you hooked for hours.

You can download the game here!

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About the game

Written by Richard Langford

Screen designs by Lee ‘Chops’ Stevenson and Richard Langford

BAT ‘N’ BALL is a Breakout / Arkanoid style game with something new to mix it all up a bit! A 50 level brick-busting bonanza with 100 screens, bonus levels and big scary bosses!

As well as the well-known originals you will find completely new power-ups, including powerful cannons, a nuclear blast, and just to mess with your head a little, a power-up that makes all the bricks invisible.

Not all of the bricks in Bat n Ball are what they seem. Some turn out to be alien creatures that get angry and launch themselves at you when hit by the ball. Some contain extra balls themselves to give you a helping hand. Then there are bombs to clear those bricks faster and bonus bubbles to boost your score and give you bonus lives.

Screens come in different shapes and sizes. Just as you get into a rhythm of left, right, bat the ball, the screen is flipped onto it’s side testing your skills to the max. No problem for you? Then let’s open up the screen at the top too! Now you have two bats to control to stop that ball escaping!

Can you keep a cool head when the bricks start moving down the screen at you, when teleports zap the ball from one side of the screen to the other and when floor mounted disruptors and mysterious shifting shapes suddenly change the trajectory of the ball?

Survive all that without breaking a sweat and you are truly a master of Bat ‘n’ Ball!