Ark: Ricochet Lost Worlds [by Reflexive]

Game Review: Ricochet Lost Worlds
Release: April 9, 2004
Genre: Arkanoid
Developer: Reflexive
System Requirements: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, PII 400 Mhz, 64 MB  RAM
Players: 1
Price: $19.95


Reviewing a game like Ricochet Lost Worlds is a difficult job.  On the one hand I have played dozens upon dozens of arkanoid / breakout based games and think that gives me a strong base to judge the game by.  With a game like Ricochet that actually can be a disadvantage.  Having played so many games I'm likely to place this one in perspective to those.  I've already seen many people claim:  "though I haven't played any other arkanoid games, this one is clearly the best."  Such statements make me quite frustrated as I see them as being equal to saying: "though the only flavor of Ice Cream I've ever tried is Strawberry it is clearly the best flavor of Ice Cream available." 

This type of statement shows me first off that you don't care enough about Ice Cream, or arkanoid games in this case to try any more, and that you are foolishly convinced of your own skills of judgment in the face of having no background or reason to speak on the subject.

So why the setup?  Ricochet Lost Worlds is clearly the best arkanoid game when it comes to graphics and presentation.  I'm quite sure that due to this one fact it will sell a gazillion copies despite the fact that I feel the game play itself is quite sub-standard.  What is frustrating about this from a critic's outlook is that most gamers have trouble seeing past graphics and presentation and will pledge their allegiance solely based on these factors.  As a movie critic it must be frustrating to see movies like the horrid Cat in the Hat make more than twice what the acclaimed Miracle made.  I feel somewhat connected to those critics, but we do have a very different case here.  Ricochet is a wonderful game.  It is not the best arkanoid ever made but clearly it fits well into the top ten list, perhaps into the top five.  The only concern I have hear is that I'm genuinely confident that most gamers wouldn't have the slightest idea what the other 9 arkanoid games would be if you did a top 10 list for the genre.  (maybe I'll make that a to do project)

I started out with Ricochet Lost Worlds hoping that the small game play issues I'd found in the first game had been sorted out, which would lead to this being the best arkanoid ever made.  The previous game after all was also a graphic delight, with sound and sound effects that were as solid as the visuals.  Ricochet Lost Worlds added to that great foundation by adding a wonderful board editor allowing creative players to make their own levels.  The board designs in this version, called a sequel but probably more aptly termed an expansion pack, are ingenious with levels that challenge you in ways that you likely haven't seen in this type of game before. 

For example, there are brick generators that create new bricks each time that you hit them.  Hitting the generator enough times will create a row of bricks that can be used to push indestructible bricks out of the way allowing you to access sections of the level that were previously unavailable.  J

Another great innovation in the game was to further the movement of bricks that has been done in several other arkanoid games.  In RLW the bricks will move in patterns, forming an object at one location on the screen, then moving and rearranging themselves into a new pattern in another location on the board.  The visual effects of this effect and the level designs themselves which really shine when they do things like creating a moving train on the screen are something that are well worth the price of admission.

Though I'm certainly hard on the game due to what I feel is an unjustified overly positive reception to the game, there is no doubt that this game is a fantastic arkanoid game that should find itself a home in every gamer's library.


Graphics 9/10
Perhaps the most eye-catching of the changes in this version are the wonderfully animated backgrounds that present an exciting backdrop to play the game over.  The backgrounds come alive like they did in the last version, but are much more involved and look distinctly better.  For example, the first background contains fish swimming much like the first Ricochet did, and in fact there are some fish swimming there that were from the first version.  It is really easy to pick out which ones came from the first game as they seem to be blobs swimming through the background compared to the newly created fish for this version.  With wonderful effects on the special weapons like the acid ball and the stinger bullets there is little question that the game shines on graphics in a way that few other arkanoid based games have.

Sound 9/10
The sound track is very solid and the added sound-effects are all well done.  The voice that starts each level by saying 'ready' is a carry over from the first game and is as effective here as it was there.  (that is to say it is a cool addition that makes the game have an extra level of coolness)

Game Play 6/10
Here is the point where in my mind everything falls apart.  There are several things that I feel go wrong in the game play, all are carryovers from the first Ricochet.  First off there is no spin.  In and of itself this is a big disappointment, but something that can be overcome.  Spin allows players to have a lot more control over where the ball goes and makes the skill involved in playing the game increase greatly, which leads to the game being more fun over the long haul.  Secondly comes the angle issue.  I've illustrated this problem in the picture below.  Most breakout games allow you to have a large amount of control over the ball by having the ball bounce off of the paddle in different directions based on where it hits the paddle.  The same is true of Ricochet, but the angle that you can hit the ball off of the paddle is greatly decreased in this game compared to other games.  In fact it seems you cannot hit the ball off the paddle at more than a 45˚ angle.  This lack of control over the ball when added to the lack of spin greatly takes away from where you can hit the ball and leads to you having to hit it on your paddle an awful lot in order to get the ball to go where you want it to.  If you've ever felt frustrated trying to get to that last brick on a board, you'll be glad to know that most arkanoid games since DXBall2 came out 6 years ago have made it so that the last brick explodes if you are not able to get it in a reasonable amount of time.  However, Ricochet has not continued with that tradition, and when taken in with the problems I see in controlling the trajectory of the ball leads to extreme frustration or boredom, I'm not sure which.

Concept 8/10
The most interesting addition to the genre was the inclusion of  rings.  The rings are scattered around the levels and by collecting all of them you get bonus rings.  Collect enough rings and you'll get another ion sphere (ball).  The rings are tricky as many move on and off the screen, not to mention all around the screen.  Due to the frustrations I mentioned in Game Play the addition of rings becomes mitigated to a less-fun addition then they might have been.  The large majority of the other additions in the game have been done elsewhere, though many, such as the acid ball are perfected in this game.

Value 9/10
Well worth the price of admission!  If you like the demo then get the full version!  The fact is there are so many inventive levels awaiting you that if you are enjoying the ride there is no reason to get off.  There are plenty of levels here to keep you playing for a very long time.

Fun 7/10
In this case the thing that really took away from the fun for me was the lack of control I had over the ball.  Had I more control the game would have been more enjoyable.  As it was I did really enjoy looking at the backgrounds and working my way through many of the well-designed boards, but it wasn't enough to capture my enjoyment consistently due to the frustrations in knocking out some of the bricks.

Overall 8/10
I'm not going to stand up and tell you that I haven't played any other arkanoid games but that I'm sure this is the best one.  That is either a good thing or a bad thing I'll let you take your pick.  What I will tell you is that Ricochet Lost Worlds is clearly one of the best arkanoid games available and that if you enjoy it (and you likely will) you should check out some of the other first-rate offerings available as you are likely to enjoy many of them as well, perhaps even more.

Added: May 13th 2004
Reviewer: Russell Carroll
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