Combining the block-breaking hook of Arkanoid and the simple platforming of the original Mario Bros., Antonball Deluxe is a great hook wrapped in a tiny package that is best experienced with a group of friends.
There’s a joyous simplicity to Antonball Deluxe.
If you’ve ever played a block or brick breaking game like Breakout, Arkanoid, or the hundreds of other permutations, you’ve sort of played Antonball Deluxe. There’s always a paddle of some sort at the edge of the screen, usually at the bottom. A ball drops, the paddle hits it, the ball jettisons upwards towards some blocks to break them, the ball ricochets back down.
As if someone wanted to play Pong but had no friends, these block breaking games rapidly evolve into a challenge of precision and timing. Eventually, only a few blocks remain and mindless horizontal swipes won’t allow the ball to hit at the right angle. Often, the ball moves progressively faster with each new broken block or bump from the paddle. But you’ve got to make sure the ball doesn’t fall into the endless nothing below.
Simple paddle versus ball versus block is engaging, for a time. As time and technology went on, the collectibles dropped from the blocks that made the paddle wider or the balls split into multiple projectiles. Hell, maybe even the paddle got cannons to shoot at the pesky final blocks. Or, horrifyingly, a developer would amp up the challenge by making the paddle become smaller or the ball bounce faster. Maybe blocks were introduced that took multiple hits or were actually unbreakable, like Kimmy Schmidt.
Surprisingly, this simple concept can be a hit. It has been for a long time. Easy to learn mechanics that are used against increasingly difficult challenges. That or the blocks can be used to make elaborate patterns or puzzles that are just fun to destroy.
Antonball Deluxe at its core is a simple breaker game.
But then imagine if you threw in a little bit of Mario Bros.. You know, the one where it’s one screen and enemies come out of pipes on the left and right side and players can bump them from below? Not the Mario Bros. with Super attached.
Except here, Mario is replaced by a similarly mustachioed guy named Anton who has fallen through a hole in the street while inebriated, right into the sewer. Because life is wacky, the exits to the sewer are blocked by pesky blocks that Anton must break through, also while avoiding the random enemies that fall into the sewer with him. Giving us, the player, the primary mode of Antonball Deluxe: Antonball.
Antonball makes a case for itself by doing what is pretty rare for this particular genre of arcade game. How often do we get a narrative rationale for breaking blocks, no matter how absurd? The obvious nods to Nintendo’s plumber franchise provide a chuckle-worthy wink while still retaining an individual personality. Antonball Deluxe is retro as hell, producing pixelated characters on screen and incorporating scanlines to boot. Every millimeter of the screen reveals blocky colors and visuals that are deliberately lo-fi.
Initially it was somewhat jarring to have Anton as a human version of a paddle, placed at the left side of the screen and capable of moving left and right within the boundaries of a stage. Nope, this isn’t your elder’s Breakout. A stage in Antonball will have platforms for Anton to jump on, hatches of varying sizes on the right side for the ball to bounce into, bricks that are stationary or move, power-ups, and enemies.
Early on, Antonball is a fairly manageable mode. Players have simple stacks of bricks to break through, a limited number of platforms and enemies to avoid, and a forgiving area to keep the ball out of. Then things start getting crazy.
Players will need to rapidly master having Anton jump around platforms to hit the ball on a rebound and be mindful of what platforms can and can’t be jumped through. Enemies can take out Anton in one hit and can only be killed using a ball bounce or a gun that drops intermittently that also aids in breaking those pesky final bricks. The first few stages I aced, getting a good feel for the timing. Players can dash into the ball to speed it up like the early iterations of Wario and direct the angle of the ball by tilting the control stick.
Then the difficulty began to ramp up. Bricks would move vertically in their layers, making timing the ball bounce harder. Enemies would scamper around at just the wrong time. Or Anton would have to be goalie for a massive portion of the right screen. Antonball is a tough mode, there’s no doubt about it. For an arcade game, however, this is easy to forgive. What used to consume quarters now just munches at the desired amount of time and finite lives players have. Practice will inevitably make progress if not eventual perfection.
One hindrance for Antonball Deluxe on the Switch is the controls. Using both Joy Cons in handheld mode can feel a bit imprecise, less so when handling one. The rapid movement and precision required by the game really benefit a Pro controller or by including a friend or two for some couch co-op. While developer Summitsphere has said online play will be introduced at some point, it’s a shame it isn’t available now. Still, playing Antonball Deluxe with a friend can help a lot, especially with the fast pace of the game.
Playing with other people is honestly the ideal way to experience the many facets of Antonball Deluxe. The base mode of Antonball really benefits from the wacky amount of players that can fill the screen and interact with the stage. It also makes the game perfect for docked mode, where the CRT feel of the visuals doesn’t really take a hit.
Punchball, another of Antonball Deluxe‘s mode, serves more like the aforementioned Mario Bros. by having Annie, Anton’s female counterpart, throw the ball at enemies to knock them down and then run up to take them out before they flip back up. Yup, it’s very similar to Mario Bros. and far less intense than Antonball. A Vs. mode is also included that allows players to square off against an AI Anton or other humans. Here, both the left and right sides have bricks that need to be broken to expose the hole. Vs. mode can be frantic, especially when skilled players go at each other.
Rounding out the package is a lottery system where players earn tokens through regular play. These tokens can be used to unlock new cosmetic characters to play with, music that can be listened to in a separate room, and new stages. Anyone who is absorbed enough in Antonball Deluxe should delight in this bonus activity to unlock rewards or be just as fine not touching it.
Antonball Deluxe does not hide its inspirations. It combines the block-breaking hook of Arkanoid and the simple platforming of the original Mario Bros.. While it may not feel revolutionary, it’s a notable diversion from the genre incorporating a unique twist in an immensely enjoyable package, especially if you have friends.
