Brick Breaker

In Brick Breaker, you control a paddle at the bottom of the screen, keep the ball in play and clear the coloured bricks above. The ball changes direction as it hits walls, bricks and the paddle. Clear every brick to finish a level. Letting the ball pass below the paddle costs a life. A round begins with three lives; clearing a level earns one back, up to a maximum of five.

The TOFTI adaptation has five layouts: rows, separated clusters, a pyramid, a frame and mixed lines. The opening layout gives you room to learn the paddle. Later layouts ask you to read the angle and guide the ball through gaps. Hitting bricks increases the ball's speed, so large corrections become harder to control as a round continues.

Catching the ball near the paddle's centre tends to send it upward more steeply; catching it near an edge can produce a wider angle. Rather than following the ball's current position, predict where it will arrive on its way down. If one corner brick remains, slightly change the contact point instead of repeating the same bounce. Being in the right place at the right time is a more useful first goal than moving as fast as possible.

The game is based on Jake Gordon and contributors' MIT-licensed Breakout software. This TOFTI adaptation adds new level layouts, Turkish and English text, and mouse and touch controls. The old Flash audio system, outside images and downloaded sound files are not used. Optional short tones are generated on your device. The game files are hosted on our Cloudflare account without in-game adverts or third-party tracking scripts. Your high score and selected level can be stored on this device when browser storage is available.

How to play

Press Start / launch. On a computer, move the mouse inside the playing area or use the left and right arrow keys. A and D also move the paddle. On a phone, touch the playing area and drag horizontally; the paddle follows your position.

Press Start / launch or the space bar to launch the ball sooner. Keep it above the paddle and clear the bricks. When all three lives are gone, Start begins another round.

Choose a level before starting with the − and + buttons at the top left. Level selection is disabled during a round. Clearing the fifth layout cycles back to the first. Sound is optional and initially off.

First-round tip: practise a few safe returns near the centre of the paddle. Then try catching the ball closer to an edge and observe the angle. Prepare for where the ball will land rather than chasing where it has been.