Shatter Review
Bringing Breakout to the modern-day masses, Shatter adds a few layers to the classic gameplay but misses the mark on more than one occasion.
Speaking of the boss battles, they cap off every world within the game, and at first, they are a wonderful change of pace with a few even utilizing some interesting design mechanics and puzzle elements throughout the battle. As you move through the game though, the bosses become less interesting and difficult while becoming more and more frustrating, culminating mostly in the second to last boss. The bosses feel cheap rather than difficult. Players who have figured out how to defeat a boss and have more than adequate skill at the game, being capable of easily beating all of the levels in the world beforehand, will find the boss resetting itself before they are able to hit the weak spot and hitting then in such a broad and quick manner as to be nearly resistant to their shield and dodging. In my playthrough, it was frustrating enough to make me stop playing and not return for many days which is not the most desirable quality in a game.
It is also worth noting that Shatter does not include any multiplayer modes, which is a bit upsetting considering the $7.99 price tag for what ultimately feels like a $4.99 game and the fact that it would have been so darn fun. The game’s quick paddling bonus rounds and interesting ball movement mechanics would have been perfect for a few intense and exciting local multiplayer modes. That said, it’s not truly a bad aspect of the game as it isn’t an aspect at all but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t find myself missing it as I traveled from game world to game world.
Shatter tries to keep things as varied as possible with vertical, horizontal, and circular level shapes.
Overall, Shatter is one of the best arcade titles available on PSN, and its low price point makes it something for any arcade fan to seriously consider. It’s just a few flaws in the visual style, the boss battles, and the less-than-challenging level design that keep it from being a truly must-have title similar to other arcade reboots we’ve seen in recent years (Space Invaders Extreme for the Nintendo DS, for example). It’s also worth noting that Shatter is clearly the title that takes its developer Sidhe Interactive to something to look out for in the future, considering it is clearly their best title by a long shot.
Shatter was released on July 22, 2009 for the PS3 and is available for download on the Playstation Network for $7.99.
Our ratings for Shatter on PlayStation 3 out of 100 (Ratings FAQ)
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