When the Nintendo Game Boy launched in 1989 it had headlining titles in both Super Mario Land and Tetris. You don’t usually hear too much about the other releases available from day one, and today I’m here to discuss one that is seldom mentioned. This title is Alleyway. While Nintendo was one of the pioneers for many genres as we know them today they apparently weren’t above copying a winning formula while rounding out the handheld’s launch library. You see, Alleyway is an obvious clone of Atari’s big hit Breakout. Headed by legendary developer Gunpei Yokoi it was a pretty big seller in its day, but most have now forgotten about it. This is largely due to the fact that Tetris was, and still is, considered the premier Game Boy release. Because it’s such a blatant clone Alleyway has received harsh criticism. To be completely honest it’s not one of the best titles in the gray brick’s library.
Right off the bat it’s interesting to note that in an effort to increase the marketing potential Nintendo included Mario (and several references to the franchise) in this title. You’ll notice from the start that Mario jumps into the capsule ship, and the bonus games contain familiar patterns from the series. It would seem that the plumber was quite busy back in the day. Aside from the shout outs there’s no real story to be had, and so let’s move right along to the gameplay. You control a horizontally inclined paddle ship that can move only left and right. Each level consists of arrangements of blocks that must be destroyed using a ball that reflects off of all surfaces. You must use your ship to keep this in play by preventing it from hitting the bottom of the screen. Should you miss it you lose a life, but you’re thrown right back into the action. For each block you break you’re awarded points, and when you reach a thousand you’re given a 1up. For each brick you destroy the ball’s speed is increased thus making it more difficult to catch before reaching the bottom of the screen. It’s pretty simple stuff, really.
There are a few elements that mix things up here. Alleyway features four different stage varieties; the first is your basic set up that’s standard breakout fare. After that you’re faced with moving block formations. This makes for some interesting scenarios, but it also complicates the strategy a great deal. I found that I couldn’t really plan the ball’s trajectory in this instance. The next arrangement imposes a time limit. As time passes the blocks are pushed down the stage toward your bumper which can make things very difficult when they get too close to the bottom. Lastly you have the bonus stages. These are blocks arranged in familiar Mario patterns. Here the ball travels right through them, and you have an on-screen timer and must eliminate everything before it runs out. Should the ball reach the bottom the bonus is over, and this is purely to increase your score. Unfortunately these four designs repeat themselves, and the only reason to keep playing is to beat your high score. Unfortunately the cartridge doesn’t feature battery back-up and therefore it’s almost pointless. Everything is lost between plays.
While Alleyway is fun there’s just not enough content here. This is even by Breakout standards. There are no power-ups, the levels repeat, there’s no multiplayer, and the levels simply repeat themselves. While it’s fun in short bursts the novelty is short lived because of these limitations. Easily the worst part of this package is the fact that the ball can only be reflected at three different angles. You won’t notice this issue at first, but after extended play it becomes painfully obvious. There are just so many other versions of virtually the same game that it’s tough to recommend this one. It’s surprising given the fact that Nintendo was such a trail blazer in the industry, and then they go and release such an unabashed barebones clone of another company’s premier title. It’s obvious that they were struggling to fill out the library with this release. I’m sure it was decent at launch, but now Alleyway is kind of lame.
Unfortunately the graphics don’t make up for the barebones content here. You have a simple plain colored background, and only two different shades of block. The game re-uses the character sprite from Super Mario Land which is okay, but considering how little Alleyway is pushing the hardware you’d expect something more. At the very least there’s virtually no slowdown. The ball and your ship both animate wonderfully, but that’s hardly an accomplishment with such a slow and plodding title. The soundtrack doesn’t exactly push any boundaries either. The only music you’re subject to while playing is on the title screen. It’s a catchy tune for sure, but the lack of audio during gameplay sure makes for a bland experience. At least you’ve got simple bleeps and blips that accompany each time the ball bounces off of a barrier or eliminates a brick. These effects are pleasant, but in no way shape or form do they make up for the lack of any accompanying melodies. I wish there was music here.
I’ve been pretty hard on Alleyway. Truth be told, if Nintendo’s name wasn’t on this product I might be a little more gentle. This was the company’s era of huge innovation, and to see them simply copy another developer’s formula with minimal enhancements is truly disappointing. With that said, the game is a great time waster. The formula is tried and true, and this version of the classic has some nice variations that make it memorable. It’s available on the 3DS virtual console, and that’s gonna be the easiest way to track it down. Or you could just go with one of the other vastly superior Breakout clones.
