Breakfree

Breakfree is a video game in the action genre developed by Software Storm, Inc. and published by Software Storm, Inc. originally released in 1995. It is currently playable on DOS.

One of the more innovative ArkanoidBreakout clones, Breakfree is essentially a 3D version of Breakout with some interesting twists.

The object of the game is to break free from each level by destroying all breakable walls with your fireballs. When you lose your last fireball, the game ends. You can keep your fireballs in play by bouncing them off an invisible paddle located right in front of you.

As in a typical Breakout game, you must constantly predict where each fireball will return and move to intercept it. You can move forward, backward, and side to side with both the arrow keys and the mouse. There are some interesting twists on the familiar gameplay that make Breakfree more than just another clone. For example, there are many different types of walls and bonus items to collect. Some walls release items when destroyed, while others require several hits.

In addition to bonus items, there are also 'penalty items' that you must avoid. In some levels, you can pick up a gun and ammunition: this is a more powerful weapon that you can use alongside the typical fireballs. Naturally, the bullets you shoot don't bounce back like the fireballs, so you must conserve ammunition because it's hard to come by. You can carry the gun and ammo from level to level, so you can save it for the harder walls.

While the ideas are good, the execution of Breakfree leaves much to be desired. The graphics are drab, and look more like EGA resolution than VGA. Too many walls look too much like each other, and the illusion of depth is not very good: I had trouble distinguishing walls that are close to me (i.e., that I haven't destroyed) from those that are far away. This makes the game more difficult than it should be, as you can't easily measure your progress. Better graphics would have made the game much more fun.

As it stands, Breakfree is an above average Breakout game that is fun for only a little while.

It is possible that we have multiple downloads available when different versions exist.