Shatter Remastered Deluxe Review: What Year Is It?

It’s weird how as we get older, gaps in time start to feel shorter and shorter. I remember Shatter as a game that gave new life to an old formula, revitalizing the block breaker genre in a way that hadn’t been seen since Arkanoid 23 years earlier. Explosive and moving items, levels that shifted shape from one stage to the next, new movement mechanics, and creative boss battles made it a must-play for anyone who loved brick-breaking games.

Shatter doesn’t feel like an old game to me, but of course, it is. It came out two console generations ago, and those have gotten longer. It’s been thirteen years. That’s almost as long as the gap between Breakout and Arkanoid, the last game to really turn this genre on its head. Given how long it’s been, I’m not sure it’s a good thing that Shatter still feels so immediate and unique, so much like the most exciting game in its genre, but it absolutely does.

Building On A Strong Base

Brick-breaking games all have a somewhat similar base. You control a paddle and hit a ball with it at obstacles before you. It’s Pong without the other player, with obstacles standing in for a human opponent. These games are as old as gaming, and while I can still play the Atari version and have fun even today, they’re tired. No one even tries to make them anymore, because they don’t have a clue how to make one that will stand out.

Shatter had a few ideas. The most notable is a unique sucking and pushing mechanic that lets you alter the wind of levels, and, thus, the trajectory of your ball. You can still bounce it around directly to your heart’s content, but with good manipulation of these mechanics, you can often send the ball back towards the blocks repeatedly without ever needing to touch it.

That Fresh Feeling

If you’re worried even this will quickly grow old, though, don’t. Different levels are shaped differently, with horizontal, vertical, and even circular levels popping up regularly. As the wind patterns in different levels change as well, that means you have to adapt regularly and think on your feet. There are ten worlds in the story mode, each ending with a unique boss that puts the game’s mechanics even further to the test. Having to maneuver the ball past enemies or into specific parts requires you to really be able to manipulate its trajectory, at these moments, just hitting it in a straight line often won’t do. It’s easy to pick up, but takes some time to fully master so you can weave it right where you want it. That sort of easy to pick up, hard to master gameplay, though, is at the heart of a terribly addicting game.

Along the way, you’ll also be dealing with blocks that don’t stay in place like they do in most block breakers. As you blow them apart, often literally with explosive blocks, they tumble around and can run into you. A block hitting you at the wrong time can make you miss your ball, and while a shield ability can help, you have to use your sucking mechanic to gather energy for it. It’s nothing major, but it’s just one more mechanic that gives the whole experience a little more depth.

Just Remember What You’re Getting

For this rerelease, the team at PikPok have redesigned the UI and updated the graphics and music to modern standards. No, it isn’t the most intensive rerelease we’ll see this year, with the most effort applied, but to be fair, it looks and sounds great. Shatter always had a fantastic soundtrack with killer electric and rock-inspired music, and the new remixes and remastered tracks just make it better. This is the sort of game soundtrack I’ll seriously consider picking up on vinyl; it’s that good. So while Shatter Remastered Deluxe may not be reinventing things the way the original release did in 2009, this is absolutely the definitive version of the game.

The only negative in all of this comes down to how much game is here. It’s worth noting that as cool as it is, Shatter is still not a terribly long game. It’s 71 levels split over ten worlds can be conquered in only a few hours. You’ll unlock a bunch of extra modes along the way, such as time-attack, endless mode, co-op, and boss rush. These are mostly for the hardcore, though, those that want to chase leaderboards against their friends. If you’re the sort of player that gets a lot out of that, then Shatter Remastered Deluxe is even more of a most own than it is for the rest of us, but for most, this is a game you’ll have a great time with over a long weekend, or maybe even a long evening, and then be mostly done with, perhaps picking it up now and then for a brief session. Considering its price and quality, that’s not inherently a bad thing, but it’s worth considering.

Conclusion

While it would be awesome if someone would come along and dethrone Shatter from being the King of the Brick-Breaking genre, the way it once did to games like Arkanoid, for now, it’s still the best this genre has to offer, and it’s great to see it become available on modern platforms. While its upgrades are mostly aesthetic, beneath them, Shatter Remastered Deluxe still somehow feels as immediate as it did thirteen years ago.

Final Verdict: 4/5

Available on: Switch (Reviewed), PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC; Publisher: PikPok; Developer: PikPok; Players: 2; Released: November 2nd, 2022; ESRB: E for Everyone; MSRP: $9.99

Full disclosure: This review is based on a copy of Shatter Remastered Deluxe provided by the publisher.