Don’t play this new Block Breaker game in Google Search – I’m already hopelessly addicted to the nostalgia

• Google has added a Breakout-style game as a new Easter egg
• The game can be played entirely within your web browser
• It’s sure to bring back nostalgic memories for retro games lovers

I was just as much of a gamer when I was a child as I am now, but back then it was Aladdin and Space Rocks 3D that occupied my time rather than Stardew Valley and Baldur’s Gate 3. I’m a sucker for nostalgia, so every time I see one of these classic titles it sends me back to my early years.

And that’s exactly what happened when I was alerted to a new Easter egg from Google. Type the words “block breaker” into the search engine and you’ll see a large tile for a playable Breakout-style game. Just click Play to get started – it runs within any of the best web browsers.

Breakout is a classic Atari game from 1976 that puts you in control of a paddle at the bottom of the screen. You’ve got to bounce a ball upwards into rows of colored bricks at the top of your monitor, breaking them down until none remain.

I never played the original Breakout, but we had a clone on my family’s home PC. The name of the game escapes me, and a quick bit of research shows a nearly unlimited number of Breakout copycats exist, but it was enjoyable enough that the game’s imagery is still seared into my memory.

Embrace the power-ups

Just a few seconds with Google’s Easter egg is enough for that nostalgic feeling to return. Google’s effort is complete with old-fashioned sound effects and blocky graphics that any retro games lover will enjoy. But what really hits home for me is its inclusion of power-ups, from those that increase the paddle size to lasers that fire at the blocks, Space Invaders-style.

The pick of the power-ups is the one that introduces additional balls into the mix. It transforms the game from one where you can carefully aim the ball at specific bricks to one where you frantically race your paddle across the screen in a desperate bid to prevent the balls from going out of play. Hitting bricks becomes secondary at this point – and forget trying to aim properly at them – yet it’s a wildly enjoyable mad dash of a game mode.

Google’s game captures many of the features that made this game type great, including the unbeatable feeling you get when the ball bounces between the top row of bricks and the upper limit of your screen, smashing block after block as a reward for your perfectly placed shot.

So feel free to give it a go and see what high score you can get. Just be careful you don’t forget your day’s other tasks in the process.

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