Overview and Gameplay
Aliens have sabotaged the life-support computer on Planet Selim, and the Red Fighter must recover a 14-letter shutdown code before the system self-destructs. Crackout is Konami’s science-fiction brick breaker, combining paddle-and-ball action with moving enemies, unusual targets, hidden stages, and item-based challenges.
Its 44 stages span the Cubic, Mirror, Tube, and Final zones. Players clear blocks, defeat larger creatures, collect code letters, and catch Konami Man to enter hidden levels. Passwords and continues help manage the sharper difficulty of the later areas.
Controls And Mechanics
- Move the Red Fighter left and right, with a faster movement option for urgent returns.
- Launch the superball and activate collected items.
- Power-ups can add another ball, enlarge the fighter, freeze enemies, slow the action, fire missiles, or smash through blocks.
- The player starts with five superballs and loses one after missing the ball or taking an enemy hit.
Version Notes
This European PAL cartridge localizes the Japanese Famicom Disk System game Nazo no Kabe: Block-kuzushi under the title Crackout.
Release And Credits
- European NES release: 1991
- Developer: Konami
- Publisher: Palcom Software
- Original platform: Famicom Disk System, Japan, 1986
