Gore Galore - The Breakout

Let me introduce you to a game nobody really remembers. Gore Galore: The Breakout is a typical case of 90s experimentation – something between a breakout and an arcade shooter, where the whole point is as much blood and unconventional enemies as possible. Making this kind of thing was simply possible on DOS, so here it is.

You play it like a classic brick breaker, except instead of boring blocks you're shooting at monsters and other grotesques. The paddle responds to your mouse – you move it along the bottom of the screen and try to hit the flying balls back up so they destroy as much as possible. The goal is simple: one level after another, survive waves of enemies, collect power-ups, and don't lose all your lives. The game tries to be brutal and matter-of-fact at the same time, nothing dramatic.

The mechanics are exactly as dated as you'd expect. Controls work, ball physics are readable, but the execution is raw – the graphics are more of an offering than an exception. Sounds are trimmed and the game's sharp tone never dissolves into something you could call pleasant. Still, it's not unpleasant – it's just without polish, without apology, without trying to please. You play it cheerfully, but without any sense of grandeur.

Gore Galore is a case from the 90s, when computers allowed creators to write games however they wanted. Originality didn't show off, surprises were welcome. This game isn't a masterpiece, but it has that authentic DOS charm – it does exactly what the author thought it should do. Nowadays you can play it as a curiosity, as a piece of a time that won't return.

If no game with classic breakout gameplay has satisfied you and you want to see how it was done in the mid-90s, Gore Galore deserves twenty minutes of your time. It's certainly not essential, but it's not time wasted either. It's just a game – raw, without tradition, without weight.