Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Adventure

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 55 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 55
  3. Negative: 11 out of 55

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  1. adhlx
    Mar 27, 2020
    2
    I was just extremely bored the whole time. I’ve played games similar to this but it just wasn’t didn’t think it was well made.
  2. mosannam9696
    May 16, 2020
    3
    It all boils down to it being a brick breaker and not a fun one either. Always wanting the ball to go somewhere else and it’s such a struggle. Please just HIT THE LAST BLOCK FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JUST HIT IT!!! HIT THE BLOCK ITS RIGHT THERE!!!! HIT IT!!! HIT ITTT! PLEASE!!!!

    Yeah, that’s this game.
  3. SuperkenGaming
    Mar 26, 2020
    6
    Twin Breaker
    A Sacred Symbols Adventure
    More than just another Brick Breaker The year is 2311, everyone still hates Colin Moriarty for a joke he made 294 years ago, Earth is no longer humanity’s only home… oh youre confused? Yeah this brick breakers has a story. It’s actually a pretty interesting concept of sending generations through space until eventually one of the ships make it    Twin Breaker
    A Sacred Symbols Adventure
    More than just another Brick Breaker
    The year is 2311, everyone still hates Colin Moriarty for a joke he made 294 years ago, Earth is no longer humanity’s only home… oh youre confused?
    Yeah this brick breakers has a story.
    It’s actually a pretty interesting concept of sending generations through space until eventually one of the ships make it back and lead to a discovery of a wormhole, whats on the otherside you might ask?
    If only there were 2 bright young lads to make this journey.. what a coincidence.. We have Chris and Colin, setting out to discover whats on the other side…
    Fake spoiler warning, it’s a brick breaker game.
    Twin Breakers consists of 7 different modes, most of which are nice little time waster mini games such as an endless shooter mode, a boss rush mode, or a pong mode where you play pong with the games bosses… but the star of the show is this little over 2 hour long 40 level adventure where you take on space bad guys and break bricks.
    Though Twin Breaker has a unique twist… youre controlling 2 “bouncers” at a time, one with the left stick and one with the right stick.. a twin stick brick breaker.. leading to a rub your tummy and pat your head styled gameplay especially later on when youre controlling 4 bouncers all at once with the two sticks…
    The concept is simple, the bricks have a number of how many times they need hit on them, you try your hardest to break them all before time runs out or you lose all ofyour lives, all while trying to get the highest score possible to unlock even more of the story back in the trophy room…
    And as youre doing so upgrades will drop from the sky, helping you out and making everything going on more hectic… and if you lose your lives, you’re abale to trade in some points for one more try.. which comes in handy during those more difficult levels..
    That being said, Twin Breaker doesn’t do quite enough to make this experience memorable or addictive as it could be.. We can look at peggle as an example of how to make brick breaking interesting with constant new gimics and mechanics… im not saying I want peggle, but I feel like there were some missed opportunities here to play around with black holes for example amond many other things to really make levels more intriguing and not so predictable… sure if a simple brick breaking game with a slight twist is all youre looking for, youll get that here… but ask anyone after playing this game what their favorite levels was, and they wont be able to tell you.. they all blur together, beyond the first half of the campaign, Twin Breaker starts to run out of fuel, it loses its charm and there aren’t even interesting boss battles to look forward too, at first the idea of a boss in a brick breaker Is insance, its exciting… but ultimately these battles are the easiest levels in the game and all feel and look the same.
    While of course seeing how Colin and Chris’ journey ends pulled me through to the credits, and Ill always encourage support of fellow content creators,
    I wish there were more pazzaz to recommend Twin Breaker beyond that.
    I give Twin Breaker : A Sacred Symbols Adventure
    a 6/10    … Expand
  4. LBEDZKI44
    Mar 25, 2020
    9
    Who would have thought a brick breaker could have a great story, addicting gameplay, awesome graphics and music? Oh not to mention that it is only ten dollars and cross-buy? Also has separate trophy lists! Both versions of the game a great but Twin Breaker is right at home on the PS Vita!
  5. ASInquisitor
    Mar 24, 2020
    9
    If you had asked me within the past decade, “Do you think the ‘Brick Breaker’ genre could make a comeback?” I would have dismissively said, “No.” That being said, I definitely made an err in judgement. “Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbol Adventure” by Lillymo Games is simultaneously a wonderful throwback to an era in video games long lost to the annals of time as well as clever modernizationIf you had asked me within the past decade, “Do you think the ‘Brick Breaker’ genre could make a comeback?” I would have dismissively said, “No.” That being said, I definitely made an err in judgement. “Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbol Adventure” by Lillymo Games is simultaneously a wonderful throwback to an era in video games long lost to the annals of time as well as clever modernization of the genre for a new era.

    First let us rewind the clock a bit— Brick Breakers are at their core a sub-genre of the 1972, arcade (and early home consoles’) classic, “Pong.” Four-years later, Nolan Bushnell and Steve Bristow, would refine the bat-and-ball premise with “Breakout,” which besides having a ball and paddle incorporated bricks to destroy in order to rack-up a high score. Many years later a game aptly named, “Brick Breaker,” would truly cement the sub-class’s moniker, however, even with its eponymous name it is still deemed a ‘Breakout Clone.’

    “Twin Breaker” takes the history and nostalgia of “Breakout” (and others—like 1986’s Arkanoid) and pays loving homage, while also adding in a lacquer of polish to an otherwise archaic mold. “Twin Breaker” captures the chirpy, chiptunes that always accompanied older games, the (nearly) everlasting pixel art aesthetic, and the arcadey action of “Breakout.” It does so with ease, but if it were to merely clone an arcade title that has been duplicated so many times before, “Twin Breaker” would have been left wanting. Instead, it brings the genre into a new decade by adding in modern sensibilities. Not only does “Twin Breaker” take a tried-and-true genre, but it does so with smashing success.

    Colin Moriarty, (one of the developers of “Twin Breaker,” owner/founder of Colin’s Last Stand, and co-host to a plethora of podcasts including “Sacred Symbols”) wrote a fantastic, science-fiction narrative to pair with an already solid title. It is exploratory in its palaver with the audience as it provides humor with more-serious underpinnings and motifs. Conveyed via splash screens and dialogue bubbles between Colin and Chris (the two protagonists of the game), it dissects a very real possibility of Earth’s place in the universe and how humanity’s interactions with one another could aid or hinder the celestial hierarchy without any of us truly knowing.

    Pretty weighty stuff, eh? Don’t be too alarmed by the story. It isn’t unnecessarily filled with jargon or high end philosophical stances; it merely expresses these issues as a framework, while the more tongue-in-cheek humor in the dialogue fleshes out the rest of the story. That being said, if you wanted to dive headlong into the lore of this universe, there are codexes to unlock that further the player’s understanding of the world that they are experiencing. Playing a Brick Breaker that includes a narrative is rare and perhaps unheard of— The story and dialogue do not feel needlessly tacked onto an already decent ”Breakout” clone. The story uplifts and fits snugly within the gameplay and vice-a-versa.

    In addition to the inclusion of a narrative, “Twin Breaker” also works in innovative gameplay mechanics that keeps the pacing and moment-to-moment action thrilling and incredibly viable. Every ten levels (in the 40 level campaign) features a unique boss battle, which work masterfully in the game’s pacing of difficulty. Halfway through “Twin Breaker,” two pairs of paddles are introduced, resulting in my favorite line of the game delivered by Colin’s “Sacred Symbol’s” podcast co-host, Chris, “This should make things a little easier.” (F.Y.I. It doesn’t). However, this gameplay addition provides more difficulty and increases tension, which ultimately applies a nice little twist to the level designs that implement this feature.

    I highly recommend “Twin Breaker,” especially if you grew-up with arcades and classic home consoles. It scratches a particular itch that not a lot of other games can reach. In our first ever review score for ASInquisitor, my lovely “Rage Quit” podcast co-host, Ariel, and I give it 4.5 ‘Polar Bear Paws’ out of 5. “Twin Breaker” harkens back to a golden era of arcades and Ataris with just the right amount of modernity.    … Expand
  6. danmann861
    May 19, 2020
    3
    Shatter it ain't. Twin Breaker is a pure exercise in tedium and frustration for the sake of frustration. The game exhibits piss poor level design to the point where it isn't uncommon for your ball to spend more time floating in empty space then it will actually hitting anything. Most of the time you're completely reliant on sporadic power-ups to meet the required quota for Intel orShatter it ain't. Twin Breaker is a pure exercise in tedium and frustration for the sake of frustration. The game exhibits piss poor level design to the point where it isn't uncommon for your ball to spend more time floating in empty space then it will actually hitting anything. Most of the time you're completely reliant on sporadic power-ups to meet the required quota for Intel or S-ranks. The paddles constantly feel sluggish resulting in a lot of missed balls as the game sporadically ramps up speed.

    The whole game feels inconsistent. Some levels are decent. Others just made me want to throw my Vita across the room as I was most of the time left waiting for one last block to be destroyed as the ball drifted aimlessly through large patches of empty space. It all just feels cheap. Also the story is nothing to write home about. Unless you're a hardcore fan of Colin's, it certainly won't keep you invested. Which further makes the 40 level grind even more of a slog on top of the already piss poor level design.

    The developer should go and take a look at Shatter and see how a good brick breaker is done. Twin Breaker is largely just an exercise in tedium and needless frustration. Better luck next time.    … Expand
  7. ethan_fitz01
    Mar 24, 2020
    10
    Fun game aimed at fans of Colin Moriarty, but even for those who do not know Moriarty or Chris Ray Gun, there is some satisfying gameplay here. A fun game to kill time.
  8. booraddly
    Mar 25, 2020
    10
    Great game, really enjoyed it. Fun and challenging game play with tons of game modes to extend the game. Controls are tight and the power ups make for a fun loop. The second half ups the challenge and adds 2 other paddles and really makes the game different. The plat isn't too crazy and won't be too much for most people.
  9. Bonoclay15
    Mar 24, 2020
    10
    Fun game I've been playing this morning. Great price and addictive game play.
  10. ThatWeirdGuyGR
    Mar 24, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Amazingly written story. New take on a known recipe. Ending in a cliffhanger. Can't wait for the sequel… Expand
  11. Danno322
    Mar 24, 2020
    10
    Colin teamed up with Lillymo to really make something special. A fun and creative brick breaker with an engrossing narrative isn't something you see everyday. As a bonus, you can even cross-buy the game and earn two platinum trophies for the price of one!
  12. Bbepbopp
    Mar 24, 2020
    10
    Really fun. Colin and Chris do a good job making a simple genre fun and exciting. Store is actually pretty good and has a deeper meaning.
  13. MeatSp1n
    Mar 24, 2020
    9
    Really great brick breaking game. Fun and a co-op gem to play with someone else.
  14. Sloanyboy
    Mar 24, 2020
    10
    Really fun brick breaker. Good level of challenge. The four blocks absolutely melt my brain! Really good trophy list for this game as well!
  15. SupremeSal
    Mar 24, 2020
    10
    Love me some brick breaker! Skip the story if you want. Press Triangle. Very accessible on both platforms. Hope it comes to PC
  16. TheWhiteDevil
    Mar 24, 2020
    10
    this is a perfect arcadey game for me to get inmeshed with. very charming and fun.
  17. FatsBeardo
    Mar 24, 2020
    10
    The campaign is excellent and the gameplay is challenging and rewarding. There's tons of modes and endless replayability. An absolute steal at $9.99USD or $13.49CAD
  18. BrianThePSGuy
    Mar 24, 2020
    4
    Just unnecessarily hard. Very inaccessible when you get to the four paddle levels. No way to lower difficulty and getting the S ranks for some levels just doesn’t respect my time. Highly disappointed if they do another brick breaker.
  19. gofrogs82
    Jul 15, 2020
    9
    This brick breaker exemplifies the “easy to beat but hard to master” mantra. At an awesome low price you could get enough value by just going through each of the levels. However, the real fun to me was going through and aiming to get S ranks on all the levels. A pretty neat story to wrap it all up and you end up with a nice package here in Twin Breaker. Highly recommended.
  20. CianGargan
    Jun 13, 2020
    10
    Great game. I'd recommend it to all sacred symbols listeners. If you're not a sacred symbols listeners but you're still into arcade games I'd still recommend it.
  21. Gorevie
    Jun 4, 2020
    10
    Not your average brick breaker but a real labour of love from the developers.
  22. Bmack
    May 22, 2023
    3
    There are some genuine good moments, but overall this game is more a test of patience than skill and it's more frustrating than fun. I love all lillymo games, but this one is a pretty big flop. Controls and expectations are ridiculously unfair and tedious for the sake of it.
  23. PunaPirate
    Mar 27, 2020
    10
    Best brick breaking game on the market. Lots of replay value in chasing high scores.
  24. cjjackson85
    Mar 28, 2020
    10
    Colin was right this game is a gem for brick breaker fans. The more advanced levels take a little getting used to. This game is beyond worth it for 10$ Chris is my dudebro.
  25. Retz3
    Mar 30, 2020
    10
    A fun little brick breaker. Interesting story and challenging gameplay.
    Having 4 paddles broke my brain....in a good way.
  26. Tooleyboy
    Mar 30, 2020
    10
    Look, fat, it’s a brick breaker. You break break bricks. Forget about it.
  27. space0ddity
    Apr 17, 2020
    9
    Most arcade games like this get boring because there's nothing behind it. I really enjoyed the intermittent story bits throughout the game. The collectibles and documents gathered through play was a lot fun. The gameplay itself is fun, but a challenge, especially the "TWIN" levels. Lots of modes to keep gameplay fresh and for the price tag there's a TON of value. Recommended.
  28. YeezyASMR
    Feb 27, 2021
    9
    Very fun game, the four controllable panels was challenging but getting it done and figuring it out was satisfying. Really liked it!
  29. elrojo33
    Jul 18, 2020
    3
    It's a brick-breaker with a predictable and conceptually plagiarized story. You may be asking yourself why does a brick-break need a story? Well, I asked that too and after playing this through I came up with an answer.. it doesn't. In fact, this game needs a story only slightly more than the world needs another brick breaker. Other than the story there is nothing to set this one apartIt's a brick-breaker with a predictable and conceptually plagiarized story. You may be asking yourself why does a brick-break need a story? Well, I asked that too and after playing this through I came up with an answer.. it doesn't. In fact, this game needs a story only slightly more than the world needs another brick breaker. Other than the story there is nothing to set this one apart from all of it's contemporaries in the genre except that it was released this year, and on PS4. No one asked for this game, well no one except the tragically self-involved creator. If you really want this game go ahead and buy it but I can't give you a good reason to. The mechanics are just boring, the concept is tired and the fact that this game comes on a physical disc and was ported to Vita just makes me shake my head. It's pretentious and under-delivers.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

85
#85 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. The Digital Fix
    Apr 2, 2020
    70
    On the whole I enjoyed Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Adventure. I am not normally a fan of this type of game but the old-school presentation and interesting story made it enjoyable. I am happy I got to play it. Plus you get 2 versions for the price of one, what's not to like.
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  2. PSX Extreme
    Mar 27, 2020
    74
    Despite some flaws, Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Adventure is a sincere homage to an underrated sub-genre. It captures what made classics like Arkanoid and Breakout beloved while putting its own special spin on the formula. The result is brick-breaking bliss that I would recommend to most lovers of arcade indies.
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  3. Player 2
    Mar 23, 2020
    75
    With Twin Breaker, the team at Lillymo, along with Moriarty and Maldenado, have constructed a wonderful take on a time-honoured genre that has been woefully underserved in recent years.
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