3D Brick Breaker Revolution 2

If youve been within spitting distance of a multiplex cinema over the past year youll have noticed what the current trend is: 3D.

If the latest blockbuster isnt in 3D, it will find itself in danger of missing the million-dollar 3D boat. Or at least thats what the movie executives fear.

This has resulted in a number of films being delayed as a team of specialists hastily slaps on a 3D lacquer. The results, to an ever-more-sophisticated audience, are often fairly clunky.

Mirroring this attitude somewhat, Digital Chocolates 3D Brick Breaker Revolution series attempts to apply a 3D lick of paint to an inherently 2D game of bat and ball. The results, while far from bad, similarly fail to enhance the experience.

This second addition to the franchise doesnt change things much. Underneath the vibrant visuals lies the same Pong-a-like, as you take control of a bat and attempt to keep a ball in play for long enough to break all of the blocks on each stage.

As before, there are a variety of power-ups to mix things up, and the game still hinges on the constant flow of levels that is Revolution mode. Here your ball flicks between multiple stages by going off screen when youve reached each levels target.

The trouble is, the 3D graphics subtract far more from the experience then they add to it. As you move to the edges of the screen the camera twists and rotates, which proves to be disconcerting at best and at worst throws off your timing.

These swanky visuals also take their toll on the limited mobile hardware. The action doesnt flow as smoothly as the non-3D Brick Breaker Revolution titles, making it both less fun and more difficult to play.

In fact, wed go so far as to say that the distinctly 2D Brick Breaker Revolution 2 (a completely different game to this) is a far more successful attempt at moving the bat 'n' ball genre forward, with its branching levels and more cohesive futuristic universe.

With 3D Brick Breaker Revolution 2, Digital Chocolate seems to be falling into the same trap as many film producers taking a perfectly good entertainment product and tarnishing its appeal with an extraneous layer of 3D fluff.