Released by Hashy Toys, this Breakout MiniCade Bank was mainly only available in Japan. Based on the same molds as the Excalibur MiniCades, the build quality is quite good. The controls however do suffer a bit, the joystick does not respond will if you happen to push down while playing. The sounds can get annoying but thankfully there is a Mute button (labeled Sound) to play the game in peace :).
The unit runs of 4C batteries and features a working coin slot on top! There is a small micro switch in the coin slot to detect coins. anything from a arcade token up to a quarter will activate the machine. The bank part of the machine has a very large capacity, there is a screw lock door on the back of the machine to empty out your moola 🙂
The system auto powers down after 3 minutes. To activate it, you insert a coin and get 3 minutes to play the game. The screen is a back lit color LCD and is fairly clear. This machine also features a pause button do you can take a break from your current game.
The gameplay is straightforward breakout. you start the game with 3 balls (which are indicated on the upper left side of the screen). You paddle starts off four pixels wide and as soon as you break through the wall of bricks, the paddle shrinks down two pixels wide and the ball speeds up. Also on the screen is a indicator to show if the sound is on and off and a score display on the upper right.
Pros:
- Make money off your friends 🙂
- Well built housing
- Nice artwork, will look good on any shelf or desk
- Enjoyable gameplay
- Pause and Mute buttons
Cons:
- The joystick can become unresponsive if you happen to depress it while playing
- The sounds, oh the sounds, they are maddening!
- Screen can be hard to see in some orientations.
Overall I really like this Minicade!. Granted its not VFD based like the Coleco Classic MiniCades, but it does the job well.
Rating: (4 out of 5 Minicades)
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