DESCRIPTION

As one of the console's final releases, Cosmic Smash for the Dreamcast is best described as the spiritual successor to Breakout. Encased in a squash court-like room, players take control of a translucent character that must repeatedly hit a red ball towards blocks at the far end of the room. The goal is to destroy all the blocks before the time limit expires. Complicating things somewhat is the fact that some of the blocks move, while others are unbreakable; hitting these will cause the ball to careen off in another direction.

Players are capable of performing a jump maneuver as well as two types of shots: normal and trick. The latter are more powerful, but the character won't recover immediately and the time remaining will reduce more quickly as a result. Finishing the level by performing a Trick Smash, however, will award the player with a point bonus. Points are awarded at the conclusion of each stage based upon the time remaining, number of balls lost, and Trick Smashes performed.

By pressing a direction together with the Trick Smash button, it's possible to perform various maneuvers such as somersaults and wall-jumps. The level structure consists of 51 inter-connected levels, which players must traverse in a mostly linear fashion. At specific junctures, players choose the level in which they'd like to compete, providing an added replay incentive. Like older titles, the appeal of this game lies in refining one's skills and achieving as high a score as possible. ~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide