BREAKOUT · CHALLENGE OF 2026-10-08

HOW THE DAY WENT

Thursday, October 8 brought BREAKOUT, at level 5, and 12 people played.

POLINOMIOS won by a street with 2,780 points, 1,650 more than FERXO17 in second. ADRIAN rounds out the podium with 1,050.

Among the top 10, the average was 1,105 points.

THE SCREEN

It started on screen 2 of the 4 that BREAKOUT has; clearing it leads on to the rest, in an order that depends on the day. It was played at level 5, with the same seed for everyone: the same enemies and the same pieces in the same order.

THE MUSIC

La Réjouissance, de Música para los reales fuegos de artificio, G. F. Händel, 1749.

Handel wrote it for the fireworks with which London celebrated the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1749. Some 12,000 people came to the public rehearsal and London Bridge was jammed for hours.

It is in the public domain, transcribed to chiptune with square and triangle waves, the way it would sound on an Atari 2600.

ABOUT TODAY'S GAME

Ten columns of bricks and a paddle. Rows are worth 10 to 50 points from bottom to top, and steel bricks take two hits and pay 100.

The original's rules are kept: the ball speeds up after 3 and after 8 paddle hits, turns fast as soon as you break one of the top two rows, and the paddle halves the first time the ball touches the ceiling.

· The paddle shrinks when the ball hits the ceiling, not when you break the top rows. Dig a side tunnel and let the ball work up there and you will play the rest of the run with half a paddle: decide if it is worth it.

HOW TO PLAY BREAKOUT →