Arkanoid: Revenge of DOH shows off its laser paddle in new footage

HAMSTER Corporation has showcased new gameplay footage for the upcoming Arcade Archives release of Taito's 1987 block-breaker Arkanoid: Revenge of DOH.

The title was previously announced as part of the September 2026 rollout for both the original Arcade Archives (PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch) and the newer Arcade Archives 2 line (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch 2). Instead of a standard announcement, this new trailer focuses entirely on raw arcade gameplay. It highlights the Vaus ship's laser capabilities, capsule power-ups, and the game's distinctive rainbow block layouts in crisp detail.

Branching paths and twin lasers

I still have the Apple IIGS port burned into my brain from playing it on a loop back in the day, but the arcade original is noticeably faster and far more punishing. The Apple version had its own distinct pace, but seeing the arcade board running at full speed is a different experience entirely. The footage shows the paddle simultaneously dodging floating enemies and firing twin lasers upward to clear out the remaining blocks. The action gets chaotic quickly, especially when multiple hazards are on screen at once.

Revenge of DOH originally hit arcades in 1987, arriving just a year after the first game. It added branching paths to the standard block-breaking formula, letting players choose between left and right exits after completing a stage. This created a massive web of 34 total rounds out of a possible 64 layouts, meaning two playthroughs rarely looked the same. The sequel also introduced new power-ups and floating enemy hazards that drop down the screen. They don't just kill you; they deflect the energy ball at terrible angles, often sending it straight down to the bottom of the screen.

The power-up system remains the core hook of the game. Catching falling capsules changes the state of the paddle entirely. Some capsules stretch the paddle to make catching the ball easier, while others split the ball into multiple projectiles or equip the ship with the aforementioned lasers. Managing these power-ups while tracking a high-speed ball is a genuine test of reflexes.

The modern emulation wrapper

The Arcade Archives release includes the standard Hamster emulation wrapper that retro players have come to expect. That means it has save states, display filters to mimic old CRT monitors, and detailed difficulty toggles. It also includes online leaderboards for score chasing, which is where the real longevity of these arcade ports usually lies.

Taito's original Arkanoid formula took the basic concept of Atari's Breakout and injected it with a heavy dose of science fiction aesthetics. The sequel leans even harder into that weird lore. You are technically piloting a spacecraft called the Vaus, trying to defeat a dimension-controlling entity named DOH. The plot is completely secondary to the act of bouncing a ball against a wall, but it gives the game its strange, slightly ominous atmosphere.

The game is launching this month across basically every active console platform. The standard Arcade Archives version costs $7.99, and the Arcade Archives 2 version runs $9.99. The slight price bump for the newer platforms presumably covers the updated emulation framework Hamster is using for current-generation hardware. It's a small premium to pay for a perfectly accurate version of a game that used to eat quarters by the handful.