Alleyway

Alleyway
Developer	R&D 1, Intelligent Systems
Publisher	Nintendo
System	Game Boy, 3DS Virtual Console
Release Date	Game Boy JP April 21, 1989 US August 1989 EU September 28, 1990 3DS Virtual Console US June 6, 2011 EU/AU June 7, 2011 JP August 3, 2011 SK April 6, 2016
Rating	ESRB: E

Alleyway is a Breakout-styled puzzle game for the Game Boy and was one of the system's launch titles in America and Japan.

Gameplay

The player controls a paddle at the bottom of a screen while a ball bounces around. In the Breakout tradition, the paddle must be maneuvered to catch the bouncing ball and reflect it to destroy all of the blocks gathered near the top of the screen. A stage is completed when all of the blocks are destroyed, and the player had a limited number of lives to so (each life being depleted when the ball misses the paddle). There are twenty-four stages as well as eight bonus stages that are played after every third stage. Alleyway cannot save.

The game notably has several Mario references, as the bonus stages and ending image use images from the Mario games. Additionally, the international releases implied that the protagonist was Mario himself, and an opening animation depicts him boarding the paddle.

Legacy

Some of the code in Alleyway was later used for Nintendo's next Breakout-inspired game, which was Kirby's Block Ball.

Ports and Remakes

• In August 2000, it was rereleased through the Nintendo Power system.
• It was released for download through the 3DS's eShop as part of the 3DS Virtual Console in 2011. It was one of that Virtual Console's launch titles in all regions except for Japan.
• In May 2024, it was added to the Nintendo Switch's digital library of Game Boy games that could be freely played by Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.