‘Breakout Beyond’ Broke Boundaries by Going Horizontal, but a New Update Brings Verticality Back to the Game

I’ve talked about my love for Atari and how they’re keeping their old franchises feeling fresh on numerous occasions. One thing that I loved about Breakout Beyond was the fact that it… well, broke out and tried something new. But, unbeknownst to me, many folks weren’t exactly keen on the whole game flipping itself around. That’s why I’m glad to see that TATE mode has officially been added to the game, giving players the chance to jump into Breakout Beyond exactly as they would any other Breakout game before it. Does it make that big of a difference? I dove in and found out that it actually kinda does.

Turn That Frown Upside Down, and Then Do the Same With Your Monitor. ‘Breakout Beyond’ Officially Supports Tate Mode

Browsing on social media shortly after the launch of Breakout Beyond, I saw plenty of players falling in love with the game. But, fans of classic Breakout weren’t exactly keen on the shift to a horizontal playing field. I can see why. After playing the game the same way for so long, this kind of shift can be very jarring. The game also didn’t launch with an option to swap it vertically, so some players were just remapping controls and flipping their monitors around to make it work. We don’t need to do that anymore, as the game has been updated to include TATE mode, alongside a few other Breakout Beyond QoL features. It’s great when a development team listens to what the fans have to say, isn’t it?

Now, at this point? I just need a proper paddle controller to hook up to my Xbox or PlayStation for that perfect experience. Will I ever be truly happy? Maybe not, but the introduction of TATE mode for Breakout Beyond is a great way to start it. At least I can use my 2600+ controller on PC to emulate the classic feeling. Breakout Beyond is a fantastic new addition to the series that’s a straight-up love letter to classic Atari gaming. I knew there was a good reason that I upgraded my monitor arms last year, but sometimes, you just gotta wait for the payoff. It’s time to Breakout again.