Shatter doesn't just make block-breaking fresh and fun again, it's also a fantastic game in its own right.
Shatter doesn't come loaded with features. You only have three modes: story, Boss Rush and Bonus Mode. The story mode doesn't actually have a story, but it's the best of the three modes, allowing you to play simultaneously through a series of levels before facing an epic boss fight at the end of each world. The boss fights are the highlight of the game because they're a unique idea for the genre and they require a good amount of reflex and strategy. Sometimes it's best to launch two balls at once, while other times it's best to play defensively rather than offensively. The other modes are good if you're after some specific trophies, but other than that they don't do a whole lot to give the game extra legs.
The gameplay is what you'd expect from a block-breaking game: you move a paddle back and forth and try to knock a ball into blocks to break them and move on. But what makes Shatter so much more fun than other brick-busting games is that it gives you the ability to push and pull balls and objects, giving you more control over the game and making hitting that last block that much less frustrating. It also helps that story mode will bring you through various colorful levels while also changing the perspective in ways that keep the game feeling fresh. One minute you'll be moving up and down, then the next it will be left and right, then in a circular pattern. It works great, and it keeps the gameplay interesting throughout.
As you play the game you'll fill up a meter in the top left corner, which once full allows you to unleash a Shard Storm or use a shield. The Shard Storm is a rain of shards that you unleash from your paddle that can blow up bricks and are extremely effective against bosses. When you use it everything goes slow-mo and you can move around and blast everything up for a very limited time. It's a cool way to spice up the gameplay, and it works. The only problem is that with all the flashy effects going on during the attack it's easy to lose track of your ball. When you hit certain bricks they will come towards you and knock you out for a second, which allows the ball to pass you, causing you to lose a life. Activate the shield, however, and you can blow the bricks up upon impact.
Shatter is a bit of an easy game. You will most likely lose all your lives several times the first time through, but you'll probably never lose all your continues, and because it's a brick-breaking game levels don't go on for especially long, so failing isn't a huge deal anyway. The boss fights are undoubtedly awesome, but they're also somewhat easy as their attacks are easy to avoid and they constantly spit out 1ups. Of course this is good news for trophy hoarders because the game gives you a bronze trophy every time you finish a world, and a silver one for finishing them all, as well as some for things such as beating Boss Rush in under ten minutes and destroying the last brick with a reign of shards.
Shatter is a very pretty game, with lots of flashy effects and very unique cel-shading-style backdrops. They change between levels and range from dark blue environments to bright yellow ones. In addition to these gorgeous backgrounds, however, there are some great effects going on between the paddle and the bricks. Unleashing a Shard Storm looks excellent, and the boss fights are all animated nicely and show a lot of creativity. But despite all the crazy effects and colors flashing on-screen, there's never a moment of slowdown. The soundtrack also helps to compliment the gameplay with some of the best techno beats I've ever heard, and perhaps some of the best music in a game to date. It's both catchy and epic, and it perfectly compliments the flashy art.
For $8, Shatter is totally worth your time. It's beautiful, unique, and most of all, it's fun. It manages to take a tired genre and turn it into something new and original, and it might just be one of the PlayStation Network's best exclusive games to date. It's not the longest lasting game unless you're into highscores, but it lasts about as long as a block-breaking game should, and the promise of DLC has me pumped. Shatter is another must-own PlayStation Network title, and puzzle game fans will find plenty to love in its retro gameplay and art style. If you don't buy Shatter, you're a fool.