Jinn Dash

Jinn Dash is a brick-breaking arcade game set in the desert. The mission is stated in one line: break all the bricks, and do it using a magic carpet. It is a fairy-tale twist on one of the oldest formats in video games, with a flying rug standing in for the plain bat of the old designs.

The tags file it under brick breaker, and that genre has a well-known shape. In the classic version, a wall of bricks waits at the top of the screen, a bouncing ball chips away at it, and the player’s piece moves along the bottom to keep the ball in play. Here, by the description’s own account, the magic carpet is the tool for the job, so it takes the role the paddle plays in that design.

The description does not spell out power-ups, lives or level counts, so those are details to discover in play. What it does promise is an arcade game with a desert adventure theme, which gives the brick wall a setting the plain versions of the genre never had. It suits players who want a quick, reflex-driven break.

1. Look at the wall of bricks you need to clear.
2. Steer the magic carpet into position.
3. Use the carpet to break the bricks, as in a classic brick breaker.
4. Break every brick to complete your mission.

In brick breakers, opening a gap through to the top of the wall usually pays off, because the ball can then do its work behind the bricks.