Alleyway

You control a paddle at the bottom of the screen while a ball bounces around. You have to stop the ball from falling off the bottom of the screen by moving the paddle left and right. Where you catch the ball on your paddle can also have an effect on where the ball will go next. The aim is to break all of the blocks on the screen with a ball.

Each block puzzle is split into three stages followed by a bonus stage. The first stage is a stationary puzzle, the second is moving, and the third is usually stationary, but the ceiling drops down every few times the ball bounces off your paddle. In the bonus stages, the ball doesn't bounce off the blocks, but destroys them without stopping. Clear all of the blocks in the bonus stage before the timer ends to get an additional bonus score.

Alleyway
Developer Nintendo
Genre Puzzle
Game Boy
JP 21st April 1989
US August 1989
EU 28th September 1990
Game Boy (Nintendo Power)
JP 1st August 2000

Cameos

Mario Paddle

When you start a new game, Mario runs onto the screen and jumps into the paddle.

The American box art also shows Mario controlling the paddle.

Mario jumping into the paddle

Submitted by Fryguy64.

Mario Bonus Stages

After beating every third stage, you play a timed bonus stage where the ball clears the blocks without stopping. All of these bonus puzzles are in the shape of a character or enemy from Super Mario Bros.

  • Stage 3 – Mario
  • Stage 6 – Koopa Troopa
  • Stage 9 – Blooper
  • Stage 12 – Piranha Plant
  • Stage 15 – Bullet Bill
  • Stage 18 – Goomba
  • Stage 21 – Cheep-Cheep
  • Stage 24 – Bowser
Mario Bonus Stage
  • Mario
  • Koopa Troopa
  • Blooper
  • Piranha Plant
  • Bullet Bill
  • Goomba
  • Cheep-Cheep
  • Bowser

Submitted by Fryguy64.

Mario Stage 16-18

Stages 16-18 are in the shape of Mario's head.

Stage 16 is a static head; stage 17 is the same as before, but this time it is scrolling off the screen; Stage 18 starts the same again, but as it drops down it reveals an even larger Mario head facing in the other direction.

Mario Stage 16

Submitted by Fryguy64.

Classic Mario Artwork

When you clear Stage 24, a piece of classic arcade-era Mario artwork appears alongside the words "Nice Play!"

Nice Play!

Submitted by Fryguy64.