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A classic brick‑breaker game written entirely in x86 assembly using the Irvine32 library.
Break bricks, dodge death, collect power‑ups, and fight through three challenging levels – all from your console!
This is a fully playable brick‑breaker game developed in x86 assembly using MASM and the Irvine32 library.
It includes a complete menu system, high‑score recording, three distinct levels, dynamic paddle length, multi‑hit bricks, a hidden extra‑life bonus, sound effects, and a pause feature.
The project demonstrates low‑level game development techniques – manual collision detection, screen drawing with console characters, file I/O for scores, and precise timing loops – all inside the classic 80×25 text mode.
The game is a tribute to the PC classic DX-Ball, which defined the brick-breaker genre for many.
Since this version was built entirely in assembly language, the AX register (the primary accumulator) was the undisputed MVP of the source code. To honor the register that handled nearly every calculation, the name AX-BALL was decided.
- Three Progressive Levels
Each level introduces more bricks, higher block health, and faster gameplay. - Dynamic Paddle – Level 1 & 3 use a long paddle; Level 2 uses a shorter one.
- Multi‑Hit Bricks – Level 2 bricks need 2 hits; Level 3 bricks need 3 hits. Colors change to indicate damage.
- Hidden Extra Life – Destroy a specific brick in Level 3 to release a falling
+token; catch it with your paddle to gain a life. - Sound Effects – Paddle bounce, wall collisions, block hits (different sounds for each hit stage), and background music.
- High‑Score System – Saves your name, level reached, and final score to
scores.txt. - Pause & Resume – Press
Pduring gameplay. - Custom Name Entry – Enter your name at the start; it appears on the win/lose screen.
- Title & Instructions Pages – Animated ASCII art and clear controls.
- Full Console UI – Built entirely with character‑based graphics.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
A / D |
Move paddle Left / Right |
P |
Pause / Resume game |
Enter |
Confirm menu selection or proceed |
W / S |
Navigate menu options (up/down) |
| Any Key | Start game from title screen |
.
├── main.asm # Main source code
├── sounds/ # Sound effects (.wav)
│ ├── Ao-Laser.wav
│ ├── Boing.wav
│ ├── Byeball.wav
│ ├── Glass.wav
│ ├── Saucer.wav
│ ├── Sweepdow.wav
│ ├── Swordswi.wav
│ └── Wowpulse.wav
├── scores.txt # Auto‑generated high‑score file
└── README.md # Project documentation
Note: The
sounds/folder must contain the eight.wavfiles listed above. The game will not start without them.
You can use any short.wavfiles – rename them to match the expected names or modify the sound paths in the source.
To assemble and run the game, you need:
- Microsoft Macro Assembler (MASM) – part of Visual Studio or MASM32 SDK.
- Irvine32 Library – included with Kip Irvine's "Assembly Language for x86 Processors" textbook or can be downloaded separately.
- Place
Irvine32.inc,Irvine32.lib, and the kernel‑mode libraries in your project folder or the appropriate include/lib paths.
- Place
- Windows OS (the game uses the Win32 API for sound and console).
- A 32‑bit linker – the Irvine32 library is designed for 32‑bit protected mode programs.
💡 Tip: The easiest setup is to install Microsoft Visual Studio (Community Edition is free) and include the Irvine32 files.
You can also use MASM32 SDK – just make sure to link againstIrvine32.liband the required Windows libraries.
- Download the Irvine32 library files and place them in a known directory, e.g.,
C:\Irvine. - Ensure your assembler can find
Irvine32.inc(include path) and the linker can findIrvine32.lib(library path).
Open a Developer Command Prompt for VS (x86 native tools) and navigate to the project folder.
ml /coff /c /I"C:\Irvine" main.asmThis produces main.obj.
link /SUBSYSTEM:CONSOLE /LIBPATH:"C:\Irvine" main.obj Irvine32.lib kernel32.lib user32.lib Winmm.libIf you are using MASM32 SDK, adjust the library paths accordingly.
Create a subfolder sounds/ next to the executable and copy all eight .wav files into it.
Double‑click main.exe or type main in the command prompt.
The game will open in a new console window.
Note: The game adjusts its delay based on the level. If it runs too fast or too slow, you can modify the Delay values in the uuserInput procedure (lines around lvl1, lvl2, lvl3 labels).
- Level 1 – 10 bricks, each destroyed in 1 hit. Score to advance: 1000.
- Level 2 – 18 bricks, each requires 2 hits. Score to advance: 4600.
- Level 3 – 25 bricks, each requires 3 hits. Winning score: 12100.
After completing all three levels (reaching the winning score), you are greeted with a victory screen.
You start with 3 lives. A life is lost if the ball falls below the paddle. When all lives are gone, the game ends and your score is saved.
- In Level 3, destroying brick #23 (the fourth brick from left in the third row) triggers a falling + token.
- Catch it with your paddle to gain +1 life (max 4 lives).
- Level 1 & 3:
***************(15 characters) - Level 2:
**********(10 characters) This change is handled dynamically – the code switches the paddle string and adjusts collision bounds accordingly.
After a win or loss, the game appends a line to scores.txt:
Name: YourName Level: X SCORE: YYou can view the high‑score list from the main menu by selecting HIGHSCORES. The file is created automatically if it does not exist.
All sound effects are short wav files. You can replace them with your own, but keep the same filenames (or modify the source strings).
The game uses PlaySound from Winmm.lib with asynchronous playback.
Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.
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