Korbat's Lab: The Basics of the Lab

HAUNTED WOODS - So, you want that pesky Korbat's Lab avatar for yourself, don't you? But you just can't seem to get it? Well, I'm here to help! I can only give you some of the basics, but hopefully you'll be able to build off enough from that to get your very own Freaked Korbat avatar! Let's start with controls, shall we?

Left arrow key = Makes your bat go *gasp* left!

Right arrow key = Likewise, makes your bat go right. :P

Space bar = You need this only at the start of each level, to get the ball started! Or when you die. (Hopefully that won't happen too often!)

Now, on to basic game play. I'll be using the first level as the example level, for it is after all the easiest.

You press the space bar, and the ball goes flying and hits one of the boxes marked '1'. That box then disappears. That, ladies and gents, is the whole point of the game! Once you have rid the screen of all the boxes, you move onto the next level.

Once you get to the second level, things get much more difficult! You now have blocks made of... well. We aren't sure exactly. But they are invincible; you can't get rid of these, so you must work around them. That's what makes it so much harder. You have to bounce the ball just right to get it where you want it to go! Also, you have boxes with a flame on them; hitting these will cause it to release fire that will burn up all the boxes below it. Furthermore, there is the bomb box. Hitting it will cause it to destroy two boxes in each direction around it. You also have different boxes to deal with! You now have boxes labeled '2' and '3', and to get rid of them you must hit them that many times.

Review: Boxes with '1', hit once to be rid of them, boxes with '2' twice, boxes with '3' three times. I probably didn't need to do that, but its I'm sure you don't mind. Right?

You are unable to get rid of the metal blocks, and the boxes with a flame on them will destroy all boxes in their downward fall. A box with a bomb on it will cause two boxes in each direction to be destroyed.

You must hit the wooden boxes with the ball, and it gets harder as you go on.

So. You're probably thinking that this doesn't sound so bad! Well, TNT has smartly added another element to the game! Potions. Yup, any time you hit a box, you have a chance of a potion falling from it! Here is a list of potions, and what they do.

The small bag of Neopoints gives you a 50 point bonus. If you can, get this.

The large bag of Neopoints gives you a 500 point bonus. Likewise, it is wise to catch it if you can.

Purple Potion - Makes your paddle bigger. Stays till the end of the level, or end of life. Good.

Red Potion - Turns your ball red, and allows your ball to destroy everything in its path, including metal blocks. Stays for varying amount of time, not long. Most of the time, it is helpful. Though sometimes, you need those metal blocks to bounce into hard to reach areas! Be smart when deciding if you should go for it or not.

Blue Potion – Slows down the bat, but not the ball. BAD! Avoid this potion as well as you can!

Blue- light blue accents - Speeds up your bat until the round or life ends. Good if you can control it!

Black- green accents - Shoots out a rocket that you control like the paddle. It can knock out one brick, or two if you aim just right. Sometimes helpful but hard to control.

Yellow- red accents - Reverses your paddle controls, left arrow right, right arrow left. Very bad, avoid if you can.

Pink- light pink accents - Makes your paddle very small. Avoid if you can; it makes it much harder.

Black- red accents – Restores levels boxes. You only have to hit a certain number of boxes before moving onto the next level. The number of blocks required varies from level to level. Makes it much easier on most levels; you decide.

Blue-white Flashing Potion - Removes all Korbats and Spiders from level. Good sometimes, other times not so much.

White Potion – Varying things said about this; some say it causes all flame boxes to fall, some say causes all but one wooden box to go *poof*. Either way, very helpful.

Yellow Potion – Causes all bomb boxes to go off. Good.

Skull – BAD! Do NOT get this; it will cause you to lose a life.

Thank you to Barbara725 for allowing me to use parts of her guide!

Now, if you're trying for that trophy or avatar, its best to do so on the first of the month! This is what people call 'Reset Night', because it is when the Neopets Staff resets all the scores for the games, making it much easier to get where you need to be!

Also, it is highly suggested that you turn off your sound; I can't tell you how many times I've nearly jumped out of my skin when I first hit a box!

Get comfortable; this is a long winded game! Also remember to use the restroom, and have food and water nearby! You can also take breaks in between levels, just don't press the space bar till you're ready!

Keep the bat under the ball at all times; you never know when it could take an unexpected turn!

Try and learn where the ball will bounce after hitting something at one angle or another; it will help you a lot.

Okay, so we now know what all those boxes and blocks are about, and we now know all about those mysterious potions! I also gave you a few hints and tips. What's left to do? Well, that's up to you! Practice, practice, practice! And good luck with that infuriating game that is Korbat's Lab!