Paddle

The paddle is an object from Alleyway that is controlled by Mario. It is used to deflect the approaching ball into breakable blocks. The angle of the deflected ball is dependent on the way the ball gets hit. The ball can also be hit from the sides of the paddle, which may result in the ball reflecting in the same direction while mostly preserving it's angle. If the ball touches the lower part of the screen, one life gets taken away.

If the ball hits the ceiling, the paddle becomes shorter. It can be observed first in Stage 4.

In the beggining of the game, Mario is seen entering the paddle through the sliding trapdoor at the top, while the cover art shows Mario inside the paddle in a cosmic scenary, controlling it, implying that the paddle is a some sort of vehicle. Mario also leaves the paddle if the player runs out of lives.

Controls

 * D-pad: the paddle moves left or right.
 * B: the paddle slows down while this button is held.