# M&M's Break' Em

M&M's Break' Em is a 2007 puzzle video game developed by Frame Studios Interactive and published by Destination Software for the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. The game is similar to Gem Smashers, a 2003 title by the same developer, featuring tile-breaking gameplay.
The game's story mode revolves around controlling one of five M&M's with constant vertical movement, completing various levels—by destroying crystals to free other M&M's, avoiding hazards, and fighting bosses—in order to defeat Mr. Runch, a rotten and dangerous peanut determined to become an M&M. In addition to this single-player campaign, the game has a local multiplayer mode, wherein two players compete to break more crystals.
M&M's Break' Em is the fifth M&M's video game, succeeding M&M's Blast!, a 2001 title for the Game Boy Advance. The game received mixed reviews from critics and was followed by M&M's Kart Racing, a racing game released for the Wii in 2007 and the Nintendo DS in 2008.

## Gameplay

M&M's Break' Em is a puzzle video game with gameplay based on that of Gem Smashers, another puzzle game developed by Frame Studios Interactive. To complete the single-player game mode, the player must clear a series of levels in areas such as a forest, an underwater environment, and a tropical island. Areas and levels are chosen from a map, with orange spots representing normal levels and blue spots indicating levels that feature a boss, which must be unlocked by completing every normal level in the area. Extra levels, represented by pink spots, can be unlocked by finding hidden keys in other levels.
The player character is one of five different-colored M&M's (Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, or Orange), which vary in speed and power. The controls are the same regardless of which color is chosen: the M&M constantly moves vertically and bounces off objects, eliminating any crystals that match its color and freeing the M&M's trapped inside. The color of the player's M&M can be changed by bumping into color pots or blocks, which can be hidden, especially in later levels. In both the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS versions of the game, the player uses the console's D-pad to move left and right, with the latter allowing the player to also use the touch screen to control their M&M's horizontal movement. The sensitivity of the touch screen can be adjusted in the menu. Pressing the A button or R button speeds up the M&M's movements, while pressing the B button or L button slows them down.
To complete each level, the player must reach the exit door, which must first be opened by knocking out every crystal. The player can collect power-ups with positive or negative effects, such as increasing or decreasing the speed of their M&M or temporarily reversing its controls. Skull blocks must be avoided, as bumping into one causes the player to instantly lose a life. The player begins the game with a set number of lives and continues, and once all of them have been used, each loss results in a game over, after which the game can be resumed with only one life. Extra lives can be earned by collecting a large number of points.
Each level features a timer, and if the player does not complete the level in time, a bouncing skull begins pursuing their M&M in an attempt to destroy it, which results in the loss of a life. Occasionally, a level ends with a battle against a large boss that must be defeated. Bosses can only be damaged by colliding with one of its physical aspects, such as an anglerfish's lure, while it matches the color of the player's M&M.
In addition to the single-player campaign, there is a local multiplayer game mode in which two players compete to break more crystals in two stages. This mode requires each player to have their own copy of the game.

## Plot

A dangerous outlaw known as Mr. Runch has landed on planet Crunch, determined to become one of the M&M's. As Mr. Runch is declared "much too bitter" to be an M&M and belongs "in the reject bin", five M&M's board ships and blast off to the planet. Upon landing, the M&M's discover that Mr. Runch is using a device to trap the planet's inhabitants in crystals, supposedly to kidnap the M&M's and use them to coat his rotten skin in a special chocolate coating. After the M&M's defeat Mr. Runch in a boss battle within the final level, the group leaves him trapped in a crystal, saving the rest of the M&M's.

## Development and release

M&M's Break' Em was published by Destination Software. The game was developed by Frame Studios Interactive, an independent video game developer located in Belluno, Italy. Frame Studios had previously created Gem Smashers, an action puzzle game first released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003, which revolves around completing single-screen levels by destroying gems that match the color of the player character. Much like M&M's Break' Em, Gem Smashers involves controlling a vertically bouncing orb and avoiding hazards to complete each level.
M&M's Break' Em was released in North America for the Game Boy Advance on February 6, 2007, and for the Nintendo DS on March 25, 2007. The game was also published by Zoo Digital in the United Kingdom on July 27, 2007. It is the first M&M's game to be released for the DS.

## Reception

Aggregate score :
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 56% |
Review scores :
| Publication | Score |
| IGN | 5/10 |
| GameZone | 3.4/10 |
| Nintendojo | 7.9/10 |
On the video game review aggregation website GameRankings, M&M's Break' Em received a 56% ranking based on four critic reviews. Reception toward the gameplay was mixed. IGN's Chris Adams wrote that the gameplay "is still a nice blend of casual controls and deeper gameplay mechanics", and complimented the inclusion of boss battles as being "pretty unique" for a puzzle game, despite noting repetition in the fights. Aaron Roberts of Nintendojo praised the "exciting gameplay and the familiar charm of the M&M's characters", whereas Mike David of GameZone criticized the gameplay as being "too easy".
Critics were also divided on the game's visuals and audio. IGN offered a more negative response toward these subjects, describing the art as "half-assed" and the sprites as "ugly and poorly rendered", in addition to deeming the music and sound effects "barely noticeable". IGN further noted that every time an M&M is knocked out, it flies toward the screen and briefly obscures the player character, potentially causing the player to lose track of them. GameZone also criticized the graphics and audio, stating that the former were "pretty poor to look at" and referring to the latter as "more of an afterthought than anything", as well as noting an absence of voice acting for the characters. Nintendojo also acknowledged the lack of voice work in the cutscenes, though wrote that "[t]he background music is quite appropriate and actually fairly enjoyable".
Miscellaneous criticism was directed toward the multiplayer game mode, which IGN referred to as "not very creative" and criticized for its requirement of multiple game cartridges, as well as the game's continue system, which Nintendojo believed was "[t]he only real flaw in the game" due to difficulty in obtaining lives. Both IGN and Nintendojo stated that the touch screen controls offered by the Nintendo DS version were less precise than the D-pad, with the former believing that the bottom screen could have instead been used to expand the levels and avoid repetition. Moreover, IGN noted that aside from the player character being an M&M, an M&M character appearing on the right of the top screen, and a large image of candy appearing on the bottom screen, the game "has almost nothing to do with M&Ms candy". GameZone wrote that the game "has no redeeming qualities" and was "not much more then [sic] a video-game commercial".