Fighting is good. Tanks are good. Big artillery weapons that go ‘boom’ are good. Therefore, Pocket Tanks Deluxe by Blitwise Productions epitomizes all of the good things in life. In this magnificent port of a retro pc game, one controls a tank and fires multiple types of ridiculous weapons at your opponent, similar to the popular Worms titles. Unlike worms, Pocket Tanks Deluxe comes with 105 weapons, each one slightly more ridiculous than the next. Mud pies? Pillow fights? Popcorn? Utilize these strange yet powerful weapons to rain justice upon your foes. They probably deserved it. Maybe they hijacked your toaster.
Graphics: Very retro. The maps are different each time, yet the same. The neon green colour of the ground never changes, and yet the map designed to be different each time a new game is started. Also, each of the many weapons in the game comes with brilliant and beautiful graphical effects, which makes for more interesting gameplay. It was great to see the different effects of the weapons, and how the developer designed them to look.
Controls: Classic, for a tanks game. The premise is the same; change the angle of your cannon, select the amount of power, and then HOLD ON TO YOUR KNICKERS (not the candy). Unfortunately, for amateur players this can be difficult, and the AI is a bit too harsh on the player to give room for improvement. It would be nice if the developers could tone down the difficulty of the AI; even on easy difficulty levels, it can be a nuisance. The controls, for the most part, work fine; it is simply a matter of knowing the weapons, and setting the angle and power just right for that particular weapon.
Gameplay: Spot on. Pocket Tanks Deluxe is the perfect example of a game that will last forever (if not forever, than at least for a long time). The sheer amount of content, plus local multiplayer on the same device and single player against AI opponents can keep gamers entertained for many an hour. Unfortunately, the experience is so much better with a friend, and, frankly, Pocket Tanks Deluxe does not really support friend-making. There is no online multiplayer, and not even Bluetooth multiplayer with local devices. We would like to see the developers implementing this in the future. Otherwise, the game is extremely enjoyable.
Recap: Pocket Tanks Deluxe combines retro graphics with classic controls and great gameplay. There is a lot of content; unfortunately, the AI difficulty is too steep, and there is no online multiplayer to back it up. Overall, this game is worth your dollar, if you’re willing to have your friends huddle around one screen.
Graphics: 8/10 Gameplay: 9/10 Controls: 9/10 Overall: 8.5/10
Sincerely,
The Saber-Toothed Haggis
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