Review - Tank in Action

Tank in action is a flash animation tank game created by Newgrounds.com user peter555. This racing game was submitted to Newgrounds.com on November 30, 2009 and won a Daily 4th Place award on December 1, 2009.

Gameplay

The objective of this game is to finish all the levels as quickly as possible. Drive horizontally, from left to right, over hills and lakes and pits, blasting away objects that are in your way, until you get to the flag at the end of each level. At the bottom-left of the screen, you can see how long you have taken so far. The time adds together your total time from all the levels you have played up to that point. If you destroy certain objects in the game, like cars that are driving in the opposite direction that you're driving (and thus hindering your movement), you are rewarded with a bonus that is added up at the end of the stage. This stage bonus acts to decrease the time you have taken to complete the stage.

There are a few other obstacles that you may encounter. These include funky little structures that seem to appear out of nowhere. You may also run into some people. Also, while most buildings do not hinder your progress, some buildings can stop you and must be destroyed before you can move on. In some levels, you must shoot certain objects to create a bridge for you to cross in order to avoid falling in lakes or fatal pits.

Another thing you should worry about is your tank's health. The health bar is located at the top-right of the screen. Falling on anything other than the wheels your of tank will damage your tank. Below the health bar, you can see four balls that indicate your ammo. You can fire ammo by clicking. Your ammo regenerates automatically.

In the options menu, which can be accessed in and out of the game, you can toggle the game's sound effects, game music, and video quality (low, middle, high).

There are a total of 16 levels of play. Each level, except the first one, can be unlocked by completing the level before it.

Controls

Use A to move left, and D to move right.
Use W and S to tilt your tank left and right, respectively.
Use your mouse to aim. Click to fire.

Game Review

Tank in action is a game with a lot of potential. The graphics seem a little weird at times, and the movements can be awkward. The game author claims that the game simulates real-world physics. In general, this is true (e.g. shooting with your tank actually causes recoil), and it makes the game a little more realistic to play. However, the world that you are playing in itself isn't very realistic, so at times this conflicting aspect of the game can make the game a little awkward to play. Nonetheless, the game concept is quite sound. I don't think I've played a racing shooter tank game. Making use of the mouse and keyboard is also a plus.

Tank in action scores a 7/10. Improved graphics and audio appeal would help improve the game.