Recently, I stumbled on and reviewed a game called Slither.io, a popular app along all formats. The basic premise is that you play online with a group of other players.The game is very much like the mobile classic Snake, but you must outlast those around you by continually surviving and growing. Well, since that game bursted in popularity, plenty of others with similar titles have begun popping up all over. It’s Crossy Road all over again. Which was Candy Crush all over again. Which I’m sure was something all over again. Let’s take a look at Battletank.io for Windows devices.
The Basics
Something important in a game such as the .io apps is the balance of online players. My main problem with Slither.io was the lack of overall balance, as it seemed like other players were scarce at the time that I was playing. However, I was still rewarded by gaining power as I traversed the online battlefield, making me ready for other players when I encountered them. However, I had also played in situations where plenty of people were online, which was both stressful and rewarding when I would defeat some of the players on the leaderboard.
The Gameplay
Much like Slither.io, Battletank.io is all about battling the people around you. You are constantly shooting no matter what, meaning your only real controls are moving and aiming. The more you destroy everything around you, the more your tank is enhanced. At least, I think that’s how it works. I never got far enough to find out.
Is It Fun?
Battletank.io does a decent job of putting a twist on the Slither.io formula, but still has a few problems. First off, the controls can be very difficult to work with. You have two virtual control pads, one for moving around your tank and the other for aiming. They both ended up being a bit slow to react, meaning that it became easy to take damage when you can’t move quickly enough. Or you could always just learn to try and hide behind the various squares on the battlefield like I did. Not that that worked. But still.
The Bottom Line
There’s no doubt that Battletank.io takes plenty of influence from Slither.io, right down to the name and basic gameplay. However, it does just enough differently where I wouldn’t put it in “ripoff” territory. The basics of the game are quite good, but some tweaks on the controls would help it jump from “good” to “almost great”. Or even “great”.