Tank Hero

Summary

As much as I love Android, I have to admit that there is a definite lack of high quality games with beautiful graphics and simple controls. Tank Hero goes against that trend and represents a game with amazing potential. Simple yet entertaining, Tank Hero is a shoot ‘em up throwback to the good old Atari days. Craving a fun shooting game that guarantees long-term entertainment? Look no further and read on to find out more about Tank Hero.

Tank Hero is an extremely straight-forward game: you are in control of a little green tank that needs to destroy all enemy tanks in the battle area. It’s basically a free-for-all out there on the battlefield, which is surrounded by an impenetrable stonewall. From a bird’s eye view camera position, you get a clear view of all the action. Your tank is the modern-day version of a gladiator desperately fighting for honor and survival.

Tank Hero can be played in two different ways:

Campaign Mode: Complete each level by destroying all the tanks on the battlefield. Over 40 different levels available, ranging from ridiculously easy to impossible in terms of difficulty.

Survival Mode: Fight to the last tank standing! Choose an unlocked level from campaign mode and try to withstand as many waves of enemy tanks as possible. You earn credits for every withstood wave, which you can then use to upgrade your weapons. You purchase and add the following weapons to your arsenal:

• Spread Cannon (shoots multiple missiles in all directions for maximum damage)
• Heat Seeker (fires bullets that track and follow enemy tanks)
• Howitzer (fires shells that destroy everything around them and can shoot over walls)

Rest assured that both modes are loads of fun! Although the levels are very similar in terms of layout, the game never gets old. With each new level, the tanks increase in number and power. Use the nooks in the walls in to your advantage to hide from enemy fire and launch missiles at them. Your green tank starts off every level with three lives – and your health gets replenished at the start of each following level.

The trickiest part about this game is the fact that enemy missiles and artillery ricochet off the walls and can hit you when you least expect it. Maneuvering your tank out of harms way can be pretty challenging, especially in the more advanced levels. But it’s the challenge that makes this game so awesome to play. With each campaign level you also earn extra points for accuracy and finishing a level with perfect health. If you are bored of simply completing the levels, try to complete each level with the maximum possible kill score. Depending on your total kill score, you can complete a level with a gold, silver and bronze medal.

Bottom Line:

Tank Hero is very impressive! It’s action-packed, riveting and just plain fun to play. With over 40 extremely difficult levels, this game is bound to keep you occupied for a while. For those of you looking for a great Android shoot ‘em game, Tank Hero is your #1 choice!
 

In terms of design, Tank Hero is virtually irreproachable. All of the settings and options are right there on the main screen. The menu layout is clear and simple. The graphics make you feel like you are playing a Game Boy Advance game on your Android phone – and I mean that in a good way ☺

The sounds and background music are made in the best gaming traditions. Just think of your average WWII shooting game and you’ll get a pretty clear idea of what Tank Hero sounds like.

Tank Hero gives you a whole set of different options for controls:

• Swipe and Tap: Tap enemies to shoot them. Swipe on the screen to make your tank move. Pretty difficult and annoying to use unless you have a phone with a large screen.
• Trackball and Tap: Use trackball to move the tank (for those devices that have one) and tap the screen to shoot tanks.
• Dual Virtual Dpads: Fire and move your tank using two virtual dpads on your screen. Use the bottom left dpad to move the tank. The dpad on the top right adjusts your aim. Tap the right dpad to shoot.
• Virtual Dpad and Tap: Use the virtual dpad to move the tank and tap to fire. You can position the virtual dpad on the left or right of the screen.

The trackball is hands down the most efficient way to control your tank (if you have one on your device, of course). Although the other ones all work well enough, using virtual dpads is difficult on phones with small screens.

Bottom Line:

Great controls for those of you with trackball Android devices. The gaming design is really top-notch, including the graphics and background music. I just can’t stop raving about it.
 

Forget about waiting for your game to load because Tank Hero loads in a flash! Gameplay is fluid and extremely fast. Even on older devices such as the HTC Hero, the game performs astonishingly well! Keep up the good work is all I can say.

Tank Hero is available for free from the Android Market. What a bargain!

There is a single ad banner that appears in some of the menus. Hardly a nuisance, in my opinion.