Bang and Bounce

On the subject of time-wasting, IndestructoTank! is one of the more unusual of such games out there. The premise is simple: you, the player, control an indestructable tank. Your aim is to destroy as many enemies as possible by ramming into them and gain experience points; you must obtain a certain amount of experience points before your steadily-decreasing fuel runs out. Fail, and the tank blows up. (Not so indestructable after all.) There are five enemies encountered in the game, all with varying point values, weapons and movement speeds.

The game has several unique features. One is the controls; the player can only move the tank left or right, using either keyboard arrow keys or a Wiimote. In order to launch the tank upwards, the tank must run into either an enemy missile or the enemy itself, creating a blast which propels the tank into the air. It is possible to perpetually keep the tank in the air, "juggling" from enemy to enemy, though points are obtained only if the tank lands on the ground.

Another feature is the "store" concept, where players can spend points accumulated during the game. The difference here is instead of purchasing weapons or upgrades, the points are used to buy enemies. That's right - you spend points to ensure that the next level will have more enemies for you to blow up in new and interesting combinations. (As a matter of fact, winning the game requires buying out the maximum possible frequency of all five enemies.) The strategy element comes from deciding what enemies to increase in number. The standard slow-firing Bomber? The aptly-named Bouncer with the rebounding missiles? Or perhaps the Miner, which can only travel on the ground? All enemy types have their own advantages and annoyances, and picking the right mix of enemies is necessary in order to clear each successive level.

Special features aside, even the more conventional aspects of the game do not disappoint. The graphics, while not overwhelmingly eye-catching, are actually fairly complex, and allow various enemies and missiles to be distinguised from each other at a glance. The mountainous backdrop is sufficiently varied, using fluctuating mountain heights and cloud patterns to avoid monotony. There is only one music track for all the levels, but it is suitably low-key and does not detract from the action.

Something I've noticed with many independantly-created timewasters is that they have great graphics, a great premise, superb graphics... and terrible game physics. IndestructoTank! suffers from no such problems. The movements of the tank are fluid, responding easily to the controls, and act in a reasonably realistic manner. Even slight control manipulations can make a big difference, allowing for precise actions in-game.

One of the few drawbacks of the game is that every time it is loaded afresh, the player must go through a forced tutorial. While commendable in getting new players to understand what they are playing before they try it out, it gets annoying for repeat players.

Also, the high scores lists don't work anymore thanks to some hackers, curse them.

Nevertheless, this is a great timewaster, perfect for those moments when you have lots of work to do and don't want to get on it just then. Simple, addictive and with just a little thinking required - one of the best games of its genre.