Battlezone

Battlezone excels mostly in its four-player co-op mutliplayer offering where team-work, strategy and upgrading efficiently really matters. The mother of all tank games is back with a huge virtual reality bang.

65%Game Brain Score

graphics, story

grinding, monetization

79% User Score Based on 616 reviews

Critic Score 58%Based on 7 reviews

Platforms

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About

Battlezone is a warfare shooter game that offers various gameplay modes, including single-player, co-op, multi-player, and PvP, for 1-4 players. The game features masterful gameplay, wonderful graphics, and high replayability, allowing players to strategize using a wide range of weapons and power-ups across neon-scarred sci-fi landscapes. The Battlezone Gold Edition includes additional content, such as horn packs, camo skin packs, and a bobblehead pack to customize the player's experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 623 reviews

graphics49 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

The game offers a surprisingly fun and immersive tank combat experience, especially in VR.
Gameplay features a variety of weapons and tank types, allowing for strategic customization and replayability.
The graphics and sound design are well-executed, creating an engaging atmosphere reminiscent of classic arcade games.

The game can induce motion sickness for some players, particularly due to its movement mechanics.
There are issues with controller support, particularly for HOTAS and Vive controllers, which can hinder gameplay.
The multiplayer experience can be frustrating due to shared lives and the potential for uncooperative players.

graphics
137 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
62%
2%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a retro, Tron-inspired aesthetic that effectively evokes nostalgia for classic arcade titles like Battlezone, featuring simple yet vibrant polygon art that translates well to VR. While some players appreciate the unique style and immersive experience, others find the visuals dated and reminiscent of early 3D graphics from the 90s. Overall, the graphics are generally well-received for their thematic consistency and performance, though opinions vary on their appeal compared to more realistic designs.
- “The graphics are out of this world.”
- “The graphics strongly evoke the Tron universe.”
- “The retro-neon graphics and synth soundtrack are perfect.”
- “Graphics are dated but otherwise this is a really good game.”
- “The graphics are very bare bones and feel like early 3D graphics from the mid 90s.”
- “I don't see what all the fuss is about, the graphics are crap and there's no players, and very basic to play.”
story
128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
91%
2%
The game's story is minimal, lacking a deep narrative but featuring basic elements that could benefit from further development. Players navigate a roguelike campaign across a hexagonal map, engaging in a variety of missions with the ultimate goal of reaching the "AI core" as the final boss. While the gameplay offers substantial replayability through randomized missions and strategic choices, many reviewers feel that a more cohesive storyline would enhance the overall experience.
- “The game has rogue-like qualities to it, given you must navigate across hexagonal regions on a map to progress the campaign story.”
- “Each campaign consists of a randomized mission board that you traverse in the direction your team chooses, so you will get many hours of fun out of it.”
- “The ftl-style plot to plot your course through the game to the finale is great, though I wish there were some different possible outcomes to some of the text-based events.”
- “- Basic story elements (I know the original didn't ever have a story, but I feel this game would do well with a decent storyline to follow).”
- “The length comes less from the missions being complex as it does from both extreme droughts of enemy spawns (presumably due to bugs or design oversights) or, ironically, the game throwing walls of enemies at you that you cannot possibly hope to take head-on, regardless of which tank you use.”
- “While there are only a few mission types and some ultimately boil down to 'destroy everything', it doesn't make them any less fun.”
gameplay
118 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
43%
6%
The gameplay is characterized by its blend of straightforward mechanics and challenging, rewarding experiences, reminiscent of roguelite titles. While the action-oriented focus and variety of weapons provide a fun and engaging loop, some players find the mechanics can feel simplistic or repetitive over time. Additionally, the dual VR and standard gameplay modes lead to some inconsistencies, and the lack of comprehensive tutorials can hinder the learning curve for new players.
- “Gameplay, even single player is challenging, but rewarding.”
- “Smooth controls and a satisfying gameplay loop, this game really does its job of making you feel something on the inside again.”
- “The gameplay is great, the shooting is intense and paying attention matters - it's fast-paced and can be positively challenging - with a few difficulty levels having notable differences.”
- “Unfortunately, some of the game mechanics are just... weird.”
- “Gameplay can get a bit stale after spending more than say 10 hours on the same difficulty/mission types but fun for what it offers.”
- “Learning all the mechanics is quite hard as the given tutorials are far away from teaching you the campaign UI, basic radar stuff, available skills, and so on.”
replayability
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
47%
7%
The game boasts exceptional replayability, primarily due to its rogue-like elements, procedurally generated maps, and customizable campaigns that offer varied difficulty and mission scenarios. Players can enjoy numerous playthroughs with different weapon and upgrade options, ensuring a fresh experience each time. Overall, it stands out for its limitless replay value compared to many AAA titles, making it a compelling choice for both solo and multiplayer sessions.
- “The rogue-lite elements help keep each run from being the same and provide you with different weapon and upgrade options, and the campaign can be tweaked in terms of difficulty and length, meaning there's plenty of replayability.”
- “Replayability is there thanks to the procedurally generated maps and the persistent upgrades to your arsenal that will take you many playthroughs to max out.”
- “Missions feel varied in their objectives and the fact that much of the game is randomly generated gives it a lot of replayability.”
- “This ability to customize along with randomly generated missions adds a lot of replayability.”
optimization
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
46%
13%
Overall, the game is praised for its strong performance and smooth gameplay, particularly in VR, with many considering it one of the most polished experiences on the Vive. However, the inclusion of Denuvo DRM is criticized for negatively impacting performance, especially in a multiplayer setting. While the graphics are colorful and well-designed, some players feel that sharper textures and details would enhance the experience further.
- “Overall, the game is absolutely great - one of the most complete and polished, optimized experiences on the Vive so far.”
- “Performance is fantastic; however, it would be nice to have sharper textures and more detail, but the overall style is really well done so you forget about it quickly.”
- “Very well optimized game.”
- “Denuvo really hurts the performance of this game.”
- “I started playing, and realized I can't use Vive controllers, even though the game is being marketed as 'optimized for Vive'!”
- “Can't fathom why this title would even need Denuvo though; first off, it's VR, so that's flat out the worst use of this performance-hogging DRM as more people could play the game without it.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The music in the game is generally well-received, complementing the retro-neon graphics and enhancing the gameplay experience with its electronic beats. However, some players find the soundtrack to be unmemorable and simplistic, likening it to "baby's first techno." Overall, while the audio effects are appropriate and enjoyable, the music may not leave a lasting impression.
- “The soundtrack and audio effects are also appropriate to the style of the game.”
- “It's great to play with something in the background, or even without and just getting lost in the electronic beat music while you are blowing tanks left, right and center.”
- “The retro-neon graphics and synth soundtrack are perfect.”
- “The music can only be described as 'baby's first techno'.”
- “The other, again minor issue is the music and sound design.”
- “The music is just not very memorable or interesting.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game is praised for its exceptional stability, with users reporting no bugs or glitches and smooth performance even on high settings. It runs reliably in both standard and VR modes, providing a visually appealing experience without any crashes or hiccups. Overall, players find it to be a solid and well-optimized title.
- “Very solid game with or without VR, runs great, looks great, sounds great, has unlocks without being obnoxious, everything is done in-game from your tank's cockpit.”
- “It looks super cool and runs great (maxed out on 1080 GTX), no hiccups, no crashes.”
- “Simple clean graphics, runs great.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and somewhat pointless, particularly when starting each campaign with basic tanks and weak weapons. This repetitive experience detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “It feels a bit pointless and tedious to start each campaign with a basic tank and weak weapons.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is overshadowed by frustration from players regarding the lack of developer support and updates since 2018, which detracts from the overall enjoyment and connection to the game.
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the humor in the game, often finding themselves in amusing situations that lead to self-deprecating laughter, particularly when they make rookie mistakes despite being experienced VR users. This blend of relatable mishaps adds a lighthearted charm to the gameplay experience.
- “I found myself trying to look at my watch or point at things for my teammates in the real world and laughing at myself, again, as an experienced VR player making these day one type mistakes.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy has received negative feedback, with users expressing frustration over the in-app purchases, labeling them as unfair or excessive.
- “The in-app purchases are BS.”
- “The in-app purchases are BS.”