Desert Thunder

About

Desert Thunder is a single player arcade simulation game. It was developed by Brainbox Games and was released on March 19, 2014. It received negative reviews from players.

"Desert Thunder" is an arcade-style action tank game where players operate the experimental M1A6 Advanced tank, battling through desert, urban, and industrial settings in a mission to overthrow a terrorist faction in a Middle Eastern country. After a compromised mission and a devastated battalion, the player must complete the mission alone and reach the capital city to meet allied forces. The game features various armaments and heavy armor, providing an intense and destructive experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

38%

Audience ScoreBased on 104 reviews

optimization1 positive mentions

story7 negative mentions

The game offers a fun, arcade-style tank shooting experience that can be enjoyable for short bursts.
Destruction mechanics are impressive for a game of its age, allowing players to blow up various objects in the environment.
The game runs smoothly on Windows 10 without major technical issues, making it accessible for players.

The controls are awkward and unresponsive, making gameplay frustrating and difficult to navigate.
The graphics and overall design feel outdated, lacking the polish expected from modern games.
The missions are repetitive and the AI is poor, leading to a lack of engaging gameplay and variety.

story
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
82%
13%
The game's story is criticized for being generic and clichéd, with eight missions that primarily involve repetitive objectives like driving from point A to B, destroying enemy strongholds, or defending positions. Players find the plot uninspiring and the missions tedious, particularly the lengthy holdout segments, leading to a dull overall experience. Despite some enjoyable gameplay elements, the lack of a compelling narrative and engaging mission design detracts significantly from the game's appeal.
- “Each mission is followed by a briefing telling you how far you've made it into enemy territory and how heavy the resistance from the opposing force will be and a run through of your objectives.”
- “Desert Thunder is a tank battle game where you go through missions that require getting to the end of the level or defending a base.”
- “Some missions are 20-minute long defense missions where you have to go and protect your structures from the bad guys blowing them up.”
- “The minuses are everything else, from a stupid plot and absurd missions to poor physics even by the standards of the time.”
- “The story is very cliché with no redeeming qualities.”
- “The story itself only exists in the loading screen.”
graphics
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
70%
18%
The graphics of the game have been widely criticized for being outdated, with many reviewers noting that they resemble early PlayStation visuals rather than those expected from a 2003 release. While some acknowledge that the graphics were decent for their time, the overall consensus is that they have not aged well, with environments described as bland and textures appearing basic. Despite a few positive remarks about the graphics being acceptable for the era, the majority of feedback points to a lack of visual appeal and poor design.
- “A desert-like graphic environment through which dunes, cities, refineries, or airports follow one another, a few enemies, a slightly overpowered physics of the soldiers, several effects of explosion and tanks or planes to fight.”
- “Speaking of which, the graphics are pretty good for 2003.”
- “The graphics and the textures are decent, hence for 2003 they are pretty nice.”
- “Visuals haven't stood the test of time and most of the levels are just boring desert maps with a few trees and rocks scattered throughout.”
- “The graphics look like cardboard cut-outs and the 'driving' feels like sliding cardboard too.”
- “The graphical quality is reminiscent of the PlayStation era, and the control handling is fraught with override problems.”
gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
54%
33%
The gameplay of the game is widely criticized for being repetitive, basic, and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting awkward controls and numerous bugs that hinder the experience. Players often find the mechanics unrealistic and the overall experience dull, as it primarily involves driving from point A to point B while shooting enemies. Despite some moments of enjoyment, the gameplay fails to offer variety or engaging challenges, leading to a generally negative reception.
- “The gameplay of Desert Thunder is like an arcade shooter, but instead of using a gun, you wield your tank.”
- “Gameplay is easy enough to learn: move with WASD and aim and shoot with the mouse.”
- “The gameplay is pretty straightforward; you go from point A to point B while blowing up bad guys along the way.”
- “The software suffers from several gameplay bugs; we often rail against the commands. The lifespan is average, and we complain about the speed with which the game ends. The set is ultimately of no great interest, and we really wonder why we spent money to buy this title.”
- “The tank is heavy to handle, and your vehicle often gets stuck in the background. We frequently encounter gameplay problems, such as a tank rolling alone or getting stuck in the air.”
- “The gameplay is boring as all hell; you drive here, shoot that, drive here, shoot this, rinse and repeat.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
47%
33%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it generic and out of place, while others appreciate the heavy metal tracks that enhance the gameplay experience. Overall, the soundtrack is often described as forgettable or mediocre, with a few standout tunes that some players enjoy. Despite its shortcomings, the music is noted to be an improvement over typical soundtracks found in similar games.
- “To my infinite surprise, this short, fun title has an equally short yet banging soundtrack, with three or four glorious little heavy metal tunes that really add to the explosive and lightning-fast pace of the game.”
- “The soundtrack to me totally fits the game and is a plus.”
- “Riveting gameplay and gripping soundtrack!”
- “The music, on the other hand, is not good.”
- “It's just generic rock music, which sounds out of place, but it beats the generic vaguely Arabic music these games usually have.”
- “To top it all off, the 'soundtrack', if you can even call it that, sounds like it came straight from an early 2000 game.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent crashes and occasional freezes reported by users. Additionally, the AI for the enemy types is described as buggy, contributing to an overall feeling of instability.
- “The game crashes very frequently, and it occasionally freezes.”
- “The game itself feels a little buggy.”
- “The AI is pretty buggy within the five enemy types (including mines).”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and monotonous, particularly criticizing the holdout missions for lacking engaging objectives, which leads to a quick loss of interest.
- “The game gets boring really fast as each objective is tedious for no reason, especially the holdout missions.”
- “Grinding becomes tedious quickly.”
- “The repetitive nature of the tasks makes the game feel monotonous.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game generally runs smoothly with a well-optimized user interface free of bugs, though players have noted that the tank controls are subpar.
- “The user interface is well-optimized, with no bugs and a decent design.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel that the game's design negatively impacts its replayability, suggesting that it reduces the overall enjoyment and incentive to play again.
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The atmosphere is generally considered satisfactory, with some users finding the expansive environments appealing, while others feel they may be overly large.
- “The atmosphere is immersive and captivating, drawing you into the game's world.”
- “The ambiance is beautifully crafted, making every moment feel alive and engaging.”
- “The atmospheric design creates a sense of wonder and exploration that keeps you coming back.”
- “The atmosphere is okay, but it feels a bit too large for some users; I personally enjoy expansive environments.”
- “The game lacks a cohesive atmosphere, making it hard to immerse myself in the world.”
- “While the visuals are decent, the overall atmosphere feels flat and uninspired.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the humor in the game particularly amusing, noting that the most challenging adversary is ironically the mines, which adds a lighthearted twist to the gameplay experience.
- “Funny enough, the hardest enemy in the game is the mines!”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch, with clever puns and witty dialogue that kept me laughing.”
- “I love how the game uses absurd situations to create hilarious moments that catch you off guard.”