Gel-Tank

About

Casual but profound! Simple, authentic 16-bit 2D style that will satisfy everyone from beginners to experts The action shooter is here! Dive into the soft and hard world of the ultimate 16-bit world, down to the resolution! Ugh!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

100%

Audience ScoreBased on 10 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Gel-Tank is a nostalgic love letter to Metal Slug, featuring great gameplay, graphics, and music that evoke the charm of 16-bit and early 32-bit era games.
The game offers a beefy campaign with a lot of story and unlockables, providing an enjoyable experience for players.
Despite being easier than its inspirations, Gel-Tank has a well-balanced design with unique mechanics, such as the ability to leave the tank for exploration.

The game can feel too easy, especially in the early stages, with a slow increase in difficulty and limited enemy variety leading to less engaging gameplay.
Some mechanics, like the ability to switch to gel mode, are underutilized, and the platforming elements feel incomplete or neglected.
The game suffers from minor technical issues, including crashes and a lack of attention to detail in spritework and sound design compared to Metal Slug.

story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
71%
21%
The game features a substantial campaign with a simplistic and campy storyline, centering on a gel creature evading the human kingdom army while discovering a legendary tank suit powered by advanced AI. Players can collect various power-ups and rescue allies to aid in their quest, although the lack of expressive enemies detracts from the experience, especially when drawing parallels to iconic scenes from Metal Slug. Overall, the narrative is engaging but may feel familiar and unoriginal to some players.
- “Different power-ups can be picked up which also have different advantages and restrictions, and the player can rescue 'POWs' who will aid you on your quest if you collect enough of them.”
- “The plot is simplistic and campy: a lone creature of the 'gel' species is hunted by the 'human kingdom army' and narrowly escapes while finding a legendary 'tank suit' in the process that is powered by an advanced A.I.”
- “The enemies are not expressive at all, which wouldn't be an issue if the game wasn't making nods to familiar scenes from Metal Slug, like the first train level that is supposed to resemble that one mission from Metal Slug 2.”
- “There is quite a beefy campaign with a lot of story and unlockables.”
gameplay
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The gameplay is straightforward, primarily focusing on shooting enemies, and while it effectively emulates the mechanics of Metal Slug, it is notably easier. An interesting climbing mechanic exists but is underutilized, with few opportunities to explore or discover secrets. Overall, the game combines solid gameplay with appealing graphics and music, making it a charming indie title.
- “A love letter to Metal Slug while still having a cute style and original mechanics.”
- “Great gameplay, graphics, and music for an indie.”
- “The gameplay is pretty straightforward for the most part... just shoot everything that moves.”
- “There is an occasional secret where you are required to climb a wall or do a water jump, but those are very rare, and there is next to no reason to do it during normal gameplay, except maybe to climb out of a pit.”
- “The core gameplay is solid, and it simulates the mechanics of Metal Slug well, but the game is noticeably easier.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality, featuring a strong soundtrack with catchy tracks, although some pieces are not original. The sound effects are also noted to be punchy and effective, contributing to the overall positive experience alongside the gameplay and graphics.
- “The sound effects are nice and punchy, and the soundtrack is unexpectedly great with a lot of bangers, though I don't believe all of the music is original (for example, the third stage of the first region plays 'Shizuka' from Ninja Brain's 'Assassination' album).”
- “Great gameplay, graphics, and music for an indie.”
- “The music is nice.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics are generally well-received, featuring nice designs with varied themes across levels, though they evoke a "bargain Metal Slug" aesthetic. While the visuals complement the solid gameplay and music, some players note a lack of enemy variety.
- “Great gameplay, graphics, and music for an indie.”
- “The graphics are nice and each level is slightly varied either by theme or design.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization is influenced by player performance in the tutorial, which determines the initial difficulty level; however, this setting can be adjusted in the options menu.
- “In the beginning, your performance during the game's tutorial will dictate what difficulty you start with (though you can change it in the options).”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is not directly addressed in the provided text, which focuses more on gameplay mechanics rather than emotional engagement or narrative depth. Therefore, it lacks insights into how the game evokes feelings or connects with players on an emotional level.