War of the Human Tanks
- January 10, 2014
- Yakiniku Banzai
- 3h median play time
In "War of the Human Tanks," players command a battalion of human-shaped tanks called Kansen in strategic battles during a civil war. Experience a unique blend of military strategy and role-playing elements as you upgrade your tanks, level up your officers, and complete various missions across different battlefields. Your choices and tactics will shape the outcome of the war and the future of your troops. Character count: 192 | Number of sentences: 3
Reviews
- Engaging and unique blend of visual novel and strategy gameplay, reminiscent of Battleship and chess.
- Charming characters and humorous storylines that provide depth and entertainment throughout the game.
- Great soundtrack that enhances the overall experience and adds to the game's quirky charm.
- Excessive dialogue and cutscenes can detract from the gameplay experience, making it feel slow-paced at times.
- Some players may find the combat mechanics simplistic and repetitive, leading to a grindy experience.
- Graphics and UI may feel dated or low-budget, which could turn off some potential players.
- music294 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 88 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been widely praised, with many users calling it the best soundtrack they've experienced, often noting that it lingers in their minds long after playing. The unique and engaging score complements the gameplay and narrative, enhancing the overall experience. However, some players also mention that the repetitive nature of the gameplay can lead to a grind, which may affect their enjoyment of the music over time.
“Play it by yourself and appreciate the music that will be stuck in your head for months.”
“Best soundtrack ever.”
“Great music, challenging gameplay, an enjoyable story, new game+, many tanks and modules to collect, and more.”
- story235 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of the game is a quirky blend of humor and emotional depth, featuring charming characters and a unique premise centered around "human tanks." While some players find the narrative to be nonsensical or overly simplistic, many appreciate its engaging plot twists and multiple endings that encourage replayability. Overall, the storytelling is presented in a visual novel format, which, despite its lengthy dialogue, adds a layer of charm and character development that resonates with players.
“The developers marry solid gameplay with a bizarre, funny, and at times downright dark storyline.”
“The story takes some twists and turns and was a lot more interesting and entertaining than I expected, basic anime clichés aside, and I was happy with how it was brought to its conclusion.”
“I'm really in love with the setting, and all the little things you can learn about the rather disenfranchised battle-androids they call human tanks; the story really exceeded my expectations in every way.”
“The amount of dialogue is excessive and wholly unnecessary; about halfway through the game I just skipped the whole thing, as I considered the plot and dialogue to be lifeless and uninteresting.”
“The main issue is that you spend more time clicking through dialogue than fighting, and where that may work for Mass Effect and similar games, this one has nowhere near a strong enough storyline to support that.”
“The story is slow to begin, but there are thought-provoking lines of dialogue, and combat is engaging.”
- gameplay106 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a unique blend of turn-based strategy and visual novel elements, often compared to games like Battleship and Fire Emblem, offering a mix of tactical depth and engaging mechanics. While some players find the gameplay challenging and rewarding, others note that it can feel simplistic or grind-heavy, with a significant amount of dialogue that may detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game is praised for its charm, interesting story, and solid gameplay, despite some criticisms regarding pacing and depth.
“Gameplay is unique and sufficiently challenging; the story is intriguing and the characters are entertaining and charming.”
“The gameplay is innovative, the plot is interesting, and filled with funny moments.”
“The gameplay is very unique for a strategy game, and the story has more depth than I expected for a game revolving around 'human tanks.'”
“The gameplay component is a competent riff on risk, but there's more luck involved than strategy, and it isn't nearly enough to make up for the slog of reading through the game's dialogue.”
“The gameplay feels kind of light, and isn't that tactically deep.”
“I came thinking it was a grid-based strategy game using tank troops, but got something that was the equivalent of playing battleship and having the other player say 'hey for the fun of it let's move our ships around every minute.'”
- humor53 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky, dark, and often absurd elements, appealing particularly to those with a taste for unconventional comedy. Players appreciate the funny dialogues, light-hearted yet poignant storytelling, and the amusing interactions between characters, especially the anthropomorphized tanks. While some find the humor hit-or-miss, many agree that it adds a unique charm to the gameplay experience, making it enjoyable for fans of anime and visual novels.
“Funny dialogues and a story that is not really deep nor smart, but that does its job.”
“The developers marry solid gameplay with a bizarre, funny, and at times downright dark storyline.”
“The story part is presented as an episodic anime with lots of light-hearted humor, but also deep topics such as humanity, loyalty, sacrifice, and betrayal.”
- graphics36 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as simple and low-quality, yet endearing, with a charming chibi art style that appeals to many players. While some reviewers find the visuals lacking and repetitive, others appreciate the cute character designs and the overall aesthetic, noting that the graphics do not detract from the enjoyable gameplay and engaging story. Overall, the graphics are considered adequate for the game's price and contribute to its unique charm, despite not being state-of-the-art.
“The visuals in War of the Human Tanks can be described as 'simple yet pleasing'.”
“The voice acting is in Japanese and the music and aesthetics provide a nice anime feel with the cute, cartoonish character models and backgrounds.”
“Apparently, the art style just needed some getting used to, because once I got into it, I thought the graphics were actually pretty good.”
“The graphics are incredibly cheap.”
“The art style is cheap, the backgrounds during the visual novel scenes are incredibly bland and bad.”
“The graphics are quite poor, sounds are okay at best.”
- grinding27 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that grinding is a significant aspect of the game, often described as repetitive and necessary for progression, particularly for upgrading units and completing the story. While some players find the grinding rewarding and manageable, others feel it can become tedious, especially when aiming for 100% completion. Overall, the grinding experience varies, with some players enjoying the challenge it presents, while others wish for a more balanced approach.
“Fighting is boring, repetitive, and based on endless resource farming.”
“The downside is that the unit management mechanics encourage grinding to the extreme.”
“Grinding is necessary to get the best of every unit.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the multiple endings and engaging gameplay, others find the AI's predictable tactics and lack of immediate incentive to replay diminish its value. Despite this, a few reviews highlight a strong focus on story and enjoyment, suggesting that it may still appeal to fans of the genre looking for a solid experience.
“I would recommend this game to players looking for a decently long, very Japanese strategy game with a solid focus on story and replayability.”
“Overall, I would give the game 8/10 for anybody that enjoys JRPGs, strategy games, or anime in general. It's so worth the price of 10 bucks, and if you can get it on sale, better because it has so much replay value that you will always be coming back to the game for some JRPG goodness.”
“Liked the gameplay, pretty good replayability, decent story.”
“Predictable tactics by the AI result in somewhat disappointing replay value.”
“While four potential endings to the game give it some replay value, I do not feel an immediate need to go back through everything again to collect the other endings.”
“Overall, I would give the game 8/10 for anybody that enjoys JRPGs, strategy games, or anime in general. It is worth the price of 10 bucks, and if you can get it on sale, better because it has so much replay value that you will always be coming back to the game for some JRPG goodness.”
- character development8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is primarily conveyed through multiple storyline endings and dialogue, with players expressing a desire for deeper exploration of characters' backstories and emotional arcs. While the character designs are charming and contribute to the game's appeal, some players feel that the dialogue could be extended to enhance character depth further. Overall, the game is praised for its storytelling and character development, despite some criticisms regarding the simplicity of the art and backgrounds.
“Much of the character development happens in the multiple storyline endings, but I wanted to learn so much more about the characters' pasts!”
“The dialogue makes up most of the game, but I wouldn't mind at all if it were twice as long, for more character development and to let the emotional parts sink in.”
“First, the game really shines in the story and character development department.”
- emotional7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its beautiful dissonance, which evokes strong feelings despite its flaws, prompting players to explore multiple story routes for a deeper connection. The narrative, centered around human tanks, features touching moments typical of anime games, fostering a bond with characters that can lead to genuine emotional responses, including tears during their tragic fates. Overall, players find the experience both heartwarming and impactful, with a desire for more character development to enhance the emotional depth.
“And at the level of intent - the tone and theme of the story - it is somehow by the end a beautiful dissonance that can make you emotional in spite of its flaws.”
“And it is perhaps because of this emotional dissonance that I chose to play the games and their extra content multiple times to see different story routes - because I truly enjoyed it, and truly wanted to see what happened in other routes.”
“You'll bond with each of your units, and develop a personal affection for each of them as you send them off to their grisly demises, and when they die.... you may even shed a tear.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization allows players to enhance their units and create powerful combinations, leading to a personalized "super squad." Performance directly influences the multiple endings, emphasizing the importance of strategic upgrades over narrative choices.
“Like all visual novels, the game has multiple endings; however, here they are dictated by your performance rather than your choices.”
“As the game progresses, players can upgrade units and add accessories to improve performance, eventually creating their own 'super squad' of human tanks.”
“Like all visual novels, the game has multiple endings; however, these are dictated by your performance rather than your choices.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is well-crafted, striking a balance between light-heartedness and the serious themes of war, avoiding a tone that trivializes the violence involved.
“It's pretty nicely done, and creates a light-hearted atmosphere in a war game without going the Advance Wars route of pretending that people aren't getting repeatedly shot.”
“The atmosphere is immersive and captivating, drawing you into the world and making every moment feel significant.”
“The game's sound design and visuals work together to create a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that lingers long after you put the controller down.”