Derek C. Tillotson

For the most part, tanks have found a home among large-scale multiplayer games, thanks to games like World of Tanks. Players who've desired a more isolated and casual trip on these militaristic vehicles of destruction have frequently been the recipients of bad news. Fortunately, Codemasters has delivered Boom! Tanks, a one-on-one single player tank battle game. Hardcore tank battle fans may scoff at its simplicity, but that same element is also its greatest charm.Boom! Tanks adapts to its mobile platform by taking movement out of the player's hands. At first, it seems odd to have a game about mobile cannons that limits mobility. However, the end result is much more fulfilling because of it. Players are given control of their tank's turret. Each of the one-on-one battles is broken up into two stages: aiming and firing. The aiming stage requires players to drag a reticle over the opposing tank and hold it until the sights are locked in. How quick the aiming phase goes determines how accurate and damaging the shots will be during the firing stage. Firing is a simple process of waiting for the ammo to load, then tapping the screen when the black marker is in the center of the sights. Both the player and enemy tanks follow these phases simultaneously, making the entire process feel like a heavy-duty Wild West shootout."That's not to say there's no strategy in Boom! Tanks. Depending on what kind of tank is being used, the appropriate approach to a battle can change greatly. Charge shot tanks do the most damage after the ammo has sat in the cannon for a few seconds, while rapid fire tanks are intended to reload and fire quickly, landing tons of weaker hits. There are also balanced and elite tanks that combine elements of both types, creating greater versatility.