TankHead PC Review

TankHead sounds like something David Lynch might create if he was inspired by the military… in some ways TankHead is as odd as a David Lynch film and that’s a good thing.

The key premise is that you (Whitaker) have your mind projected into a “Needle”, basically a robust drone that can attach to and allow control of a tank. Importantly that Needle is also capable of repairing and upgrading the tank whilst in the field of battle. The aim of piloting a tank is to traverse the ECA (Event Containment Area), an area humans aren’t capable of surviving. Your end goal is to reach the mysterious Highpoint but to get there you are going to have to engage the vehicles and creatures of the ECA.

Visually the TankHead is quite pleasant… a sort of tank strewn landscape with little signs of life other than structures from presumably past inhabitants. As you make your way around you will encounter various enemies, from small floating drones to tanks similar to your own and on to bigger tanks and eventually boss vehicle/creatures, the first of which is a bit like a Howls Moving Castle crossed with Metal Slug.

The audio is generally quite good, I’m not entirely sure what I feel about the dialogue though as sometimes it seems a bit stilted or odd… but that might be intentional given the mechanical nature of the characters. There are certainly some satisfying battle sounds though!

Gameplay primarily involves making your way around a map to find and achieve goals, there are primary tasks and then bonus locations/items you can recover through exploration. As you do so you will come across enemy tanks and emplacements, some enemies are already on the ground, others will be dropped in. Combat can become a bit repetitive in so much as it basically involves keeping moving to avoid being hit whilst at the same time landing as many hits on your enemy until you take them out. Once you have downed an enemy (at least tanks) you have a chance to see if you can salvage anything from their remains… wheels, engines, armour etc. You can either swap out parts or you can salvage parts and use the salvage to repair your own tank. Keeping track of damage (and repair kits/materials) along with ammunition are what will determine whether you win or loose.

The basic mechanics are simple enough and you will find your rhythm getting into skirmishes… things get a bit trickier when more enemies get involved or when you have to tackle a region’s boss. But ultimately the same thing applies, race around avoiding being hit whilst trying to hit your foe as much as possible and as devastatingly as possible (this is where the different loadouts can have a big impact).

It’s a fun game and even though the basic actions can get a bit repetitive… the fact that the type of enemy you are facing varies, smaller tanks similar to your own, to larger tanks or drone like attack units, helps to keep it interesting. If nothing else it can be fun to just drop in and race around and have a little battle.

Final Thoughts?

In a field of games that typically offer a slight variation on a theme… TankHead stands out as something a bit different. If you like the idea of tank warfare but with perhaps a bit more of a kit-bashing feel… grab a copy.