5 August | Category: Indie games

Download link: http://www.normal-tanks.com/nt_setup_full.exe

Game homepage: http://www.normal-tanks.com/

Normal Tanks is a fascinating top-down arcade, released in 2009. All objects represent 2D sprites, but thanks to the normal-mapping technology the game looks really 3D! The recent game is very Contra-like: many places during gameplay remind us Contra, you can hear familiar music and even most battles with bosses (the main and strongest enemies) can’t but make compare Normal Tanks to Contra.

The tank you control is displayed from above (a plan view) and this makes the game absolutely thrilling! Your main goal is to move through several levels, killing various enemies (30 types – tanks, missile launchers etc. ) and doing your best to stay alive, which is not easy at all. The thing is that it’s pretty difficult to turn away from shells. You must be as fast as a shark in water and kill everything that moves, flies, shoots and threatens you; otherwise it’s you who will be killed.

It’s about time to get closer to the gameplay. In the main menu you’re supposed to choose a difficulty level (easy, normal and hard). After choosing any level you like, you’ll see another menu with basic features of the game (bonuses) and buttons for controlling the tank and regulating the sound. Music in Normal Tanks is really nice, but it can be switched off if you like.

At Stage 1, Canyon, your tank lands with a parachute and you immediately enjoy the exciting atmosphere of the game – a great design, picturesque graphics and bright objects. At first it looks rather calm, but something presages the first battle. A gamer doesn’t have to wait long to meet an enemy as within a few meters you encounter an enemy tank. That’s how the story begins. In the beginning you have 3 rests, but there are some bonuses that will help you stay alive longer in this life-and-death struggle:

1. Update active weapon
2. Tank repair
3. Cannon shells
4. Machine-gun cartridges

You pick them on your way or crashing walls or other objects with bonuses behind them. The maximum amount of rests you can have is 7. When you get killed, you continue the game (land with a parachute) setting up from the same place you were killed at. A big disadvantage is that you lose all bonuses you have picked.

Stage 2, Base. The boss in this level is a huge tank. However, it’s not a big deal to make away with it provided you: 1. find its weak place, 2. turn away from its shells. You’re recommended to have a powerful weapon (shoot with 3 cartridges).

Stage 3 is titled Cave. The boss you meet at this stage is a dragon with a long neck, which is not easily killed. The dragon stretches out his neck, trying to damage your tank. It also shoots with fire and lets out three spiders, which attack you (spiders are better killed with a machine-gun). I advise you to move from place to place, thus turning away from head neb and fire shots. Mind, at this stage you will get to encounter with trench mortars, which are able to throw mines over walls. Other enemies you’ll have to fight are bats with grenades. I think a machine gun is the best weapon against them.

Stage 4, Cave – 2. The boss is a skeleton’s head that kind of splits apart and becomes invulnerable. I would say, it’s the biggest advantage of this creature. It shoots with egg-like shells. In order to kill the boss easier, you will have to destroy three red balls that defend him.

Stage 5, Snowy Mountain. On your way there will be numerous black mines you will have to avoid. The boss you will have to fight is a helicopter. It attacks you with different types of shells (grenades and homing bombs). The helicopter can be destroyed rather easily, so use any kind of weapon you like.

Stage 6, Power Plant. The boss you encounter in the end of the stage is an enormous two-legged iron monster. What I like is that your tank can drive under the monster, thus moving from his front to back. It helps you to kill the enemy in no time, just like the helicopter at Stage 5. The boss attacks you with red shurikens. You should also avoid canons that try to kill you with double-shells.

Stage 7, Hangars. At this stage you control a two-legged robot that shoots with plasmic shells. This weapon is pretty weak, and how many enemies want your death! There is no boss in this level, as you have to fight all those numerous opponents.

Stage 8, Aliens’ nest. The level was most likely created after the famous old movie Aliens. Our favourite tank is again with us. A few meters away you face a huge alien, but it’s not your boss. Your boss looks like a snake that comes up the ground and dives in again. To my mind, it’s the most powerful creature in comparison with previous ones.

The game is worth playing. Personally, I enjoyed every spent minute. The graphics, sounds, enemies, guns, and various objects are just awesome! To my mind, the game would be even cooler with a bigger amount of weapons and enemies. Hopefully, the sequel of the game will meet expectations of its players.

Finally, I’ll mention the control. It’s very easy to drive the tank, which gives you an opportunity to get started right. Shoot with a left-click, change your armour with a right-click and move using four basic buttons (up, down, left, right). Perhaps this simplicity of Normal Tanks but at the same time a catching plot makes the game way more exciting and loved than some tricked out and complicated ones.