It’s been a while since Draw Something and Words With Friends first made mobile gaming a bit more social and interactive. Since then, a lot of iterations have come out — one of them being BattleFriends in Tanks, Tequila Mobile‘s follow-up to the previously released BattleFriends at Sea. Although it basically is a turn-based, multi-player game that follows that of earlier games, it adds an element of arcade action — with players taking turns to shoot at each other’s tanks or at least try to.
Connect and blast ’em
Being a game that requires you to either play with your friends or random opponents, BattleFriends in Tanks require an internet connection, preferably a connection of at least 1 Mbps and up. This is important since the game relies on a speedy connection to run seamlessly.
In the game, two players take turns in shooting at each other’s tanks. You can either invite your real life friends in Facebook, Twitter, e-mail or by SMS, or you can pick a random player to start right away. Once the game starts, you can either wait for your opponent to make a move, or move on to another player.
Choose your weapon and strategy
Of course, nothing is ever as simple as shooting a tank on the other side of the plane. The task is made difficult with different objects blocking your shot, such as trees, communication towers and rocks. You can blow them up, too, but it wastes your chance of actually shooting the enemy.
Gold bars are the currency of the game, and these are useful for changing the kinds of ammunition the tank shoots. A standard bullet is free to use, but if you want to use special ones — like the Sniper shot or a grenade — you’ll have to shell out some gold to get them. There’s an in-app purchase option to buy more gold, but you can also accumulate them for free when you send a message to other players, or when you share your progress in Facebook or Twitter.
Controls are a bit tricky with this game, and it takes a few tries to actually make a decent aim (most of the time my bullets keep landing on the ground, a few inches away from the tank).
Conclusion
Overall, BattleFriends in Tanks is a fun, colorful game that’s interactive, too. I didn’t expect to be playing it for one hour straight, but that’s how engaging it can be. The only gripe is that the game might get a bit repetitive after a while, as you have to wait for the opponent to make their move which sometimes can take forever. As a result, you end up looking for more players.
If you want something that looks cute as button, is extremely social and can hold your attention for at least a few minutes, then get in the tanks and have a blast.
