Mini Tank Mayhem Review

Mini Tank Mayhem is a roguelike deck-building tower defence game that has you tossed in the middle of a powerful mini tank battle against waves of alien invaders to protect Earth. Developed and published by Algorocks, this title blends a variety of genres together in what looks to be an action-packed experience. Will this mix pay off and create an exciting title that will be fun to play, or will it feel disjointed, as though the pieces don’t work well together?

It’s 3am, and you are still awake coding on your computer when the sky tears open and a massive rift splits reality itself. People are running and screaming, while others use their phones to start recording. Alien vessels come through this opening, destroying buildings and taking down all the defence systems. In a couple of hours, humans realise that if they fight the enemy here, everything they are trying to protect will be destroyed. So, they will have to find a new place to battle.

Dr. Maru has discovered that the rift leads to an In-Between world that the aliens pass through to get to Earth; control this bridge to control the world. The President establishes a unit called T.A.N.K. (Tactical Assault and Neutralization Kommand) — I know that “command” is spelt wrong, but it works for the acronym. This newly formed unit needs a tactical commander. They couldn’t find an adequate candidate internally, so they searched for someone qualified. This is where our programmer comes in; he will take control of the mini tanks to stop the incoming alien threat. The fate of Earth rests in his hands.

Instead of playing through a tutorial when you first begin the game, you have the option to jump straight into the action and figure it out yourself. It’s not terribly difficult to learn, as you will be selecting which cards from your hand you want to use to attack the foe. However, if you want some guidance on how the different types of cards work together, you can find the tutorial tucked away in the settings section of the main menu.

Your mission is broken up into two easy-to-remember steps. Step One — stop the invading aliens from obliterating our home. Step Two — nope, there is no second step, just follow Step One. With your goal laid out for you, it’s time to learn how to use the cards available in your hand.

There are multiple branching paths to select from, made up of numerous types of nodes, including battle spaces, shops, and event spaces. The Rest Stop lets you spend the crystals (which are the in-game currency) you have earned to repair your base or buy new cards or artefacts. Event Stages are randomly generated and require a decision to be made. It may give you a reward, or it may result in a negative outcome. Elite Battle Stages have stronger enemies and more waves, but the reward is also much better. 

Enemies can enter the stages from multiple entrances, so you will need to make sure you have them all covered. Some enemies don’t even follow the path, but in the end, you know they will head to your base to attack it.

Your hand consists of five cards made up of three different types: Assault pieces that allow you to place tanks to attack incoming enemies, Modules that are used for upgrading your units, and Spells that give you extra firepower against the alien forces.

Playing your cards requires energy. If you don’t have enough, then you can’t place anything and will just have to start the wave. You can’t simply play everything you have in your hand; you will need to be strategic in selecting which cards to use to successfully destroy the incoming wave of enemies. Once that is finished, you will get additional cards to replenish your hand before the next set of aliens arrives. After you successfully defeat all the waves in that space, you are rewarded with crystals (which are the in-game currency) and a card to add to your deck.

When you are placing your tanks, you will see glowing tiles that make your unit stronger when placed on them. Some make you attack faster, while others increase the range of their shots. You can also add modules to your unit to boost its abilities, increasing the amount of damage it inflicts or raising its defences against enemy attacks. Once you have everything placed, it’s time to start the wave and see how your units fare against the invaders.

Your base only has 20 health, and that has to last for the whole run. Any enemies that get past your tanks will deal damage. If the base’s health drops to zero, your run is over, and you need to start again from the beginning. My first run in the game lasted a little over an hour, ending when I met my demise battling the final boss and its seven waves of enemies.

When you are defeated, you receive a Commander Report that shows how many stages you cleared, how many elite spaces you completed, and how many events you passed. It tallies up your points and gives you a Final Score for that run. You unlock new cards and new characters to play as. On this run, I unlocked Gary the Grenadier and Roxy the Engineer, each with their own card deck to use.

The visuals in Mini Tank Mayhem are bright and colourful, with a fun variety of alien enemies and tanks to battle with. The game tells its story through cartoon-like cinematics before tossing you into your fight against the waves of enemies. The map you battle on is static, but the route the enemy takes is animated, so you can see exactly how the aliens will move through the level and plan which spots will be best for placing your tanks. The music is upbeat yet tense, mirroring how you feel as you watch the enemies make their way through the stage and closer to your base; it fits the game perfectly.

Mini Tank Mayhem is one of the most exciting and tense tower-defence titles that I have played. Mixing it with a roguelike deck-builder adds a lot of replayability, and with so much to unlock, like new cards for your deck and new commanders with unique cards, it makes you want to keep coming back to play. The game gets incredibly nerve-wracking when the enemy approaches your base while it is low on health!