Tank Battalion
A 1980 arcade multidirectional shooter by Namco.
Namco developed and published the 1980 arcade game Tank Battalion, a multidirectional shooter. Game Plan handled its North American release. Home versions appeared on the Sord M5 and MSX. Two sequels followed: Battle City on the Famicom and the arcade game Tank Force.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Namco
- Publisher
- Namco (JP); Game Plan (NA)
- Designer
- Shinichirou Okamoto
- Programmer
- Kazukuni Hiraoka
- Platforms
- Arcade
- MSX
- Sord M5
- Genre
- Multidirectional shooter
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The player must destroy twenty enemy tanks per round while protecting a base represented as an eagle.
- A theme based on the game was released as free post-launch DLC for Pac-Man 99.
- Hamster Corporation released the game as part of their Arcade Archives series for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in March 2024.
Reception
According to Cash Box, the ability to reshape levels by blasting through brick walls was what made Tank Battalion truly exciting. A 2015 Beep! writer praised the Sord M5 port for its smoother tank controls compared to the arcade version, but criticized its cramped play area and compressed visuals. Though they deemed the MSX version better, they still recommended the M5 release for Namco enthusiasts and collectors.
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