Totally Accurate Battle Simulator

Lore & Background

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator was created during a week-long game jam in a Swedish castle, using the Unity game engine. Landfall released a download for people who signed up to their website in July 2016, followed by an open alpha in November 2016 and a closed alpha in December 2016. The game entered early access on Steam on April 1, 2019, and exited early access for Windows and Mac on April 1, 2021. The game features two main modes: Campaign, where players have limited currency to defeat enemy forces, and Sandbox, which has no currency limit and allows players to build both armies. A May 2019 update added the ability to 'possess' units, controlling them manually from third- or first-person perspective. A May 2020 update introduced new winning conditions, such as surviving for a given time or killing a specific enemy unit. A December 2020 update added the Unit Creator, allowing players to create custom units using assets from TABS and its spin-offs. A map creator was added on November 20, 2022. The game has over 130 units across fourteen factions, including historical themes like Tribal, Farmer, Medieval, Ancient, Viking, Dynasty, Renaissance, Pirate, and Wild West, as well as fictional factions Spooky, Good, Evil, Secret, and Legacy. Five scrapped factions include Aztec, Napoleonic, World War, Neon, and Desert Kingdom. Some units are hidden on maps and must be found to be unlocked. The game features twenty maps plus twenty-two additional 'Simulation' maps, with various easter eggs that unlock special units.

Reader's Guide

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator received generally positive reviews, noted for its 'vibrant and goofy take on chaotic combat' and 'silly graphics and kind of wonky body physics' that contributed to its 'charming appeal of an otherwise realistic simulator'. Critics described it as 'brilliant in its simplicity' and 'outstanding', with battles characterized as 'madness' but possessing a 'clever piece of mathematical symmetry' that reminded players of building toy armies in childhood. The game's legacy includes numerous free updates that added maps, units, editors, bug fixes, and performance improvements. It also spawned two spin-offs: Totally Accurate Battle Zombielator (a survival horror parody, released April 1, 2017) and Totally Accurate Battlegrounds (a battle royale parody, released June 5, 2018). The game's Unit Creator and map creator, along with an in-game workshop for sharing custom content, extended its replayability. Online and local multiplayer modes were added with the full release in April 2021.

Did You Know?

• The Bug DLC, released on April 1, 2020, donated half its proceeds to Doctors Without Borders.
• There are five scrapped factions: Aztec, Napoleonic, World War, Neon, and Desert Kingdom.