Battlezone (2016 video game)

Lore & Background

Battlezone is played entirely in first person, from within a tank cockpit. The game was originally designed for virtual reality with gamepad control. HUD elements include targeting crosshairs, but most readouts are presented on display panels mounted around the cockpit, together with a holographic top-down radar display.

One player starts a campaign by selecting a difficulty level and campaign length. Up to 3 other players can join, for a total of 4 players. Players can drop in or out at any time, including during gameplay. Each player chooses a tank that they use for the entire campaign, and each tank comes with an initial weapon loadout.

The tank's loadout can be changed at supply points during the campaign. The objective is to travel across a procedurally-generated hex map, ultimately to destroy the enemy's AI core in the volcano at the far end of the map. Each hex contains either a battlezone, a supply point, a shield generator, or a random event.

Battlezones have different objectives — completing the objective and defeating enemies earns players 'data', which can be spent on upgrades or new weapons. Each shield generator destroyed reduces the defences in the final AI core confrontation. Players have a shared pool of lives, starting with 3. More can be purchased with data, but the cost increases rapidly.

When all players are dead with no lives remaining, the campaign ends in defeat. A downed player can be revived by another player. A post-launch patch added 'classic mode', which recreates the original 1980 wireframe vector game in the virtual reality environment.

Reader's Guide

Battlezone (2016) represents a significant attempt to revive a classic arcade franchise for the virtual reality era. As a launch title for PlayStation VR in October 2016, it helped define the early VR gaming library. The game's design emphasizes cooperative multiplayer, allowing up to four players to work together through a procedurally generated campaign. Its cockpit-based first-person view and holographic displays were tailored for VR immersion.

The later Gold Edition, released in May 2018, added non-VR support and an Xbox One port, broadening its audience. Despite receiving mixed reviews according to Metacritic, the game stands as a notable early VR title that attempted to blend modern cooperative gameplay with nostalgic arcade mechanics. Its legacy includes demonstrating how a classic arcade game could be adapted for contemporary VR hardware while retaining core elements of tank combat against AI enemies.