We learned more about the game ahead of its launch later this year.
Later this year, video game publisher Natsume and developer YummyYummyTummy will release ConnecTank on consoles and PC. SuperParent had the chance to learn more about the game at a recent preview event.
ConnecTank is a tank battle game that will challenge players to deliver packages while defeating enemy tanks that stand in their way. The game takes place in a fictional world called New Pangea, where the “gig economy” has taken over (think services like Uber and Lyft). Players will become a freelance gig driver, and they’ll be able to work for different tycoons to help them gain power in this economy.
Once players pick up a job, they’ll be presented with a procedurally generated map (this means the map is “randomly” designed, so each one will feel fresh). Each map has multiple routes to choose from to reach the final destination, and players can choose which route to take based on the tanks they’ll have to battle or the other characters they want to encounter along the way.
When players encounter an enemy tank, they’ll head into the tank battle screen. On this screen, the tanks are at the top of the screen, and players can view the inside of their own tank at the bottom. They’ll need to move conveyor belt pieces around their tank to link the “factory” with the tank’s “cannon” so they can fire ammunition at the enemy. There are a limited number of conveyor belt pieces available in each battle, so players will need to use some puzzle solving to figure out how the pieces need to be placed to create a complete track. (If your family is familiar with older games like Pipe Mania, the gameplay here is similar).
Once you create a complete conveyor belt, you’ll need to toss materials into a hopper to create ammunition that will automatically be fired at the enemy tank. You can follow blueprints on the wall of your tank to create specific kinds of ammunition, based on what you want to fire.
As you’re creating ammunition, the enemy tank will begin to fire at you as well. Different kinds of ammo interact in a “rock, paper, scissors” fashion, so you can strategize which kinds of ammunition to fire based on the enemy’s actions.
In addition, during battles, enemy characters may appear inside your tank, and you’ll need to fight them off before they can cause damage. Conveyor belt pieces can also overheat, and you can repair them or replace them with new pieces.
On paper, these battles may seem too chaotic, but as we watched someone else play, there appears to be a nice rhythm to the experience. At the same time, players will sometimes need to prioritize certain actions over others since they can’t address every problem at once. That is, they may choose to ignore the enemies inside their tank for a few moments in order to repair a conveyor belt piece, and so on.
As you complete orders for each of the game’s tycoons, their power in the in-game world will increase, which can change the game’s story (you can choose a single tycoon to support or work for them all equally). In addition to affecting the story, your choices can affect the game’s difficulty level. That is, levels for the most powerful tycoon may become more challenging as the other tycoons work to take them down.
Finally, players will be able to unlock dozens of different tanks as they play, and they’ll be able to upgrade their tanks to make them stronger over time. Players can also collect coins as they progress, which they can spend on ammo and ammo upgrades.
In addition to single-player gameplay, ConnecTank will support cooperative multiplayer gameplay for up to four players. The gameplay is designed to become more challenging depending on the number of players.
ConnecTank will be released on Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC this summer. The game is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
