Death Tank Zwei

Death Tank Zwei is a 2D real time multiplayer game that was bundled as a bonus game in the Sega Saturn version of Duke Nukem 3D. And as much as I enjoyed playing Duke 3D, I actually spent far more time playing this bonus game. In fact, Death Tank Zwei is probably the game I sunk more time into than any other on the Saturn.

So what is it, and why is it so good? It’s a 2-7 player free for all deathmatch game. Each player controls a single ‘tank’ which is represented by a different coloured block. The tanks are dropped at random onto the map screen – a solid yellow terrain with a purple sky. Movement of the tanks is slow and steady, but their range is limited somewhat by the generated terrain, which creates all manner of varying dips and hills.

The objective is to destroy all other tanks. Each tank has a standard shot which reloads every 2-3 seconds and you can aim by adjusting a targeting arrow to determine the angle of the shot and the range. The longer the match goes on, the more the terrain lowers and flattens until it eventually becomes a single plain.

By destroying enemy tanks, you’ll earn money you can spend on additional weapons and upgrades between rounds (and you can set how many rounds you want in a match, anywhere from 5-200). These weapons include things such as nukes, rolling mines, missiles, machine guns and my personal favourite – the Death’s Head – a devastating cluster bomb (although very embarrassing when you miss with it).

  

Obviously, the more powerful the weapons and upgrades, the more they cost. So do you save your money for the good stuff, or buy cheaper weapons to give you an immediate edge? Other upgrades include a deflecting shield, an explosive charge (which releases shrapnel on death, hopefully taking the enemy out with you) and my other personal favourite – the jump jets – which allow you to bounce across the battlefield. Weapons, such as the nukes, will also degrade the environment, and can actually be useful for punching a hole through terrain that may be blocking your line of sight, or for creating your own cover.

So whilst Death Tank may look like a rather simple game by its graphics, there’s actually a lot of depth to its gameplay. Its short rounds and the escalation of the conflict as heavy weapons come into play create an addictive and very enjoyable multiplayer experience. I actually bought a Saturn multi-tap just for this game, but I rarely got to use it.

I don’t think everyone appreciated Death Tank as much as I did. It was all about the fancy 3D graphics back in 1997 and there I was raving about a 2D game with a yellow map, a purple sky and various coloured blocks. Fortunately, I wasn’t alone in my love for the game, as a friend and I both got hooked and would spend hours battling one another. What else? The game has a great intro theme which I still recall to this day, as well as a fun little random ‘blitz round’ where all tanks can fire repeatedly without the need to reload.

Death Tank Zwei is another of my all time favourite games and simply one of the best games I’ve ever played. It’s something I break out and play whenever I get the chance. Just writing this post has made me want to play it again. Unfortunately, I’ve got no one to play it with right now which kind of sucks. DEATH TANK! DEATH TANK! DEATH TANK! YEAH!