War In A Box: Paper Tanks

This nice Tower Defence game, set in a child's bedroom and featuring units from The Great War, has 24 levels which can be completed with a maximum of 3 stars each depending on player performance. Full star ratings are not required to progress to further levels but there is an Achievement for collecting 65 stars upon completion of the game.

Anybody with knowledge of Tower Defence games will instantly feel at home here as War In A Box : Paper Tanks is a by-the-numbers example. We place various towers at set locations in an effort to destroy the columns of advancing adversaries before they reach the end of the road and deplete a player life. We begin with 20 lives per attempt but with many more enemies it is easy to lose even the early levels if our towers are incorrectly handled. The enemies appear from out of a cardboard box and move into another if they successfully reach their exit.

We have a choice of only 5 tower types - heavy gun, cannon, flak gun, artillery and tesla - each with its own strengths and weaknesses - but not all are available for each level. They are initially introduced slowly and the final tower type, the tesla, ultimately makes its debut on level 13! Likewise with the enemy units. We will finally face 7 different foes by the end of the game but these, too, appear in a nice learning curve so we are not overwhelmed immediately. Weak land vehicles feature in the first couple of levels but these are soon reinforced with the likes of tanks, planes and, from level 10 onwards, even Zeppelin airships!

Each emplacement we create can be upgraded a maximum of 3 times, increasing its firepower strength and rate of shooting, but not the overall range. Unlike some Tower Defence games, enemy units are sadly not able to attack our towers as they move on by, which is a great pity as it misses an added strategic element, so once all our towers are built there is little else to do but sit back and see how they fare against the enemy waves. Fortunately we can increase game speed by up to 3 times. On some levels demolishing a tower at a reduced cost and building a different type is required to effectively collect maximum stars.

A problem for me was placing towers is rather limited to a small number of set locations - which are not always in the best positions - and building the correct defences can be a mere hit and miss affair. Certain towers are unable to fire through obstacles such as trees and buildings, for instance, so care has to be taken during deployment or we quickly face heavy defeat. Furthermore, the map can be zoomed in and out but we very rarely are able to view the whole battlefield on screen without scrolling the mouse and this, especially during frantic battles with lots of enemies on the road and in the air, can seem rather unnecessary and unfair.

Graphically the game is fine with large and colourful sprites which are easy to see. There is very little lag even in the thick of battle and the animation is very smooth. Sound consists of a good (if brief) soundtrack, explosion and bullet effects.

Despite a saturated Tower Defence market, War In A Box: Paper Tanks has some tough challenges but its learning curve is ideal for beginners while at the same time catering for veterans. At times its inability to show the entire map and limited tower locations can make it seem more like a puzzle game of mere trial and error, which can prove highly frustrating, although on the whole I have found the game extremely enjoyable so far.

Options include screen resolution, full screen, music and sound volume controls, graphics quality and either Normal or Expert difficult levels. There are 11 Achievements to collect, everything from collecting stars to completing the game in Expert mode, so certainly plenty to keep us entertained throughout our playing experience.

The key to the game "War In A Box Paper Tanks" (this is one multi-line key, copy the whole)

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0C9ybLQ4HhdEsYVTCSxiLcIeWS
3J+aOb38AMIrPtvwSSJjl/VDxT
krbsXn0Aktmv8H7ZV4uz8kZ3yn
F8qa9rYV/iAyCB4R=

Love this game because of it using WW1 vehicles (or at least inspired by them), and the concept of it being a table top game. Combined, just really fun to play and look at