The Wargamer

Author:  Jim Zabek

The typical game for an iPhone runs a couple of dollars, so generally speaking it’s not much of a risk if I buy a game I don’t like.  Recently I bought an iPhone and one of the first things I did was typical: I started looking for apps.  Some are free, some are not, but if there’s anything that presents a challenge to finding them it is the difficulty in getting past the first 50 or so of the top of the sorting list.  It’s easy enough to sort by categories, but after that it’s something of a crap shoot.  However, after purchasing a game very similar to the AC-130 missions in Call of Duty 4 (called AC-130, coincidentally enough) I found I enjoyed the game but it got repetitive.

Fortunately Apple offers a Genius tool that makes recommendations based upon apps you already own.  After turning that on and looking around I ran across Kil.A.Ton.  The graphics looked snazzy and it was about tanks pounding on each other.  What wasn’t to love about that? I bought it.

Turns out it was a great move.  This is the first iPhone game I’ve really loved.  I’m still new to games on the iPhone, but I’ve played games for long enough to be able to spot a great one when I see it.  Kil.A.Ton is a ton of fun. 

The game mechanics are simple:  the player is pitted against up to five opponents.  The opponents can either be controlled by the AI or against multiplayer online play.  Battles have a single objective: be the last man standing.  Points are awarded for each kill, and bonuses can be collected for killing the leading player with the most points, getting a revenge kill – killing someone with a last shot as they get you, shooting an opponent while he’s moving, and so on.  Points are deducted for “suicides” where a shot detonates too close to the player’s tank and creates a self-inflicted kill. 

Each battle has several rounds, typically 10 though that can be adjusted.  Initially players start only with a standard shell that has infinite ammo and the ability to move via short hops, called “hover”, which also has an infinite number of charges.  Within each round of combat is a turn where players select their action, angle of attack, and power of attack.  As noted above in the first round the action is limited to either hover or firing a standard shell.  As the rounds go by the player’s points go up (expressed in dollars) and that opens access to more powerful weapons.  Some weapons are area weapons, some are more powerful direct fire ones, and there are some defensive items such as Repair, Repel Shields, or Jump Jets which allow the tank to repair damage, raise a defensive shield to block or reduce damage, or move great distances across the map.

The map is a static 2D map typically placing the tanks on some kind of rugged mountain-like terrain.  The colors displayed are well rendered and backdrops are often beautiful.  The interface is simple and intuitive.  Players select the angle of attack for their fire by touching the screen (hence the game is only available on iPhones and iPod Touches)  and dragging the firing reticule to the desired angle.  The player then holds down the Fire button for a length of time.  The longer it’s held, the more power (longer the range) of the shot.  It reminds me a bit of old pinballs – the further back one pulled the lever, the more power was sent into the ball.  It’s the same concept here.  By adjusting the angle of attack and power placed into the shot, the player adjusts where the shot will go.  Sometimes the angle of attack is critical; some terrain places a target next to a nearly sheer wall and steep trajectories are required to hit it.  The actual damage done in an attack is based upon two factors:  the type of munitions and the proximity of the hit.  A glancing blow by a direct hit munition will result in a small amount of damage (tanks have a kind of hit point health bar system to measure their degree of damage).  Some munitions, like magnetic mines, will actually seek a target out.  Most, however, require getting reasonably close, if not precisely on target to deal the most damage. 

One of the things I noticed about the AI is that it applies the old Japanese adage that “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.”  There is a hefty bounty for killing the current leader of the game.  I have found a solid strategy is to attempt to kill some tanks early but not to get caught up in being the winner early on – the bounty on a leader makes you a highly visible target.  Trying to hold on to second or third place until the last couple of rounds, then steal the lead is often the best way to beat the AI.

I haven’t had the opportunity to play real opponents yet, but it appears as though there is a bonus for XP granted by playing on Thursday nights – something I intend to avail myself of tonight. 

I realize that Kil.A.Ton won’t set most games back much money, so reviewing it in order to save folks some cash isn’t a big motive.  Instead, I would simply point out that if you have an iPhone or iPod Touch and you’re a wargamer, this is the kind of mobile platform action that you won’t want to miss.  If the Apple Genius hadn’t pointed it out to me I might never have seen it.  Based on my short amount of playing over the last few days I’m calling this a big win and a can’t miss.  Get it and enjoy it.  Maybe we’ll see each other online.