Mow down your enemies for the right price of free in World of Tanks. Explosions burst as far as the camera will let you see as you fight in this up to 32 player war. There are a variety of tanks to chose from like agile Light tanks to decimating tank Destroyers and Artillery. You can also customize your tank with upgrades and cosmetic changes to really make it feel like your own.
Controlling the tank feels completely right, which can be a mixed bag depending on how you look at it. Running over obstacles never gets old and seeing the screen shake as you fire off a shell is as satisfying as it is climatic. While that scratches a destructive itch, tanks aren’t known for their speed or maneuverability. Circle strafing was by far the hardest thing to get used to, as a tank can only move forward and backward. This doesn’t affect most of the tanks since their turrets can rotate, but Tank Destroyers have fixed hulls that can make aiming difficult. Working with your teammates is unquestionably essential to survive. Everyone from the scouts to the heavy tanks have to work in tandem or face annihilation. Objectives for each skirmish are simple: either destroy the other team’s tanks or capture their base.
While WoT is a solid tank simulator, it’s not long until you’re looking down the barrel of its free-to-play aspects. Premium Tanks are by far the worst offenders, giving more affluent players advantages exclusive to their real-currency funded machines. If that wasn’t enough salt in the wound, losing a match means you have to pay for repairing and resupplying your tank. Daily Tank bonuses lessen the blow considerably, as they not only give you twice the silver to buy tank upgrades but also give you a reason to grease the wheels on everything in your garage.
Free to play can be done terribly wrong. WoT takes a few liberties that can be unnerving, but ultimately skill is what trumps any other card in this seemingly stacked deck. Many of the tanks play differently enough that it’s a sound investment to keep multiples of the same type in your stable of war horses. This fun romp full of explosions and destruction is definitely worth the asking price and even worth checking out if online multiplayer isn’t your thing.