Table Top Tanks Bringing Explosive AR to PS Vita May 22nd

PS Vita Augmented Reality game Table Top Tanks, which we developed at Devil’s Details in Sheffield, UK. When we were asked if we’d like to develop Table Top Tanks by our friends at SCEE we couldn’t believe our luck: Who doesn’t like blowing stuff up with Tanks? And we got to play with and help develop PlayStation’s AR technology too. So, we said “Yes please!” and got down to work.

So, what’s in Table Top Tanks? Firstly, there are the tanks: They’re quite quick, nimble and fun to drive and you can choose from 10 different colors. Their main cannon is pretty powerful and you can upgrade its shell type by running over pickups; my favorite is the bouncing missile – they’re great fun to spray into the edge of the arena and watch them cause carnage and confusion as they bounce around. To get you started playing the game we’ve included a single player campaign, which will teach you how to play and challenge your tank skills.

But the real fun comes making your own maps using the simple editor. You pick a map size – small, medium or large – and then place virtual shapes around real world objects, so PS Vita can “see” the objects. You can also fill the shapes with water, smoke or fire and so that when they’re shot by a missile they’ll leak water, spill smoke or be set on fire.

Once you’ve crafted your level it’s time to play from a choice of capture the flag, last man standing or two vs. two game modes.

Table Top Tanks allows you to play with and against AI tanks (and you can choose how smart they are) but it’s much more fun to play against up to three friends over Ad Hoc. Share your newly created battlefield with your friends and duke it out from different angles. It’s really great fun, and because the levels are quick and easy to make go ahead and experiment by creating new maps.

With a little effort you can also move Table Top Tanks from the table top. If you print some new markers out but scale them up (we printed them so they filled A4 sheets, just make sure you keep the aspect ratio the same), you can upscale the awesome by playing Table Top Tanks on the floor rather than on a desktop. The Tanks become model car size and you can set up obstacles using the editor and get the whole house involved, blasting the dog or setting fire to the coffee table. We played quite a lot of large marker Table Top Tanks when we were developing the game and it’s serious fun; get some friends together and give it a go.

Finally, if you fancy a little extra twist on the tanks, we’ve got a tank pack DLC in the works which features our take on “toy” tanks. They’ve got a really distinct, bouncy shape and you also get a themed fighter jet too. They’re a firm favorite with us and we’re sure you’ll enjoy playing with them.

We look forward to hearing everyone’s feedback!