ASCII Attack

So this is a cool little tank game with an "unconvenional" control scheme, you control the tanks's tracks, left track and right track. To me, it felt very tricky, but it also started to feel less trick the longer I played. I used an Xbox 360 controller, so I can't really speak for how good the keyboard controls are, ESDF and IJKL. WASD would have made more sense instead of ESDF, but I digress. For anybody who enjoys tank combat games regardless of the game's art style, I recommend picking this one up. I only played the first few levels of "normal", so take this "review" with a grain of salt. Let the tanks march onward!

If you are not used to this type of control it may take some time get used to it. Once mastered, the Game is pretty good actually! Aaaand it got Trading Cards which are worth 8 cent per Card (3 CARDS DROPPING) Worth it if you get it like me for free :)

Great twin stick tank game! Love the music too! Very nice indie title.

[h1]Short version:[/h1] ASCII Attack is an old-school top-down shooter with good difficulty balance, plenty of game modes, and a rarely seen control scheme. Its visuals may not be suited for those prone to nausea, but it is great for capturing the magic of old-old arcade games. [h1]Long version:[/h1] As other reviews already pointed it out, ASCII Attack is pretty much a remake of an old Namco game called Assault. It is a top-down shooter, where you drive a tank in realistic manner, meaning both threads are controlled individually. This present one small problem: the game is borderline unplayable without a controller (although it doesn’t hide this fact). Since this is a simple shooter, don’t expect complex gameplay. The goal of each level is to collect a set amount of code fragments, while trying to dodge the numerous stationary and moving enemies and their projectiles. Like all good games with a simple concept, it is deceptively challenging though—even for arcade veterans, thanks to its numerous game modes. The simple mechanics are accompanied by a simple visual style, where everything is ASCII art on an old dot matrix printer paper. This minimalism looks great, but presents a problem with the control scheme: since the tank is in the center with the entire level turning around it, players can get dizzy easily. However, those who can take it are awarded with a cool synthetic soundtrack and plenty of levels.

見てのとおりのナムコのシステムII性能デモンストレーションゲー「アサルト」クローン。 初音ミクのケツみたいなデザインのマップをＡＡで書かれた戦車が蹂躙していくという2000年代初頭の同人ゲームかゲームスクール卒業制作的な一作となっている。 操縦系はESDF(WASDじゃないのですごいやりにくいけどキーコンフィグはねえのだ)+IJKLのツインスティックで移動、スペースで射撃、レバー左右同方向に倒してロール（ロール表現もアサルトまんま）、レバーを左右に開いてサイトを出した状態でショットを押すことで遮蔽物飛び越し可能、広範囲攻撃可能なグレネード攻撃。アサルトを遊んだことがある人なら一瞬で理解できるだろう。 ただしあっちとちがってステージクリア時やジャンプ台等の拡大縮小系ギミックはカットされてるからな！爽快感は皆無だ！ ツインスティック戦車操作だと敵弾に対して横ロールくらいしか信頼性のある回避操作がないので「そもそも避ける必要のないプレイスタイル＝敵砲台が画面に入るか入らないかの遠距離から延々とグレネードをカス当たりさせて時々敵が処理できたか少し前進して確かめる」という死ぬほど地味なゲーム進行もアサルトを遊んだことのある人にはおなじみ。 ちなみにレバーちょん入れの最小限移動でロールして敵弾回避をしようとした場合、戦車は元の姿勢に戻ろうとする＝移動入力前の場所に戻ろうとしてしまう。この動作がかなりきびきびしているため、「単発の弾をロールで避けたつもりが自分から弾に当たりに戻ってしまう」という不快な現象が多発するのだ。あたり判定もでっかいんだぜ。 ゲームモードは不自然なほどたくさん準備されているが「難易度がちょっと違います（違いがよくわからないぜ）」「ショットが打てないモードです」「こっちはグレネードなし」「左右ロールがなしもあるよ！」「内容一緒だけど残機なし」等、一昔前の大陸で売られてた1000in1詰め合わせ海賊版ファミコンソフトみたいな事になっているのだった。全部一緒やん！ お値打ち感としては200円切ったあたりが買いだと思う。 プレイシティキャロットでアサルト見かけてとりあえず１クレジット分、そして「自分がこのゲームの遊び方をつかめてないから面白くないのか、あるいはこのゲームは単につまらないのか」を確認するための追加の１クレジット分と同額だからである。 これに加えて「アサルトプラス？こんなの出したんだ、一応遊んでおくかな…」ってもう１クレジット入れた経験のあるような人なら定価で買ってしまうのも悪くないだろう。 でもお勧めはしない。 そもそもアサルトは人にお勧めするのに向いてない。

Fans of the 1988 Namco arcade game "Assault" http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=6934 will instantly recognize the controls and gameplay (and a lot of the enemy vehicles and emplacements too!) Excellent adaptation with a novel art style. Don't give up if the controls aren't immediately intuitive to you; this was originally a HARD game to learn, but once you get the feel for them you can pull off some sphincter-wrenching evasive maneuvers and return fire like a ... I dunno, a ninja in a tank that can roll sideways, I suppose. 10/10 would fondly remember spending most of my college scholarship money a quarter at a time again.

Tank simulator with REAL tank controls: Control treads individually! Barrel roll, 360noscope and shoot your way across a paper battlefield. Very unique! I'm bad at it, but I can recognize that it's a good concept for someone looking for something new.

Neat visual theme, and the tank controls are fun. Takes a little bit of practice to get really skilled with the twin tank tread controls, but its a fun throwback to the Battlezone style arcade game of the '80s and '90s. Definitely fun on keyboard, but worth trying with a controller as well. Fun indie game for the price!

I've spent around an hour with ASCII Attack so far but wanted to get a review out for other potentially interested gamers. This game has mechanics that are heavily influenced by an old school arcade game called Assault (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxdh1hRqK2k). In that arcade game you had two sticks which controlled each side of the tank individually, requiring some amount of dexterity and learning on the part of the gamer to be successful at it. Thats the kind of game ASCII Attack is. There isn't any hand holding, there are a few screens explaining how to move in the game, no tutorial, no ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, you just jump in and get owned because you aren't automatically amazing at a control mechanic you don't use every day (like WASD or something like that). I think that's what I like about this game. My dexterity is challenged more than most games do, because I have to think about the way my tank moves and how I move it more than other games do. I find myself getting better as time goes on, so I think higher skill can be accomplished over time. I tried the keyboard layout too, which was really hard to get used to, then all of the sudden it clicked and my brain was processing it. I like the whimsical ASCII art approach to the game. It's bare bones to be certain, but cute in its own way. I'm old enough to remember old printer paper like this and what a pain it was to tear the edges off without ruining my homework. ASCII art used to be one of the only ways to do simple art for BBS's back in the day (yeah I'm old) and its fun to see it animate in this game with the moving tank, turrets and explosions. The music is pretty good, if a bit repetitious. That's a mark of an old school arcade game too, I guess. It's cool to see music DLC instead of hidden away levels though. Overall I think ASCII Attack is a pretty fun little indie game, it can be a bit tough, but I like harder games and I like the lack of tutorial and hand holding, I'm so tired of that. Priced at under $3.00 is great too, my Starbucks that came and went this morning cost more than this game did.

[quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]Follow our curator page: [b]IndieGems[/b] if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/url][/quote] [h1]CAVEAT BEFORE I BEGIN[/h1] This game may cause motion sickness and nausea, please be aware of this prior to trying. [h1]The Actual Review[/h1] ASCII Attack is a top-down shooter with ASCII graphics and interesting controls, which take some time to get used to. Unlike other shooters, the movement is coordinated by both hands, whether on the controller or the keyboard. You control a tank and move around by controlling the left and right tracks individually. I have never driven a tank in reality, so I am unsure whether this is realistic or not, but certainly makes for interesting gameplay that improves with better learning of the movement. It is also a bullethell type game and requires you to do some specific dodging, and thus there is a barrel-roll function. (That I am sure is not realistic for tanks.) Realism aside, you are looking at simple ASCII art, with your battleground being old school dot matrix printer paper. The levels are set up so that you collect bits and pieces of launch codes so that they do not fall into the wrong hands and destroy the world. Your tank is a rather peculiar model that can unlease the fury of an @om bomb on your enemies. I really like this clever use and design. As you can tell, I am easily amused and pleased. There is a variety of levels and different game modes to keep this game rather refreshing and fun. There are multiple difficulty level options that also further adjust your movement with limitations, just to keep that stream of sweat running down your back. [h1]The Verdict[/h1] Simple styled top-down shooter with interesting graphics and unique gameplay. There is a learning curve due to the controls but nothing that is designed to stump you, a mighty commander who is able to wield the @om bomb and who has many ASCII lives on your hands. Perhaps you should watch a gameplay video on Fullscreen to make sure that the game will not make your dizzy, nauseated, and thus give you a really bad time that you don't otherwise expect before buying. Other than that, this is a rather fun game and I definitely recommend it. [quote]I received the product for free. I did not receive any compensation to write this review. The opinions represented here are entirely my own and were not influenced in any way.[/quote]