Thunder Tank: Iron Shield

Auto battler where you equip a tank on a grid, combine items, and watch it fight. Earn money, upgrade gear, pick perks, and aim for strong setups to clear waves and bosses. This game is an auto battler where you equip a tank with various items and weapons. At the start of each run, you receive three random items for free. The tank has limited space arranged in a grid of squares. Some items occupy a single square, while others take up two or more. Item orientation is fixed, so you cannot rotate them to fully optimize every available space. You can refresh the shop using money, but to earn it you must go out and fight enemies. The tank moves automatically in a straight line, destroying everything in its path. You have no direct control, so all you can do is watch until it reaches the next checkpoint or is destroyed, which forces you to restart the run. The variety of items is solid. There are weapons like flamethrowers, machine guns, and rockets, as well as support items such as soldiers, money bags, and toolboxes. Since the tank only heals a very small amount between checkpoints, it is important to pick up at least one fuel tank item with an auto heal perk. Toolboxes are also valuable because they provide a regenerating shield when you avoid damage. Items can be upgraded by combining two identical ones, which greatly increases their effectiveness. However, only items of the same level can be merged, so a level one infantry unit cannot be combined with a level two. A helpful feature is that identical items in the shop can be merged directly there without placing them in the tank. On the downside, unused items cannot be stored for later and are lost. One of the most important upgrades is extra space, which allows you to equip more items on your tank. In addition to the standard three-item offer, you may occasionally receive an option to spawn advanced items after clearing a checkpoint. This option is free and presents three choices, just like the regular shop, but all items are of higher quality. The tank gains experience from each kill, and when it levels up, you choose one perk from a random selection of three. These perks can be general, such as increased experience gain or higher damage, or they can depend on your setup, like a faster firing rate for items placed next to a toolbox. Perks come in three rarity tiers, with purple being the strongest. Completing a full run, which consists of around ten waves including a final boss, returns you to the main map with rewards. You earn coins, diamonds, and equipment pieces. Coins and diamonds are also awarded for each checkpoint reached, even if you fail the run. Progressing also unlocks the next chapter. There are seven chapters in total, some of which introduce new gear, although you can only equip six types at a time. When you collect enough pieces for a specific piece of equipment, you can upgrade it using coins to improve its stats. Upgrades also unlock additional perks that may appear during level ups. Diamonds, on the other hand, function more like a mobile game currency, as they are used to purchase coins or treasure chests containing random equipment pieces. While unlocking new perks is useful, starting with the right gear matters even more. Because the initial setup is random, you can restart a chapter until you get a strong opening. After that, success largely depends on gaining extra space and filling your tank with a powerful arsenal.

A nice little roguelike game, feels like a tank version of Backpack Battles, great for killing time.

What a great game! The backpack system is seriously addictive—just AFK and you’ll get stronger over time. Customizing your battle tank feels amazing, and it’s so satisfying to play during breaks.