Sometimes the resemblance is not only intentional, but the developers are willing to admit it. Take Tank Universal, for example. Meridian4 and Dialogue Design are the publisher and development team behind this budget title. Advertising for the game calls it, right up front, a “Tron-like” title.

It certainly is that. In fact, Tank Universal focuses on one element from the Tron film, the tank areas, and puts the player in command of their own vehicle.

The game begins with George, an older gentleman who has been given a new virtual reality device that is supposed to help him with some medical condition he has. When the helmet goes on, George is whisked away into the Tron universe (Ok, Tron is likely a licensed property, but this world is that world, complete with the grids and the assimilation, as well as the ominous overlord).

This is when the game mixes up pop-culture mythos. The evil overlord of this world is Gorgon, a giant eyeball that reminds one of Sauron’s floating eye from the Lord of the Rings films. There is, of course, a resistance force in this world, which takes the blame for all the ills of the land. And on a regular basis, the inhabitants of the world are given the chance to battle Gorgon for control of the world, in groups of eight, with tanks supplied. However, as the mini convoy heads to the battleground it is ambushed and wiped out.

When the game really begins, you are in a tank headed for that battleground when you get a message to veer off course if you wish to live. That is the Resistance contacting you and recruiting you. The tank you have been initially given is destroyed to wipe out tracking and then you are issued another tank to begin the quest of working to confront Gorgon.

There are 20 levels in this game and you can – as you work through the world – upgrade your tank. There are a few missions that will have you leave your tank and move on foot, but most of the game centers on controlling your tank, fulfilling mission objectives and moving to the next level. There are some repetitions in the types of missions you undertake, and there is even a couple of capture the flag missions (CtF). Of course, the enemies do get harder as the game moves forward, but if you prevail you receive rewards and those are what are used for your upgrades.

The controls can be a bit awkward at times, and there was some initial fumbling with them until the scheme became clearer.

Graphically the game looks like a budget title. It is bathed in some neon reds and blues and successfully brings back memories of the original Tron movie. It’s not that bad. The sound, though, is negligible.

The storyline for Tank Universal barely holds the level threads together. It is pretty far-fetched, but remember this is a title that comes in at $10 on the Steam network (downloadable games), so don’t expect a huge amount of depth there.

For what Tank Universal is, it’s not a bad title.

Gameplay: 6.8
The gameplay is basic and while there is a bit of a learning curve, the game still has a few rough patches to work through.  

Graphics: 6.8 
If they were going for the Tron-esque look, they got it down very well.

Sound: 5.8
Lots of text stuff here and what is here is not all that impressive.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 6.0 
Nothing new here, but a nice revival of older concepts.

Overall: 6.8
While this is not a game that will set the industry on its ear, and there are some rough edges to this title, when you consider the price point of $10, this is not a bad title. You may find understanding what you have to do to take a bit to sink in, but the game itself – held loosely together by a suspect storyline – is not bad for a bargain price.