Tanked Slot: A New Take on Explosive Action
Déjà vu, that feeling that you’ve experienced the present moment before, maybe in a dream, a thought, or even a past life? There are all sorts of explanations for the phenomenon, but in the online gambling biz, déjà vu may be triggered by the tendency of slot designers to ‘borrow’ concepts, find ‘inspiration’ from one another, or just straight-out plunder ideas from their competitors. Déjà vu might be one reaction players experience when taking developer Nolimit City’s slot Tanked for a spin. The game bears a striking resemblance to ELK Studios’ popular Pirots range, though, in NLC fashion, the team has stuffed their version with all manner of explosive armaments in order to stamp their personality on it.
The word ‘Tanked’ in this instance does not refer to the consumption of one too many inebriating beverages, but it’s rather a showdown between four Warlords who travel the reels, blowing hawkplay each other up in actual tanks. Little ones. Furthermore, blowing up character symbols is one of the game’s main objectives, as doing so can lead to a number of strategically desirable outcomes. Tanked arguably isn’t as visually arresting as the Pirots slots, but its war-torn (and later heavenly?) environs get the job done, helped by conspiratorially moody music.
Tanked Slot Layout and Grid Features
Tanked’s gaming grid can expand, but at its initial default size, it has 6 reels with 4-6-6-6-6-4 positions on them. It does not have ways or lines, nor does it use clustering or scattering to create winning combinations. Instead, each of the characters on the screen is able to collect the same coloured symbols as part of the xLoot feature mentioned below. Stats-wise, players get a 10 out of 10 rated highly volatile math model and of the three RTPs, 96.04% being the highest. Stake selection varies from 20 c to $/€100 per spin, and numerous bonus buys or ante bets may be activated.
Pay Symbols: Colors and Values
There are but four pay symbols in Tanked, presented in colours of red, green, light blue, and darker blue. Each pay symbol type is linked to one of the characters who may collect them. Payout values range from 0.05x to 0.15x per symbol at their lowest individual level. The simplicity of the symbol set makes the game feel straightforward, yet the underlying mechanics and features are far from basic.
Tanked Slot Features: A Deep Dive
Features are aplenty in Tanked, which includes xLoot, multipliers, Tank Boosters, xBombs, Barrel Bombs, Booms, Kill Counts, xNudge Wilds, xSplits, grid expansions, Carnage Spins, Carnage Royale Spins, Mayhem Spins, Nolimit Boosters, and Nolimit Bonus Buys. These features combine to create a thrilling, unpredictable experience that keeps players on their toes.
Explosive Action with Tank Boosters
Tanked has four types of Tank Boosters, which the characters may pick up. The character carries the Tank Booster till there is no more movement on the screen, then uses it. These are:
- Rocket: The character shoots the wall near any random enemy character. This removes all enemy characters and pay symbols in an explosion pattern, increasing the size of the grid by 1 step.
- Grenade: The character throws the grenade at any random enemy character. The explosion removes all pay symbols in an explosion pattern.
- Power Drill: A character with a Power Drill drives to the largest matching symbol colour cluster. It removes all enemy characters, pay symbols, and wilds in its path while picking up any Tank Boosters, multipliers, and scatter symbols.
- Airstrike: The character hits up to 3 enemy characters, creating an explosion pattern.
Each of these boosters has its own potential to drastically alter the state of play, adding an exciting layer of chaos to the action.
xLoot & Multipliers: Collect and Multiply for Big Wins
Payouts are made when the active moving character picks up symbols that are the same colour as it is. All characters may collect wild symbols. After all possible collections have occurred, symbols drop down to refill the reels. Moreover, any character in the game can pick up multiplier symbols, which apply to all wins. Multipliers are additive, meaning hawkplay the rewards can quickly spiral to massive amounts, especially during intense feature rounds.
Tanked Slot: The Role of Explosions
The explosion mechanics are crucial to Tanked’s gameplay, contributing significantly to both the aesthetic and reward system. xBombs and Barrel Bombs explode only if there is no character movement and no available Tank Boosters. The xBomb removes all pay symbols in an explosion pattern and increases the overall multiplier by +1. The Barrel Bomb removes all pay symbols in an explosion pattern and expands the grid vertically or horizontally by +1 step.
When 3 characters are next to each other, and no character can move, they cause a Small Boom explosion, removing all pay symbols and character symbols in the explosion pattern. When 4 characters are next to each other, they trigger a Big Boom, causing a major explosion and grid expansion.
Carnage Spins: Trigger for Massive Wins
Landing 3 scatter symbols triggers 5 Carnage Spins. In this feature, Multipliers, Kill Count, and grid size are carried over from the base game. If 4 scatters land, 7 Carnage Royale free spins are awarded. During these spins, the grid is set to 9×9, and +5 is added to the current multiplier. If all characters die in the same explosion, the round is upgraded to Mayhem Spins, significantly increasing the potential for high rewards.
Mayhem Spins: The Ultimate Bonus Round
Mayhem Spins are activated when all characters lose their 3 lives and die in the same explosion. The grid is set to 9×9, and +10 is added to the current multiplier, which is carried over. In Mayhem Spins, all characters’ lives are set to 1. If all characters die in the same explosion, +1 free spin is awarded, and +10 is added to the multiplier. This is the feature that all players should aim for, as it can lead to the game’s maximum payout.
Bonus Buy: Fast-Track to Exciting Features
The Bonus Buy feature allows players to purchase access to special bonus rounds for a set price. At a cost of 3x the bet, the xBet makes it more than 4 times likely to trigger a bonus. At a cost of 40x the bet, 4 random Tank Boosters are distributed to characters. Nolimit City also offers various buy-ins for Carnage Spins (100x the bet), Carnage Royale (300x the bet), Mayhem Spins (500x the bet), and even a God Mode buy-in for a hefty 5,000x the bet. This allows players to take control of their gameplay and skip the wait for a lucky spin.
hawkplay’s Impact on the Experience
For those looking to enhance their experience, integrating hawkplay into the Tanked slot game can elevate the fun with added rewards and exclusive bonuses. As players engage with Tanked’s volatile mechanics, they can enjoy a more immersive experience by accessing special features and promotional boosts tailored to hawkplay users. Whether it’s for maximizing multipliers or triggering explosive action, hawkplay can give you that extra push needed to dominate the battlefield of Tanked.
Tanked Slot Verdict: A Thrilling Ride for Volatility Lovers
Well, if Tanked doesn’t raise the hackles of the morality squad, nothing will, and it’s hard not to judge Nolimit City for being a bit naughty with this one. Tanked is, quite obviously, a copy of Pirots’ roaming the board collecting the same coloured symbol action that ELK Studios quite cleverly deployed. The CollectR mechanic, as it’s called over there, is now xLoot here. Potayto, potarto? Well, yeah, but if you’re happy looking past the copied/pilfered aspect, Tanked has loads of gaming features to help set it apart from ELK’s. It also has a more favorable RTP (if the max RTP is available on your casino), and for some players, they’re probably just going to prefer NLC’s particular brand of math.
