World of Tanks Blitz Review

It was dark all around and there was frost in the ground when the Tigers broke free. And a good time was had by all.

World of Tanks Blitz is a mobile take on World of Tanks, the PC-based online tank combat game from Wargaming.net. World of Tanks has been consistently popular since its North American and European release in 2011, so it's surprising the game has taken this much time to get an official mobile release. Many imitators have sprung to life in the meantime - some of which are quite good - but unsurprisingly, the real deal is one of the best tank games available for mobile.

As might be expected, World of Tanks Blitz revolves around online tank-based battles. Players slide behind the levers of historic tanks made in the USA, USSR, or Germany. When a match starts, the teams stare each other down across wide battlefields consisting of snowy railway yards, mountainous regions, ghost towns, deserts, and more. Then the lines rumble towards one another and the fireworks start.

Players' starting tanks are weak, lumbering beasts, but it's not long before World of Tanks Blitz doles out instructions on how to upgrade and buy up to better ones. In fact, World of Tanks Blitz is not a bad starting point for anyone that's been interested in the series/tank-battling genre, but has been unsure of where to start. The game's general concept is simple (blow up enemy tanks or capture the base before they do), succinct but informative explanations pop up as necessary, and the controls amount to "steer" and "shoot." Granted it takes some time to get used to steering and shooting with a steel behemoth, but it's not as if piloting a tank in real life is akin to zipping down the street in a sports car.

World of Tanks Blitz is also fair to players that don't want to dish out money for an immediate advantage in battle. Players that opt for premium accounts gain experience and money a little faster, but not at a ridiculous rate that outpaces the free players.

There doesn't appear to be much wrong with the game's servers, either. From my experience, I had no issues with slowdown, disconnecting, or stuttering. Everything runs butter-smooth. It's enough to make players forget they're even up against opponents from around the world.

World of Tanks Blitz offers up tank battles that are brisk, action-packed, well-connected, and decently balanced. It's good stuff.

Crush thine opposition.