Tank Mayhem

December 2, 2024

Tank Mayhem

Tank Mayhem is a Playdate tank shmup inspired by Wii Play's Tanks, built around the handheld's signature crank for turret aiming. The goal is simple and arcade-focused: survive waves of enemy tanks, land the finishing blow whenever possible, and lean into the Playdate's limitations to create a clean retro feel.

Game Details

My Role

Solo Developer

Genre

Top-Down Tank Shooter

Platform

Playdate

Development Tools

Playdate SDK, Lua

Key Features

  • Unique, yet Intuitive Tank & Turret Controls (Playdate Crank)
  • Custom 1-bit Spritework
  • An homage to Wii Play Tanks (and by extension, Atari's Combat)

Visuals & Media

Gameplay Screenshot (with Tutorial UI)

Tank Mayhem

Game Over Screen

Tank Mayhem

Development Process

I developed this as a solo Playdate project in Lua, with the main design challenge being how to make the crank feel intuitive rather than gimmicky. Playtesting helped refine that control scheme, and the platform's technical limitations pushed me toward a tighter, more readable arcade loop.

Key Takeaways

  • Embrace Limitations - Think out of the box and let creativity flow so you can make your biggest limitations your greatest strength.
  • Playtest Your Games Extensively - While making a fun game seemed easy at first, it was only so because I was making something I enjoyed. Giving my game to other players helped me understand and differentiate what I thought was fun from what is actually fun.

More Information

Playdate x Duke GDDI Spotlight

(Coming Soon to itch.io)