Tank Mechanic Simulator (Switch) Review

Tank Mechanic Simulator is the next title in the long library of mechanic sims by Ultimate Games S.A.  Although each title gets slightly better with each release, Tank Mechanic Simulator is largely the same game only with the addition of terrain modifying features found in Demolish & Build.

Instead of fixing cars, buses, or motorcycles like in the previous game, players now are responsible for the well-being of WWII tanks. Who knew the demand for this type of job in 2020 would be so lucrative?  Like the other sim games, the player needs to repair tanks by activating quests by clicking on a computer, then tapping on highlighted parts that need to be repaired or replaced, then eventually finish the job to earn some cash.  Honestly, it is pretty mundane stuff and isn’t any fun.

Instead of just clicking on a box and having a tank magically appear in the shop, the player is now tasked with scavenging lost tanks within the dirt.  Demolish & Build, another Ultimate Games S.A. title, has the player freely roaming a large landscape in search of work destroying, renovating, and reselling houses. This same engine and gameplay type is present here as the player can drive to a set location and search for buried tanks using a metal detector and shovel. Although this newest edition is large and actually provides the most interactivity, it still is never fun and feels like work (because it literally is).

Even if the task of unearthing and washing a tank was pleasurable, this title, like all the other Mechanic Simulators, suffers from an interface so complex and broken, it only results in frustration and rage quitting. If the player has enough tenacity, a tank museum can eventually be managed but players will have more fun building their collection with Blathers in Animal Crossing. Perhaps the biggest disappointment is not being able to use the tanks in a multiplayer deathmatch. The wedding-like soundtrack is also questionable, walking is tediously slow, and the metal detector sound effect will drive anyone mad. The bad English translation doesn’t help with the complexity either. 

Tank Mechanic Simulator mixes the fix-build-resell features of previous titles and merges them with the exploratory wandering of Demolish & Build. However, this is the same game as those other titles as it even runs on the same engine and assets are reused. This is probably their best sim title as it offers the most detail and things to do but it still features the same painful gameplay with cumbersome UI… That is until Submarine Mechanic Simulator, Hovercraft Mechanic Simulator, Alien UFO Mechanic Simulator, and Tricycle Mechanic Simulator are released.

Don’t Forget About: World of Tanks  

Play It Instead: BattleTanx Global Assault (N64)

Watch It Instead: Fury (2014 film) with Brad Pitt  

By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com

Twitter: @ZackGaz