Tacticool’s real-time physics will blow you away! [Game of the Week]

There’s an abundance of mobile shooter games that claim to offer great multiplayer action, but few games hooked me in as Tacticool did in my first couple of hours playing. Tacticool’s best feature is the real-time physics engine that makes every match unique in the ways you can go about attacking your enemy.

It’s hard to pin down my favorite moment playing Tacticool. Maybe it was the time I goaded an opponent onto train tracks just in time to get smoked by a passing train. Or the satisfaction of laying down a C4 trap on the side of a vehicle and timing the explosion perfectly to take out three enemies at once. It might have been the first time my character was killed by a grenade explosion blowing a chunk of metal at my head, because even the times when your character gets blown away is pretty entertaining playing Tacticool.

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Developed by Finnish-Russian studio Panzerdog, Tacticool takes a ruthless approach to 5v5 tactical multiplayer by letting the battle unfold however players want on a destructible battlefield built with real-time physics and vehicles available to drive at your leisure. Delivered in three-minute matches, Tacticool does a really great job of delivering fast and frantic action that gives the player more freedom in the game than most games I’ve playtested on Android.

The controls are easy to pick up with a digital joystick on the left for movement and swiping to aim with your right thumb. Both aiming and firing happen automatically when you’ve got an enemy in your sights, but the more powerful your weapon is the longer it takes to aim and fire. This is a balanced approach that still lets you get the jump on a sniper or rush an enemy with a heavy machine gun with a knife.

Tacticool’s real-time physics alone make it worth checking out, but it definitely feels a bit too pay-to-win at times.

Now, for all the praise Tacticool deserves for its unmatched gameplay, the game is not without usual warts found on free-to-play titles. The weapon upgrade system heavily rewards those who spend real money in the game — and it’s not too long before you’ll start playing against some players who have clearly invested some cash. It’s not that anyone I’ve come across has bought enough upgrades to become totally godlike, but it certainly takes a heck of a lot more cunning and strategy to take out a paid player.

There’s a loot box system that gives you credits and puzzle pieces for unlocking new skins for weapons, and somehow by adding another layer of chance via a spinning wheel, they’ve somehow made the experience better? Unlike other games, you don’t always win a reward after each victory. Let me be clear, I don’t care about those loot box rewards… But when I’ve missed out on that spinning wheel for like 10 matches in a row, it feels pretty good when it hits.

In summation, Tacticool is an impressive mobile shooter and an absolute blast to play in those first couple hours where you’re testing out all the mayhem you can create. But I get the feeling that the longer you play and the higher your rank gets, the more paid players you’ll face with stacked load-outs.

I’m more than fine with paying a developer when they’ve created a great game as seems to be the case with Tacticool. So even though the jury is still out on whether this is just another pay-to-win mobile game, it sure is fun as hell to play without spending a dime.

Download: Tacticool (Free w/IAPs)