Tank Controls: Love Them or Hate Them?

[Al]

Let’s talk about tank controls, one of the most debated mechanics in classic horror games. For those unfamiliar, tank controls are a movement scheme where pressing "up" moves your character forward, regardless of which way they are facing, while pressing "left" or "right" rotates them on the spot. You’ll find this control style in early horror classics like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Alone in the Dark. It was used to navigate fixed camera angles, but it often felt like you were steering a tank—hence the name.

The alternative to tank controls is a free-movement system, where pressing "up" moves your character in the direction the camera is facing, and "left" and "right" sidestep your character. This modern control scheme is more intuitive for most players and is used in recent horror titles like Resident Evil 2 Remake and The Last of Us.

Where do you stand?

Do you think tank controls add to the tension and fear by making your character feel vulnerable and hard to control?
Or do you find them frustrating and outdated, especially when compared to modern, free-movement systems?

Do you think tank controls should stay in the past or make a comeback?

 

[Mr. X]

A mechanic as divisive as the games they defined. Nostalgia aside, they’ve got their fair share of loyalists and detractors. Let’s be honest: they’re clunky, unintuitive by today’s standards, and often left players fumbling in the heat of the moment. But was that clumsiness intentional? Some would argue yes, and I’d be inclined to agree.

With tank controls, you’re effectively ‘piloting’ the character rather than freely gliding through the environment. In early Resident Evil and Silent Hill, this added a certain dreadful weight to each step, particularly when the camera was fixed. You’d shuffle around a corner, not quite sure what horrors waited off-screen, feeling vulnerable not only due to limited resources but also because of the limitations of your movement itself. That lack of agility turned every encounter into a tense affair, where survival wasn’t guaranteed simply by having good reflexes. You had to plan each move, committing to every turn or step forward as if it were life or death.

Now, is that something to hold onto in 2024? Maybe not. For new players, tank controls can be a deal-breaker, and honestly, I understand. Today’s horror games are less about the awkward struggle to move and more about immersing the player, creating fear through ambiance and story, rather than fighting the controls. Titles like Resident Evil 2 Remake and The Last of Us show how fluid controls can blend seamlessly with horror, letting the fear stem from the environment rather than the mechanics.

That said, a modern horror game with tank controls would be a novelty. A throwback for those who miss that unique style of tension. In small doses, it might still work, especially in a game aiming to recreate that nostalgic feel. But as a standard? Perhaps tank controls have earned their retirement, leaving us with a strange, almost fond memory of trying to turn left in a hallway, only to end up zombie bait instead.

Would I welcome a comeback? Maybe as an option for the brave or the masochistic. But as a genre-standard? No thank you.