It’s been a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and concept art for Joshua Dallman, the lead Designer behind the freeware title, Shelled. A while back a preview build was released showing off a good representation of what was to come. And while the preview wasn’t complete, the entire gameplay concept was fleshed out enough to tell what kind of game it would be. So the big question is, does the final build live up to what we were expecting from the preview build? Mostly, yes.
It may not seem as enthusiastic an answer you may have been expecting, but that’s because the game still seems like it has a little something else to achieve. In fact, I’m tempted to say that this game would probably be better suited to the likes of the Wii. Aiming and firing with the mouse isn’t bad, but this game has qualities about it that would make it a perfect fit for Nintendo’s new console. That isn’t to say that the PC rendition is bad, or worth forgoing, it simply means that this game still seems poised for greater things. And just clarify this point, this is, in fact, a great game.
Scorched Earth never looked this good
The actual gameplay, however, consists of controlling a colored tank and heading it out to a selected battlefield. Picture Scorched Earth or the original Worms by Team 17 had they been in tanks. Then imagine what it would look like had it been on the Gamecube. Got it? No? Well, I'll explain it like this: It's like an action-shooter in a open-ended sandbox with third-person flight, first-person firing, and strategy elements without turn-based restrictions. Still don't get it, eh?
Well, eight tanks are on a battlefield, and the object is to kill each other off, deathmatch style. Players can purchase and switch weapons like a standard shooter game, but instead of moving around on the ground, the tanks are only allowed to fly. There's a fuel meter that determines how long a tank can fly, and after it depletes players will have to wait for it to recharge to fly again. When firing the tank's cannon, the view switches to a first-person target reticule where players will hold down the fire button to charge up their shot. After getting the acquired power level, players will have to press the fire button again to launch an explosive shell at the designated target. That's the general gameplay concept behind Shelled.
Some of the visuals were inspired by Mario Kart
Now, toss in some contemporary instrumental tunes, buckle down on some nukes, drop in an eight-player online mode, and BAM! You’ve got Shelled. Needless to say, Shelled is a classic in the making. Like Scorched Earth, the mother of all games, players will aim the turtle-turret using the mouse, just like a first-person shooter. The default keyboard controls are used to fly around after activating the jet thrusters, and the second mouse button cancels shooting. Controlling the turtles is quite easy, and the entire control scheme for Shelled is easy to master and even easier to learn.
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