Tank! Tank! Tank! Goes from Retail Release to Upgradable Demo

Namco Bandai’s Tank! Tank! Tank! didn’t really set the sales charts on fire, nor was it critically well received. In light of this, the publisher has decided to take a different route with the game, turning it into an “upgradable demo”. This essentially means, at least in Japan, you can download a basic pack of the game for free from the eShop, which allows you to select the city map for almost all multiplayer modes.

However, you can only play the game three times a day. A gyp? Not quite.

This restriction disappears when you start buying extra maps like the beach, canyon and volcano levels (available for 200 yen each). My Kong Mode, which lets a fifth player into the fray as a giant monster, is available for 1,000 yen ($12). It’s currently on sale though for 200 yen ($2.30) until January 31st 2013. Finally, you can toss in the Campaign mode for an additional 2,200 yen ($26).

It sounds quite odd for sure, to be purchasing a game one piece at a time, espeically when you consider that it’s available for cheaper as a retail purchase. Let’s hope Namco Bandai’s strategy pans out for this one.

Source: Siliconera