Brick Game Tanks Online: Rules, Scoring and High-Score Tips
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If you ever owned one of those chunky 9999-in-1 Brick Game handhelds, you probably remember the tank battle tucked between the falling blocks and the racing cars. Brick Tanks is our original remake of that retro tank game, and this guide explains how it works, from the turn-first controls to what every kill is worth, so your next run lasts longer and scores higher.
How Brick Tanks works
The battlefield is a 10 by 20 grid of bricks, just like the handheld screen. Every tank fits in a 3 by 3 box, bullets are a single brick, and everything moves in discrete steps rather than smooth motion.
- You start at the bottom center of the field.
- Enemies enter from three spots at the top: the left corner, the middle and the right corner.
- Your goal is to destroy the number of tanks shown under LEFT on the side panel. The level clears once that count is reached and the last enemy on the field is gone.
Kills needed and enemies on screen
Each level asks for a few more kills than the last: 10 on level 1, then two more per level, topping out at 30. The number of enemies on the field at once also grows:
| Levels | Enemies at once (Normal) |
|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | 2 |
| 4 to 6 | 3 |
| 7 and up | 4 |
Hardcore adds one more enemy to each of those numbers.
Walls
Level 1 is an open field. After that, the game cycles through four brick wall layouts and then starts again with an open field on levels 6, 11, 16 and so on. Every wall brick can be destroyed, one brick per shot, and walls stop tanks and bullets from both sides.
Controls and the turn-first rule
- Keyboard: arrows or WASD to turn and move, Space, Enter or J to fire, P or Esc to pause, M to mute.
- Phone or tablet: a round D-pad below the screen moves, FIRE sits in its middle. Tapping the screen also fires.
- Gamepad: D-pad moves, A fires, Start pauses.
The one rule that trips up new players: the first press of a new direction only turns your tank. Press or hold the same direction again to drive. It feels odd for about a minute, then it becomes your best weapon, because turning in place is the fastest way to aim.
Scoring: what every kill is worth
Points in Brick Tanks come from two places:
- Kills: each enemy is worth 10 points times your effective speed, from 10 up to 100. Effective speed is the SPEED you picked, plus one step for every two levels you advance (levels 3 and 4 add one, levels 5 and 6 add two, and so on), capped at 10.
- Level bonus: clearing a level adds 50 points times the level number, up to 500.
A quick example: at SPEED 5, level 1 pays 50 per kill, so its 10 kills plus the bonus give 550 points. By level 3 the same run is earning 60 per kill and needs 14 kills, so that level alone is worth 990 points.
Choosing SPEED and LEVEL
On the start screen, ◀ ▶ changes SPEED and ▲ ▼ changes the starting LEVEL, both from 1 to 10. The game remembers your choice.
- SPEED makes enemies step and fire faster and raises the points per kill.
- LEVEL picks the starting wall layout and kill target, and a higher start also raises your effective speed.
Pick the highest SPEED at which you can clear three levels without losing a life. A lost life costs far more than a few slower kills.
How the enemy tanks behave
Knowing the enemy rules turns panic into patterns:
- One bullet each. An enemy cannot fire again while its last bullet is still flying. Right after it shoots is your safest moment to line up.
- Lined up means danger. When an enemy is in your row or column and facing you, it fires most of the time. Away from your line, it fires only occasionally, more often at higher speeds.
- They wander, then hunt. Enemies turn now and then, sometimes toward you and sometimes at random, and they turn when blocked.
- Your bullets are faster. On Normal, your shots travel twice as fast as enemy shots, and you can have two in the air at once.
- They block each other. An enemy bullet that hits another enemy tank simply stops.
- No spawn camping on you. New enemies never appear right next to your tank.
Tactics for a high score
Turn in place, then fire
Rotating costs no movement, so face the threat first and shoot second. Driving into an enemy’s line just to aim is how most lives are lost.
Shoot their bullets
Two bullets from opposite sides that meet cancel each other out. When a shot is coming straight at you, answer with your own instead of trying to dodge on a grid that moves in steps.
Use walls as shields, then open a window
Keep a brick between you and the top of the field, and knock out a single brick when you want a firing lane. Leave the rest of the wall standing as cover.
Use your respawn shield
After you lose a life, your tank returns to the start and blinks for about two seconds. Enemy shots do nothing to you while it blinks, so use that moment to turn and line up a clean shot.
Finish the stragglers
The level only ends when LEFT reaches zero and the field is empty. Once the last tanks are on screen, hunt them down rather than waiting for them to come to you.
Lives, continues and Hardcore
On Normal you get four lives, shown as blocks in the small 4 by 4 window on the side panel. After the last one, watch for a continue offer that gives you one more life, once per run.
Hardcore (Options, then Difficulty) is the real test:
- One life and no continue.
- Enemies step faster and shoot more often.
- Enemy bullets move as fast as yours.
- One extra enemy on the field, and new tanks arrive sooner.
- A HARD mark lights up on the LCD.
Leaderboards and offline play
Sign in to put your runs on the leaderboards. Brick Tanks has separate Classic and Hardcore boards, each with a Today view that resets at 00:00 UTC and an All time view.
Like every game on the site, Brick Tanks keeps working offline after your first visit, and you can install it to your home screen for one-tap play. If you want more handheld-style classics, try Pixel Snake or Maze Muncher. Then head back to Brick Tanks and see how many levels you can clear.
FAQ
Is Brick Tanks the original Brick Game tank game?
No. It is an original remake inspired by the tank battle on the 9999-in-1 handhelds. The rules, graphics, sounds and code were written from scratch.
Why does my tank turn instead of moving?
Like on the handheld, the first press of a new direction only rotates the tank. Press or hold the same direction again to drive.
How many points is an enemy tank worth?
Between 10 and 100. It is 10 times your effective speed, which is your chosen SPEED plus one step for every two levels you advance, capped at 10.
How many tanks do I need to destroy per level?
Ten on level 1, then two more per level, up to a maximum of 30. The LEFT counter on the side panel shows how many remain.
Can I play Brick Tanks offline?
Yes. Open Brick Tanks once while connected and it will load and play without internet afterward. Leaderboard submissions need a connection and a signed-in account.
Can I change the LCD color?
Yes. Under Options you can pick the classic grey-green screen, an amber backlight or a blue backlight.