Totally Accurate Battle Simulator

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator is a ragdoll physics battle simulator. The game encompasses two main modes: Campaign and Sandbox. In the former, the player is given a limited amount of in-game money to build an army in order to defeat an enemy force. In the latter, there is no monetary limit and the player builds both armies. The two opposing armies can be placed on either opposite sides of the map, or one can surround the other. As soon as the player clicks "Start", the battle begins and the two armies rush forward to attack each other; after either army is defeated, the battle freezes and the player is told who the victor is. While an army usually wins by defeating all units of the enemy faction, a May 2020 update added new winning conditions, such as surviving for a given amount of time, or killing a specific enemy unit. During ongoing battles, the player can move the camera around the map to get a better view of the fight, and can slow down or freeze time themselves.[2][3][4] With the addition of a May 2019 update, the player is also able to "possess" units—controlling them manually from a third- or first-person perspective.

Units in the game are split into 12 factions, mostly themed around different cultures and eras of human history.[5] Unlike the others, the Legacy and Secret factions consist of units hidden on various maps that need to be found by the player in order to be unlocked. They are also unique in that they don't center on a single theme, although the latter mostly consists of units that correspond to one of the other factions in the game. Each unit has a different price, depending on various factors; some units are cheap and are best used in large groups, while others can take on an entire army by themselves and are priced accordingly. Units can also have special abilities in addition to their regular attacks, such as flight and deflecting projectiles. The maps in the game are centered around the same themes as the factions and differ in size and geography. There are a total of 18 maps, with 22 additional Simulation maps, which are simple and untextured, but feature unique geography and can be used to create different battle scenarios.

Players can create their own battle scenarios, choosing from any of the available units, maps, and winning conditions. A December 2020 update added the Unit Creator, where players can create their own units, giving them abilities, clothing, and weapons from the already existing TABS units, as well as the spin-offs Totally Accurate Battlegrounds and Totally Accurate Battle Zombielator. Both custom battles and units can be shared with other players via the Steam workshop.

The game was made during a week-long game jam in a Swedish castle.[6][3] Landfall Games released the download for people who signed up to their website[4][7] in July 2016. The game was released in open alpha in November 2016, while the closed alpha was released in December 2016. The full version of the game was released in early access on Steam on 1 April 2019 for Microsoft Windows and macOS.[1]

On 9 June 2019 at the E3 convention, Xbox announced via their Indie Developers program that TABS would be coming to Xbox One in the Xbox Game Pass later that year.[8] On 1 April 2020, free downloadable content (DLC) for the game, entitled Bug, was released, adding several new features to both break and debug the game; for a limited time, players could buy the DLC, with half the money being donated to Doctors Without Borders.

The game received generally positive reviews. It has been referred to as a "vibrant and goofy take on chaotic combat",[9] and its "silly graphics and kind of wonky body physics" were told to be part of the "charming appeal of an otherwise realistic simulator".[10] The game has also been described as "brilliant in its simplicity" and "outstanding".[4]

• Totally Accurate Battlegrounds

• Official website