War in a Box: Paper Tanks will test your tower defense skills in a whole new way with its innovative 3D graphics that provide a truly unique gaming experience. Defend your positions as 3D enemies come barreling down on you and quickly switch your views in order to maximize your playing field. Tower defense fans are not going to want to miss this little gem. 

War in a Box: Paper Tanks, developed by “DQ Team,” does not wander far from your typical tower defense game. Enemies drive or fly down pre-determined paths while you place defensive structures in an attempt to thwart them. If the enemies penetrate your defenses, it is presumed something terrible will happen, although in this genre, it is never stated what that terrible fate is – only that it should be avoided at all costs.
 

The game is similar to the game Toy Defense, but with one very significant difference. DQ Team built this game from the ground-up in 3D, which allows for some fun perspectives of gameplay not seen in other titles of this genre.

You can completely zoom out to get a bird’s-eye view of the complete game board, or you can go the other direction and zoom all the way into a first-person view of a specific turret (see the screen shots bellows). It’s like Google Maps with Street View for tower defense. This was by far my favorite aspect of the game.
 

Since the map is completely modeled in 3D, objects like trees and houses now become obstacles for your towers. Your artillery shells cannot shoot through them, so this brings another element of strategy and planning in placement of your towers.

Moreover, the vehicles and planes themselves can become obstacles. Once an enemy is destroyed, it remains briefly on the board and its burned out shell can also block your shots of enemies.
 

One downside with the game is the user interface. While I liked the scrapbook elements in the cut-scenes (tape on the pages, wrinkled and creased paper and maps, etc), I did not like the scrapbook style in the user interface of the game. It was too cluttered for my tastes.

Moreover, I often had trouble placing and upgrading the turrets quickly. I didn’t like having to first click on the map and then double-click on the turret I wanted. Often I would accidentally escape out and then I’d have to re-do it, all the while with my enemy marching toward the exit. Other tower defense games have better tower placement controls.

Overall the War in a Box was enjoyable. I say try it out if you are a fan of the tower defense genre. Check out the video below to see the gameplay.