An average joe’s simulator, and I mean that in a good way. Instead of gritty reimaginings of historic battles, TABS lets the user take control of a myriad of silly, mystical, and pop-culture factions. All with the dopey googly eyes to match its laid-back cartoony nature.

TABS’ accessibility, along with its infinitely moderate entertainment value, are the main draws of the game. Its campaigns, secret troops, unit-creator, and ability to face your friends on the battlefield also gives you something to do should you get tired of building both teams yourself, or just want a challenge. Coming from someone who enjoys sandbox tinkering, TABS feels like an enjoyable middle-ground between effort and relaxation, especially with other players. Though admittedly, an extra focus on depth and variability in maps would go a long way for the game.

In case the title wasn’t warning enough, In no way is TABS meant to be taken too seriously. The jank alone is enough to hammer in that fact. Far and away the game’s biggest problem is its susceptibility to glitches. They’re never game-breaking, but prepare to have to reset a battle sometimes because a troop or two got stuck or is tripping over themselves ad infinitum. In fairness, some modicum of jank is to be expected with any battle simulator, but I feel it happens too often to be ignored. And even with it being a natural consequence of terrain and troop variability that can’t always be accounted for, it’s worth noting in contrast to an otherwise solid game.