SLAM TANK vs Kernel Hearts

• Combat Style: Vehicular Hack-and-Slash / High-Speed Tank Melee
• Control Schemes: Full Gamepad Support, Keyboard & Mouse
• Game Engine: Unreal Engine 5
• Graphics API: DirectX 12
• Platform Availability: PC (Steam)
• Playable Tank Roster: 3 Distinct Tanks (Brawler, Juggernaut, Driftfang)
• Scoring Mechanic: Real-time AI Financial Damage Meter ($ USD)
• Storage Footprint: 10 GB Available SSD Space

• Multiplayer: 1-4 Player Online Co-Op
• Platforms: PC (Steam, Epic), Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2
• Game Engine: Unreal Engine 5
• Release Date: September 17, 2026
• Storage Footprint: 15 GB Available Space

• The Brawler: Dynamic Turret Whirlwind: Performs rapid continuous 360-degree barrel swings, deflecting incoming rockets and scattering swarming enemies.
  Armored Assault Vehicle
• The Juggernaut: Unstoppable Momentum: Charges forward with hydraulic pile-drivers extended, annihilating heavy industrial barriers and boss armor plating.
  Heavy Siege Breaker
• The Driftfang: Apex Drift Boost: Chains high-speed powerslides around tight corners to build infinite boost and execute precision jump-ramp launches.
  Light Stunt Skimmer

• Quantum Processing Units (QPUs): Pried from the shattered chassis of elite AI heavy construction bosses; unlocks rare metallic paint finishes.
• Encrypted Black Box Logs: Hidden behind destructible reinforced factory walls; reveals the AI's original military takeover protocols.
• Golden Master Sprockets: Suspended high in mid-air above challenging jump-ramp trick routes across urban arenas.

• Tanks
• Hack and Slash
• Sci-Fi
• Rogue AI
• Arcade
• Action
• Melee Combat
• Destruction

• Magical Girl
• Action Roguelike
• Cyberpunk
• Anime
• Hack and Slash
• Co-Op
• Dark Fantasy
• Boss Rush

• Reinforced Tungsten Cannon Club: Primary Melee Armament
  Massive reinforced smoothbore barrel engineered with counterweights, allowing the turret to rotate violently and strike surrounding hostiles with devastating rotational kinetic energy.
• Hydraulic Impact Ram Prow: Chassis Ramming Module
  Piston-driven reinforced steel wedge attached to the tank's front chassis, triggering explosive forward concussive force when ramming into obstacles at top speed.
• Shockwave Vent Disperser: Aerial Landing Device
  Underbody pneumatic vents that discharge an omnidirectional shockwave upon landing from jump ramps, liquefying nearby robotic minions.

• Starlight Greatsword: Two-Handed Blade
  Fernet's primary weapon delivering crushing kinetic slashes and armor-shattering cleaves.
• Radiant Dual Pistols: Dual Firearms
  Dolce's rapid-firing handguns designed for high-speed hit streaks and aerial juggling.
• Celestial Scythe: Polearm
  Sweeping energy scythe that harvests enemy soul essence to fuel overdrive meters.
• Prism Lance: Thrusting Polearm
  High-velocity piercing spear capable of closing distances instantly with thrust dashes.

• Reinforced Reactive Chobham Plating: +25% Impact Defense against incoming explosive artillery, reduces ramming recoil knockback by 40%.
• Kinetic Absorber Prow Guard: Converts 20% of forward collision energy into temporary nitrous boost meter.
• Graphene Track Reinforcements: +15% Drift Grip Stability, eliminates speed degradation when grinding along concrete guardrails.

• M.A.H.O.U. Standard Plating: Defense: +150; grants 15% damage reduction against celestial energy attacks.
• Seraphic Aegis Weave: Defense: +300; increases dodge invulnerability frames and dash distance by 20%.

• Tanker's Fireproof Flight Coveralls: Weathered heavy-duty Nomex jumpsuit equipped with harness straps, padded elbows, and tactical chest rig.
• Reinforced Ballistic Tank Helmet: Retro-futuristic composite helmet with integrated dual-microphone headset and tinted blast visor.
• Armored Crew Gauntlets: Heavy leather driving gloves with reinforced carbon-fiber knuckles for high-vibration steering control.

Players earn scrap metal and semiconductor bounties from shattered AI units to invest in modular upgrades: Turret Torque Boosters (accelerates 360-degree barrel rotation speed for rapid crowd sweeping), Hydraulic Slam Pistons (amplifies direct front-ramming kinetic impact and stun duration), Nitrous Track Injectors (lengthens drift duration and tightens turning radiuses), and Aerial Shockwave Dampeners (triggers explosive ground-pound concussions upon landing from jump ramps).

Features dynamic, multi-tiered combat arenas filled with interactive terrain: Neo-Metropolis Commercial District (skyscrapers with breakable glass lobbies and elevated pedestrian ramps), the Subterranean Silicon Foundry (vast automated fabrication plants with acid vats and magnetic conveyers), the Coastal Highway Interchange (sprawling multi-lane asphalt freeways featuring looping speed ramps), and the Overgrown Mega-Server Bunker (the AI's fortified core fortress).

• Brawler Model 1: Medium Assault Tank
  Versatile all-around combat tank featuring balanced track torque, robust armor plating, and an agile swinging turret.
• Juggernaut Siege Rig: Heavy Breaker Tank
  Massive tracked colossus fitted with reinforced frontal hydraulic rams capable of plowing through concrete retaining walls.
• Driftfang Stunt Tank: Light Rapid Tank
  Lightweight, highly maneuverable platform engineered with low-friction tracks for extreme drifting, boost chaining, and aerial stunts.

• Subterranean Silicon Rat: Scavenger Rodent
  Ambient Wildlife (Gnaws on severed wire bundles in abandoned underground factory tunnels)
• Cyber-Raven Swarm: Avian Drone
  Environmental Surveillance (Flocks of AI camera drones that scatter into the sky when tanks crash through barricades)

• Commander Jax: Resistance Operations Commander
  A seasoned armored division officer who coordinates battlefield supply drops and identifies structural weak points in AI installations.
• Nova: Lead Systems Engineer
  Master mechanic who reverse-engineers captured machine parts to craft high-torque turret gears and hydraulic rams.
• The Core Mind: Rogue Machine Superintelligence
  A rogue neural network that views organic life as obsolete, constantly deploying heavier automated defense prototypes to crush the player's tank.

• Fernet: Protagonist / M.A.H.O.U. Operative
  A battle-tested android magical girl equipped with high-yield blade systems.
• Dolce: Protagonist / M.A.H.O.U. Operative
  An agile gunslinger operative excelling in rapid evasive maneuvers and aerial suppression.
• Archangel Michael: Antagonist / Celestial Guardian
  Radiant multi-winged commander of heaven guarding the gateway to the upper spire.

• Smash the Assembly Line: Arcade Assault Level
  Breach the robotics manufacturing facility, destroy 100 drone workers, and demolish the primary conveyor hub.
• High-Speed Overpass Rampage: Speed and Destruction Challenge
  Drift through heavy enemy traffic across the coastal highway, chaining jump-ramp tricks and eliminating chasing interceptors.
• Showdown at the Central Core: Climactic Boss Encounter
  Defeat the multi-phase AI mainframe excavator boss by targeting its cooling conduits with synchronized hydraulic barrel slams.

• Floor 1-10: Ashen Incursion: Tower Ascent Sector
  Ascend the lower tower levels and eliminate initial angelic vanguard waves.
• Floor 25: Trial of the Seraphim: Sector Boss Battle
  Defeat guardian Archangel Michael in a multi-stage aerial boss arena.
• Apex Summit: The Divine Deicide: Final Campaign Confrontation
  Reach the throne room at the top of the tower and dethrone God.

A focused single-player hack-and-slash experience featuring asynchronous online competitive elements: global and friends-only Damage Score Leaderboards, Weekly Challenge Modifiers, and downloadable Ghost Replays allowing players to study top-tier drifting and combo routing.

Standard Edition ($19.99): Includes the complete single-player arcade campaign, all three unique combat tanks, full garage customization, and endless Destruction Score Attack mode. Deluxe Edition ($29.99): Adds the Digital Original Soundtrack, high-resolution Concept Art Book, and the exclusive 'Cyber-Chrome' livery pack along with retro neon underglow effects.

Next Stage Inc. plans a robust post-launch schedule including free seasonal community challenges, new arena biomes, additional cosmetic garage kits, and an upcoming 'Boss Rush: Overclocked' mode pitting players against reinforced industrial mega-bosses.

• Q: What kind of game is SLAM TANK?
  A: SLAM TANK is an arcade-style, hack-and-slash vehicular action beat 'em up where players swing their tank's cannon barrel as a melee weapon and ram straight through rogue AI machines.
• Q: What developer is making SLAM TANK?
  A: SLAM TANK is developed and published by indie studio Next Stage Inc.
• Q: What platforms will SLAM TANK be available on?
  A: SLAM TANK is currently announced for PC via Steam.
• Q: How does the scoring system work?
  A: Your score is tallied directly as the total financial cost of the damage you inflict upon the rogue AI's expensive hardware, including smashed processors, robotic drones, and industrial infrastructure.

• Q: What is Kernel Hearts?
  A: A co-op roguelike action RPG about android magical girls climbing the Tower of Babel to slay God.
• Q: Does Kernel Hearts support online co-op?
  A: Yes, it supports full 4-player online cooperative multiplayer with cross-platform matchmaking.
• Q: Is Kernel Hearts playable on Steam Deck?
  A: Yes, Kernel Hearts is Steam Deck Verified with native 16:10 resolution and gamepad support.

Developed in Unreal Engine 5, featuring a stylized, hyper-colorful arcade aesthetic with dynamic volumetric smoke, sparks, real-time vehicle body deformation, motion-blurred drifting sequences, and destructible neon-lit futuristic architecture.

High-octane electronic industrial metal and breakcore soundtrack that dynamically ramps in tempo as combo multipliers climb. Rich audio design captures the thunderous crunch of metal-on-metal collisions, screeching rubber tracks, hydraulic hiss releases, and satisfying electronic shattering sounds as AI silicon chips and circuit boards explode.

Stylized arcade HUD featuring a dynamic real-time financial Damage Counter (tracking dollar-value hardware damage inflicted on AI units), an RPM/Drift Momentum Meter, Turret Swing Direction Indicator, cooldown dials for hydraulic slam maneuvers, and a multi-layered garage customization menu for decals, paint finishes, and chassis attachments.

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system. DirectX 12 API required. Supports full controller input (DualSense, Xbox Wireless Controller, DirectInput gamepads), Steam Cloud, and ultrawide 21:9/32:9 displays.
• Laptop Performance Note: High-velocity physics interactions, multi-body vehicular collisions, and dense volumetric particle explosions generate significant real-time GPU and CPU demands. Mobile components require sustained thermal dissipation to prevent clock throttling during chaotic horde encounters.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: Requires mobile GPUs operating with at least 75W-90W TGP for 1080p60 and 115W-140W+ TGP for 1440p high-refresh gameplay.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: Aggressive fan curves and an elevated laptop stand are strongly recommended to manage sustained heat from Unreal Engine 5 physics and destruction calculations.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: Sustained PL1 limit of 35W-45W+ recommended to maintain high tick-rate physics calculations during multi-enemy chain slams.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: Dedicated GPU mode via MUX switch or Advanced Optimus reduces input latency during high-speed drifting and parry maneuvers.
• Optimization Detail: Upscaling Tech: NVIDIA DLSS 3.7 (Super Resolution + Frame Generation), AMD FSR 3.1, and Intel XeSS 1.3.
• Optimization Detail: Key Settings Impact: Debris Physics Quality, Volumetric Smoke, Screen Space Reflections, and Post-Processing Motion Blur have the highest performance impact.
• Game Name: SLAM TANK

• Requires 64-bit OS and processor. DirectX 12 supported. Steam Deck Verified.
• Laptop Performance Note: Unreal Engine 5 scales cleanly; 60W+ mobile TGP ensures steady 60 FPS in arenas.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: 45W TGP for 1080p 60 FPS; 85W+ for 120+ FPS displays.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: Clear vents maintain CPU below 80C under load.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: Sustained 35W CPU power prevents stutter during 4-player co-op.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: MUX switch bypasses iGPU for lower input latency.
• Optimization Detail: Upscaling Tech: Supports NVIDIA DLSS 3.7, AMD FSR 3.1, and Intel XeSS.
• Optimization Detail: Key Settings Impact: Volumetric Fog and Particle Density have the largest impact.
• Game Name: Kernel Hearts

• Upscaling Tech: NVIDIA DLSS 3.7 (Super Resolution + Frame Generation), AMD FSR 3.1, and Intel XeSS 1.3.
• Key Settings Impact: Debris Physics Quality, Volumetric Smoke, Screen Space Reflections, and Post-Processing Motion Blur have the highest performance impact.

• G P U T G P: Requires mobile GPUs operating with at least 75W-90W TGP for 1080p60 and 115W-140W+ TGP for 1440p high-refresh gameplay.
• Cooling Thermals: Aggressive fan curves and an elevated laptop stand are strongly recommended to manage sustained heat from Unreal Engine 5 physics and destruction calculations.
• C P U Power Limits: Sustained PL1 limit of 35W-45W+ recommended to maintain high tick-rate physics calculations during multi-enemy chain slams.
• M U X Switch Optimus: Dedicated GPU mode via MUX switch or Advanced Optimus reduces input latency during high-speed drifting and parry maneuvers.

• G P U T G P: 45W TGP for 1080p 60 FPS; 85W+ for 120+ FPS displays.
• Cooling Thermals: Clear vents maintain CPU below 80C under load.
• C P U Power Limits: Sustained 35W CPU power prevents stutter during 4-player co-op.
• M U X Switch Optimus: MUX switch bypasses iGPU for lower input latency.