Totally Accurate Battle Simulator is a ragdoll physics battle simulator. The core gameplay consists of composing armies out of units in different factions using using in-game money, while having to stay under the budget in campaign mode, and then watching those armies fight. In the "Campaign" game mode, the player has a limited budget, and must compose their army to defeat a predetermined enemy army. Meanwhile, in the "Sandbox" game mode, the player is in charge of designing both armies, and has an unlimited amount of money to spend on units. The two opposing armies are placed on opposite sides of the map; after the player clicks "start", they rush forward and begin to attack each other. The player can then move the camera around the map to view the battle. A May 2019 update also added the ability to "possess" units during an ongoing battle— controlling them manually from a first-person perspective. The usual win condition is when all of the opposing soldiers have been killed; however, a May 2020 update added new win conditions, such as surviving for a given amount of time, or the death of a specific enemy unit. The game features ten different factions, each with seven unique units. There is also a "Secret" faction, which consists entirely of hidden units that can be found throughout various maps. Units are priced based on their health, the damage they deal, and unique abilities. All factions have units ranging from weak and cheap to strong and expensive, allowing for strategic composition of armies. Battles can take place on a variety of maps, which correspond to the factions: the Tribal and Ancient factions each have three corresponding maps, while the Farmers, Medieval, Vikings, and Spooky factions have two each, and the others have one each. There are also 22 "Simulation" maps, which feature structures such as fortresses or narrow bridges. Custom battle scenarios can be shared with others via the Steam workshop.
Development
The game was made during a week-long game jam in a Swedish castle. Landfall Games released the download for people who signed up to their website 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. 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. On 1 April 2020, a free "Bugs" DLC was released, which adds several new commands that can be turned on or off from the menu, such as Halflings turning into blackholes or mammoths being able to be stacked up into a tower, as well as the player being able to fire various projectiles during battles.
Reception
The game has been referred to as a "vibrant and goofy take on chaotic combat", and has "silly graphics and kind of wonky body physics" which is part of the "charming appeal of an otherwise realistic simulator". The game has also been described as "brilliant in its simplicity" and "outstanding".
