Battle Home

This is a Battle City you were never meant to win.

Battle City was a 2D shooting game developed by a Japanese company and released in 1985. It was a classic game for many born in the ’80s and ’90s. If you’ve played it before, you’ll recognize the familiar SFX, the tanks, the bullets, the map…

But the rules have changed.

I made this game as part of the theme “With Dad, With Mom.” It’s the deepest way I can think of to bring my dad into my game creation—even if he’s not actually here.

Battle City was his game. He played it back in high school, and even after he started working and had a family, he’d sometimes still play it—on arcade machines, on PC.

It was the first game he ever taught me. And the first game I ever played.

I’d pull up a small chair and sit by his desk. He said he’d teach me a game—

one we could play together.

I learned quickly. Move forward, move back, shoot. My hands got better and better at the controls. He also taught me how to open 4399 by myself and find games on my own.

But he rarely had time to play with me.

Back then, in Battle City, you could defend the base. But in Battle Home, the base will always be destroyed

Enemies will keep respawning, faster and faster. You can shoot, you can fight back—But no matter what you do, you lose.

BAD ENDING.

The screen of Battle Home becomes more and more blurred with each replay. The outlines of the map slowly fade away, turning into color blocks. But the enemies' attacks continue as usual, and the player can only wait for failure before entering into the next blurrier game.

BAD ENDING

The game is still running. But you’re not really playing anymore.

In Battle Home, blurring is a game mechanic, and failure leads to decline, a futile attempt to maintain the relationship with childhood during the process of growth. Or you can choose to quit, click 'Leave' to stop everything, but what really needs to be faced always happens after leaving home.