This isn’t just a regular war, this is an ADVANCED war!

Nintendo’s classic war-based strategy series has a special place in my heart, even if I’m not that good at it. The fun characters, the cute stylized graphics, and hard-as-nails strategic combat, are elements that have always appealed to me. For this reason, following numerous delays, I was so excited to finally get my hands on this remake collection for Nintendo Switch.

The first thing you’ll notice when booting up Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp is that the beautiful art style has been modernised, but still captures the feel of the original Advance Wars on GBA. The adorable 3D models used during gameplay give off such charm as you watch them march about and battle each other for supremacy. It’s safe to say that war has never looked so cute! Along with the updated and slick new models, we’re also treated to beautifully drawn 2D renders of all the characters. It’s amazing how developer WayForward has managed to take how the visuals originally looked, and made them appear how I always saw them in my mind. This game oozes charm, from the design of the military units to the characters, it’s really hard to not have a smile on your face whilst waging warfare.

It’s not just the visuals that have been re-booted. The revamped soundtrack is quite honestly mind-blowing, with the majority of tracks becoming mainstays on my personal playlists. The game also features fully voiced cutscenes, seen most notably when the characters use their special abilities. This adds some much needed personality and dimensionality to the game, and as with the visuals, helps realise how we imagined the game to be on GBA.

A fresh coat of paint is welcome of course, but does the gameplay still hold up? For the new recruits out there, Advance Wars is a turn-based tactics game where you command an army of units with the aim of taking over the enemies side of the map. Objectives can change depending on the level, but the same basic gameplay applies throughout. Devising and executing a strategic plan is extremely satisfying, and even those who do not possess an aptitude for strategy like myself should be able to figure out the best way forward and complete each level after a few tries.

The game keeps your senses sharp by augmenting the gameplay, with each commanding officer having their own unique ability. These can take the form of increased attack range to the capacity to repair units, and more. Naturally, the complexity gradually increases as you go deeper into the game, where now you must control multiple armies and divide your attention between multiple areas of larger, more varied maps. At the end of every battle, you are given a Grade depending on how well you performed. This had me striving to gain S rank on as many maps as possible. These gameplay tweaks would always keep me guessing, and made sure that I wouldn’t fall into any comfortable, surefire strategies.

The collection includes the full campaigns from the first two games in the series, as well as a war room side-mode, map editor, co-op local and online multiplayer (I was too terrified to try the latter), and an aircraft hangar of side content and unlockables to keep you playing well after the story mode has ended. Hatchi’s shop serves as a place to spend all your hand-earned coins on unlocking more maps, new Commanding officers, music tracks and more.

The War Room is a place to hone your battlefield skills by squaring off against CPU units on previously unlocked maps. Perhaps if I practice enough I may be able to gather up the courage to take on other real-world Generals in the online space. If you’ve somehow completed everything I’ve previously mentioned, the Map Editor is the perfect next stop. You can design the battle maps of your dreams and test yours and a friend’s might in local co-op!

Verdict

WayForward has crafted one of Nintendo’s most feature-complete remakes. While the game starts off deceptively simple, the sheer complexity of the combat combined with the updated visuals, music, and staggering amount of content means I’ll be returning to wage warfare for a long time to come.

Where to Buy

• Amazon UK
  • Price: £36.71
  • Link: https://amzn.to/3rzcLs4

• ShopTo
  • Price: £42.85
  • Link: https://tidd.ly/3PzFyF9

#AffiliateLinks – Using the links above contribute financially for the benefit of Nintendo Players UK’s community.

Credits

Written by Darren Roberts

Edited by Mark McAllister and Paul L. Russell

Graphic by Paul L. Russell