After two lengthy delays to its original release date of December 2021 — a combination of last-minute fine-tuning and "recent world events" (aka Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine) — Wayforward's Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is finally here. This pair of Game Boy Advance classics have stood the time incredibly well and, honestly, the trickiest part of reviewing this shiny new collection has been finding anything of real substance to complain about. What we've got here is a treasure trove of delightfully addictive strategising wrapped up in a colourful comic-book style that's almost impossible to put down once it's got its hooks into you.

If you're an old war dog who's played the original 2001/2003 releases back in the day, you'll already know what to expect for the most part here, with some of the slickest and most deceptively deep turn-based tactical action available on any platform. The Advance Wars series may not serve up the breadth of options of more "serious" turn-based efforts like your XCOMs or Total Wars, but what's here works so wonderfully well, and is so perfectly balanced, that it doesn't matter in the end. These are the sorts of games you make a permanent place for on your Switch, such is the endlessly replayable nature of the battles at hand, perfectly paced skirmishes that keep you glued to your screen and coming back for more.
The action in Advance Wars may at first seem like frivolous cartoon fun as you dig into getting to know the game's various enthusiastic COs, but once the training wheels come off and you're in the thick of the action, you're 100% going to need to get your strategy cap on to survive the tight scrapes and ever-expanding array of enemy units and scenarios thrown at you.
That's not to say you shouldn't give this one consideration if you're new to turn-based tactical action, though. Far from it, in fact. Your onboarding officer, the super-sassy Nell, is on-hand at all times to explain the ins and out of how everything works, the game's tutorial section has been smartly reworked so that every new aspect of battle is explained as it's added to the mix, and there are guides aplenty to dip into whenever you need a refresh. There's also a casual mode that you can switch to at any time during either of the two campaigns that dials the difficulty down from its classic form to help smooth over any tough spots for new recruits.

And what of those two campaigns? Well, combined you're looking at a solid 35-40 hours worth of tactics action here, perhaps considerably more if you're new to the genre, and we thoroughly recommend you start with the first campaign, as the admittedly throwaway story that backs up the core combat will be ruined somewhat if you choose to skip onto Black Hole Rising, something you can do right from the get go if you choose for some reason.
Kicking off with 2001's Advance Wars and, after a quick run through the basics of unit movement and attacking with Nell, we're introduced to Andy, an energetic young Orange Star CO who's eager to get onto the battlefield to tangle with Blue Moon's invading forces. Opening sorties see you get to grips with unit types, terrain tactics — mountains give you a height advantage/forests conceal your movements and so on — and the ins and outs of trundling light tanks around in order to block off corridors of movement and disrupt your adversary's plans. You'll then be slowly introduced to capturing cities in order to earn supplies with which to churn out more units from bases on the field of action, and it's in the carefully balanced selection of these units that the game finds its wonderfully addictive ebb and flow.
Once you've got a full range of tanks, ships, submarines, helicopters, missile defence systems, recon jeeps, APCs and so on in the mix, the real genius of Advance Wars begins to reveal itself. Maps that seem incredibly simplistic at first glance quickly become tense battlegrounds, with bridges quickly turning into chokepoints where fierce tank battles play out as you tussle for territorial dominance and control of supply routes. The seas play host to face-offs between great warships capable of crushing targets from range and sneaky submarines that lurk beneath the surface, and the skies are dominated by the business of bombers, fighter jets, and helicopters as they carefully outmanoeuvre each other turn by turn. There are multiple flavours of combat happening all at the same time here and every single one of them is delicious.
On top of managing and manoeuvring all your different unit types, you'll also need to consider a fog of war effect in certain missions, a thick blanket that stretches out across the combat zone requiring you to send out recon teams and ascertain the position of hidden enemy troops. The rhythm of battle changes during these exchanges, making for slow excursions that require you to carefully consider terrain in order to zone in on your opponent, soften up their defences and locate their HQ without finding yourself surrounded. Remember too that an enemy HQ can be targeted and captured straight off the bat in order to end a confrontation in the game's default skirmishes, and you should always be both defending your own base of operations and taking advantage of fast-moving transport options to sneak a unit in the back door and shut your foe down by surprise as they're distracted by combat elsewhere.

The game mixes things up further by dishing out missions where you've only got a set number of days to complete your task, or by charging you with capturing a certain number of cities before your opponent, leading to face-offs that see control of shorelines and roads become of paramount importance as you seek to block the enemy from progressing across certain sections of the map. All of this leads to the sort of tactical action that generates truly memorable situations; impossible escapes, wild comebacks, shock defeats, and triumphant routs, and it's all enhanced further by a cool cast of COs that come with their own special powers which can be deployed in order to help you turn the tide of battle in an instant.
All of the old favourites return here, with the likes of Andy, Max, Grit, Sami and so on giving you lots of different CO powers and superpowers to play around with, such as Andy's ability to mend vehicles and units once his gauge is charged up — saving you from retreating to a captured base to heal — and Grit's sniper senses temporarily extending his army's attack range. Advance Wars gives you limited time with these various characters in comparison to the expanded choices afforded in Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising but, by jumping into the game's War Room mode and earning coins, you'll be able to unlock the full roster of available COs from Hachi's shop in order to rock them into battles against the CPU, hone your skills and earn those elusive S-Ranks on every map.

If you prefer your opponents in human form, you've also got the option of jumping into battles against up to three of your friends in either online battles (a mode we haven't been able to test for this review) or in local play that sees you share controllers on one console or hook up four Switches to get stuck into combat. There are a ton of premade maps to buy from Hachi for use in these various modes and the game also comes with a dinky Design Room where you can get busy creating your own maps which can then be used online or shared with other players. Re-Boot Camp is, in short, a thoroughly well-rounded package that gives you plenty of ways to play, and we can only hope that the new addition of online play against pals performs adequately once players start to jump into action on release day.
In terms of the enhancements made for this remake, beyond the addition of that online mode and a handful of modern conveniences, such as the ability to replay your last move or fast-forward through an enemy's turn, it's all very much business as usual here from a gameplay perspective, which is exactly what we wanted. Why mess with such a perfect formula? It's therefore in the graphical and audio presentation that we see the biggest changes and this is the only area of the game where we have a small criticism.
The crisp and clean new graphical style makes for an update that sticks closely to the vibe of the original games, taking the wonderfully clunky units and pixelated maps of the classics and giving them a makeover that adds fine details, smooth edges, new animations and plenty of delightfully swooshy cutscenes as you unleash your various CO powers. The audio evolution adds much to the experience, too, with lots of excellent voice-acting bringing the cast of characters to life like never before. The UI is also super clean and easy to parse in all situations, with every bit of info you need in any situation available by simply moving over a unit, holding in a shoulder button for further details, or pressing 'B' to check out attack radiuses.

So, what's our niggling criticism then? Well, we're not totally sold on how the battle maps are presented in a sort of playbox/board game style. Yes, we're being incredibly nit-picky, but there it is. You get used to it as you play, and we've all but forgotten it now, but early on it feels like a design decision that pulls you out of the action a little. We get that it's perhaps a decision made to further remove the warfare at hand from anything resembling real-world events, but we definitely prefer the original style of zoomed-in combat arena. There's also, perhaps, a sense that there's nothing really new to dig into here. There are no big surprises joining forces with the delight in this beautifully presented remake; it's very much what you would expect.
Beyond those minor complaints, though, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is indeed a delightful reworking of a pair of bonafide strategy classics. The core gameplay here hasn't aged a day with battles that feel perfectly pitched and finely balanced throughout. The story is throwaway stuff, yes, but it's hard not to get caught up in the infectious enthusiasm of its cast of highly likeable COs. The whole package also looks great and performs perfectly in both docked and handheld modes. We just want remakes of Days of Ruin and Dual Strike now please, Nintendo. We're fully addicted all over again.
Conclusion
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is a delightful reimagining of two classic GBA strategy titles. The gameplay here remains as endlessly addictive, finely balanced, and challenging as ever, and the addition of a handful of modern conveniences and the ability to play against friends online makes for a slick overall package. With a crisp, clean new art style that adds lots of new animations and cutscenes, a remastered soundtrack, and voice-acting in the mix, this is a polished return to Advance Wars action that's got us fully addicted to the series all over again. This is the sort of game you'll reserve a permanent space for on your console, a timeless experience you'll keep tucked away on your Switch for the foreseeable future.
Comments 116
Almost hard to believe it's finally here. Hope the hype hasn't entirely died in the meantime since the delay as this really seems like a lovingly made remake. I'm looking forward to playing it!
Yay!
It won't really come out, of course.
In the beginning, I had hope.
How many other games have been released in this time?
About war and tanks and shooting?
It's inconceivable to me now.
I don't get to play it.
Something will happen.
If it wasn't for my backlog this would be a day one buy
Excited to jump back into these after so long. Dual Strike is still my favourite though!
I really hope this game sells well. It’s looking to be a great collection of two fantastic games. I personally can’t wait for Friday to play them!
@dystome calm down. back away from the ledge. game's out in two days.
Very fond memories of playing the first game on my GBA. I am looking forward to getting this eventually, but I’m just so busy trying to clear some of my already large backlog before Zelda drops. Definite buy, but not Day 1.
I still have easy access to the first two GBA originals, so this is something that I, personally, will wait to get a used copy of for a lower price.
But for anyone who has never played the originals, this is an absolute must and I'm happy to see new audiences diving into two stone cold classics.
For me, the delay really hurt this one. When it was originally scheduled for December 2021, I was planning to get it day 1, but right now I’m partway through FE Engage, so probably won’t pick it up for a while, if at all.
I love this series and am excited to get hooked all over again!
I'm a little curious what the review meant by "dinky" Design Room though...?
During the long delays I got into the much cheaper ...and ultimately, preferred games of the Tiny Metal series on the eShop. Fans of these old remade games should check those out for if you want to play the type of game but in a less familiar way.
Advance Wars sat on the sidelines and lost its' shine for me.
too bad it's been delayed twice with 1 being over 1 year and it's $60 when it really should be $40
Good to hear. And as someone who plays quite a number of tabletop and digital hex based war-games, the particular look and style that they went with here is actually a plus for me.
$60 is still a tough call when you still have the superior GBA versions available anywhere. Hopefully they'll come to Online at some point.
I find myself in a position again with too much to play and not enough time. It's a good feeling.
But this is truly one I've been waiting a VERY long time for.
The game I’m looking forward to the most this year. So happy to see the game being made and fingers crossed for more in the future. If you like strategy games this is a must have!
I can understand not liking the visual style (I'm not overfond of the 3D models for Re-Boot Camp, myself), but I'm getting a little exasperated seeing people thinking that the map has been turned into a board game.
It's not a board game, it's a war map. It's a simplification that the COs (and thus you) are using at HQ to command their troops from the rear. You know, like in movies where you see people using sticks to move battalions around and sweep pieces off and stuff? That's why entire units of troops are represented by individual troops/vehicles. When you confirm an engagement, it shows you the actual conflict that's occurring.
@rushiosan How exactly are the GBA versions superior, other than maybe the art style? From what it looks like, there are a lot of great QoL improvements and new features all around.
I don’t have time to play but will snag this day 1.
Love the war map/war games artstyle.
@rushiosan it what way are the GBA versions superior only asking cos I really wanna get this having only played the GBA Versions briefly I don’t wanna be wasting money
I was kinda keen for it last year and had it preorders but after the delay, my hype for it has mostly died and I have way too much games that are higher priority now and for the rest of this year so I won't be picking it up.
I was also never super keen on the art direction to begin with. It's not like offensively bad or anything but I think it has a lot less charm to the originals which makes it hard to get too excited for.
I'll keep an eye out for a cheap physical copy but knowing how Nintendo games hold their prices, there's a good chance that won't happen.
I believe the game's long delay has caused a loss of interest from many gamers. That's my case at least. So many people are laser focused on the new Zelda releasing soon. It's unfortunate. I went from "day 1" to "maybe later down the road". Cheers to everyone picking this up regardless.
@dystome you're onto something. This game is vaporware at this point. Development hell. DOA.
I'm really not sure why they couldn't have included Dual Strike content and complete the Advance trilogy. Knowing the release limbo this game has gone through, I highly doubt we'll get it as DLC.
@Gs69 Pixel art for this series is just as important as it was for Metal Slug. It's now completely removed and redone.
I‘d rather play the original games in 60 fps than this remake in 30 fps.
Glad to hear it’s a great remake! I’ve been waiting for over a year now and the delay didn’t make the wait any better. I’ll be buying it on Friday but I’ll have to rush through it since Xenoblade 3 Future Redeemed comes out on Tuesday
I’ve got faith in WayForward doing a good job with this. Despite that and any review, for better or worse (hard to trust a critic’s opinion these days anyway, even this one), I hope this will bring the series back to life and we start seeing some new entries.
I just find it really odd that they have allowed you to replay your last move, surely that takes away from the importance of making the right moves.
I'm a fan of the original game back on gba, I'll get this for sure
@Bret Are you guys
secretly writing haiku?
I can't tell.
In, somewhat, more seriousness I'm really on the fence on this one. I never clicked with Advance Wars back then. I love tactics games but I'm more into medieval fantasy like Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy. The expendable nameless peons give me a RTS feeling I don't really enjoy. On the other hand, knowing it's got a nice tutorial and lower difficulty options for newcomers really gets me wondering if I should give it a try
yessssss, so happy about this😍
Wayforward?? Why not Intelligent Systems?
*Ah yes, of course, they are busy with the Fire Emblem games
@rushiosan yeah I see what you are saying I thought you meant that certain gameplay elements that were present in the GBA versions were missing in the rerelease I suppose the more you play it the more you would get used to the visuals but I defo agree and I would hate to play metal slug if it had its amazing sprite work taken away
Really looking forward to play it as I never played the gba games.
Despite the both figurative and literal warzone Re-Boot Camp has had to endure prior to release, I'm glad to see it (much like the characters featured in it) triumph over all adversity to deliver an absolutely stellar experience. Will definitely be picking this up at some point in the future; GODSPEED YOU CRAZY SOLDIERS o7

It's odd that online multiplayer is specifically against friends (no option for randoms), and this isn't considered a con?
Otherwise I have this pre-ordered and look forward to playing day one!
I need to point out that the eshop only promises 2 players online. Not 4 as this review implies.
This game just feels like a huge missed opportunity.
We could have had online rankings and match-making. We could have had a toggle to old-school graphics and music. We could have had Dual Strikes included. We could have had weekly challenges.
Considering this was delayed a year I expected a little more content. As it stands they could have just released the GBA versions on NSO and most people would have been glad with that if this is all we're getting.
I'm still buying it but I'm going to add it to the list of uninspired Nintendo games we've got the last couple of years.
If anything, I kind of wish the visuals leaned MORE into the game board-ishness. It's a cute conceit that would work well with the visual style if hey fully embraced it.
I won't get as much time with this as I wanted initially, but I'll definitely be checking it out as soon as it launches.
You can only play online with friends? What a disappointment...
@Gs69 Mummy Demastered and Shantae & the Pirate's Curse had some outstanding pixel art (by Konjak IIRC) and they're both done by Wayforward, but somehow they didn't make a single 2D asset for this remake. It would be amazing if we could switch between both styles, like DQ XI or Wonder Boy and the Dragon's Trap.
Reboot Camp still looks alright, but the originals aged gracefully and don't cost a whopping $60, so...
I need to play this, don't I?
I have happy memories of the previous games. Reads really, really good. Thanks for the review. Already pre-ordered
Don't like the horrible polygon art style of the mech, will stick to the originals thanks.
I would’ve picked this up day one if not for the fact that my Megaman Battle Network Collection preorder is, allegedly, coming in tomorrow, Xenoblade dlc next week, and Zelda practically right around the corner. This will probably be a summer pick up for me. I do feel just the two games was a bit stingy. Why not give us at least Dual Strike as well? What about Famicom Wars? Would have been a great way to finally see that localized.
Dual Strike is the pinnacle of the Advance Wars games.
Pure perfection.
@mecklejay Even as someone who's never played these games before, I thought the interpretation of this being a war map in the meeting room to plot out strategies was a pretty obvious design choice. I guess we were mistaken...?
I'm stoked to finally be getting this remake, especially to help introduce a new generation of gamers to the military turn-based genre. The article hit most of the bullet points, but I strongly encourage everyone NOT to overlook the multi-player here; I believe it will be this game's greatest hidden gem. Learning the nuances of combined arms tactics (land, sea, and air) and employing them against other human players can get incredibly addictive.
That isn't to say AW is without its limitations. First off, many of the campaign battles are actually glorified puzzles with very specific solutions, so much that I recall single moves determining whether a mission succeeded or had to be completely started over from scratch (I suspect this may be a big part of why Nintendo included a rewind function here; it's NEVER fun to have to repeat several minutes' worth of gameplay...let alone over and over again...to achieve a singular task).
The other big weakness with AW is its rock/paper/scissors approach to units. Tank = Tank here regardless of faction or appearance. Helicopters destroy Tanks. Fighters destroy Helicopters (but unlike their real-world counterparts cannot be outfitted with ATG (Air To Ground) missiles. Subs destroy Battleships but are vulnerable to Destroyers. It's very basic stuff but it still requires players to send out waves of properly balanced forces in order to be prepared for all contingencies.
I posted about this before, but if this game what's your appetite for more of the same concept with more depth and realism (and you have a functioning Playstation 2 or PC emulator), Daisenryaku VII: Modern Military Tactics Exceed is your ticket. Over 400 units (including unlock able ones by completing both the campaign and individual missions such as the Zumwalt-class, the FB-22, and the Lun) across 8 real-world nations (USA, Russia, China, Japan, Germany, France, UK, and Israel), a fully featured map editor and multi-player up to 4 players in any combination of human, AI, teams, or individually. Unlike AW, Daisenryaku (Grand Strategy) has algorithms that reflect the real-world capabilities of specific units, so a squadron of M1 Abrams tanks will wipe the floor with older T-72s but be more evenly matched against German Leopards or Israeli Merkavas. And as units engage in skirmishes they gain experience and level up to increase their effectiveness, meaning it's crucial to pull injured units off the front lines for repairs to prevent them from being lost. My friends and I played thousands of hours in that game and we were still finding new tricks more than a year after we started. I can't recommend it enough if AW leaves you with that specific "itch" for deep turn-based tactical combat.
For everyone that complained about Nintendo showing more love to Fire Emblem than Advance Wars better go out and support this game. You guys wanted the series to return so badly so go out and show some love to people that worked to bring this franchise back.
Can't wait.
I also hope we get the original games on NSO at some point to experience the original visuals
Think I’ll eventually get this.
Can't wait to get back on Advance wars. Also that subheading, RIP Chris Cornell, no one sings like you anymore.
@Joker1234 I can't upvote that post enough. There are many game franchises that may never get another chance, but in this case we're literally talking about an entire subgenre (military turn-based tactics). So if you have any interest, let alone love, for AW and these types of games, please vote with your wallet and support this! And please DON'T wait for it to go on sale; corporations don't count sale prices as being reflective of serious and profitable consumer interest.
I won't be able to sit down and play this for a good long while - got finals coming up soon - but I have it preordered and I'm really excited to try these games for the first time!
@Mando44646 an update that would allow you to go back to the original visuals would be cool. I'd probably buy this game if you could do that.
There goes my weekend!
I thoroughly enjoyed watching gameplay of this game so I will be getting this for sure. It does look like a lot of fun and a great place to get into tactical games.
Good to see the series finally return!
I'm still bitter we got like 5 Fire Emblem's on 3DS and not a single Advance Wars
@AtlanteanMan There are probably hundreds of Grand Strategy titles on the PC. Paradox is the developer to look towards for those.
I'm with you though - I grew up on SSI games on my C64. I'm convinced AW was born out the coders enjoyment of Military Madness - which was a big hit in Japan. AW is that game made for a more popular console.
My preorder is arriving tomorrow, can't wait.
Personally, I needed this game to release in it's original release window. Now, there's too many lengthy games either already released or coming out; and this got bumped to the back.
.....but I love love loved the GBA games!
Great review! Personally, I like the look of the battle maps as board games as much as the original style (also because it's actually a war map which perfectly fits these games as @mecklejay said) and obviously don't mind that there's nothing new since these are remakes, even less so considering I've played both games but never finished them myself (only watched playthroughs of the campaigns since then).
The only mystery left is if the online will work well, fingers crossed it does!
By the way, yes please to remakes of Dual Strike and Days of Ruin if not even a completely new game!
@dew12333 Personally much prefer being able to replay my last move over not since mistakes do happen even to the best and I seriously doubt it breaks the game, you most likely still need a good strategy to win and even more so to get the highest ranks.
@Joker1234 @AtlanteanMan Hope enough people will buy it to warrant other remakes and/or even a completely new game. And I question why some always complain about the MSRP as if you couldn't get games for lower even day one, for example by getting it digitally with the vouchers (or similar if not even lower discounts physically like I did, preordered it as soon as they announced it back in the day at €49,99)!
@Mando44646 Most certainly not anytime soon, but I hope it will be like Link's Awakening and we'll eventually get the originals on NSO, too!
The character portraits look nice but I don't like the artstyle during gameplay. Still, I'll give it a shot someday. Wayforward is a good developer.
@Bablommebite He's my favourite artist. From Soundgarden, to Audioslave and his solo career, I liked everything that he did. He's probably the only one that would have left me starstruck if I had the chance to meet him.
Can't wait til Friday!!!
Just came here to say the subheading is marvellous!
I was planning on skipping these, since I have OG on Wii U, but I might pick that up somewhere along the way
@ShaiHulud
Black hole sun
won't you come
and wash away the rain
This review reads as if the game is incredibly close to a 10/10… wow! I’ve never played an Advance Wars game or anything similar, but I might just have to check this remake out! It looks pretty fun! Thanks for the review, Nintendo Life!
@dystome Are you alright?
@JohnnyMind People will always demand Nintendo to bring back some forgotten series and then when it finally happens they don't support it. It would be nice to see some of these forgotten franchises receive new entries.
@Cashews I agree regarding TBS games being readily available on the PC, but I was referring specifically to consoles in this case. And most of those to date have centered around WWII, including the Paradox titles.
Just saying that modern warfare turn-based strategy games are about as rare as hens' teeth. Gotta support any we can get if we want the chance to see more come to consoles.
I’m ready 🫡
It’s time since long wait.
Feels like one of those remakes that just wasn't really needed - the originals still hold up really well. I wish they had released those on NSO (to build up some hype) and then released a proper new entry in the series instead. I'm really torn on this one because I want to support it (to encourage a new entry!) but I don't really have time to play it with Zelda coming soon...
Can someone advise: I've never played these games, but I did play (and love) Wargroove. I know WG was very 'inspired' by Advance Wars, so I'm just wondering is this game worth it when I can just play Wargroove? £45 sounds a bit steep to me, but if it really is much better than WG then I might buy it... or wait til its on sale
Buying this day 1, never played these before and looking forward to finally get a chance to play this remake. Makes me wonder how well it's going to sell though. The series has traditionally performed very poorly in Japan but hoping for the best.
I love it when companies give the middle finger to 2D sprites...I might play it.
@Lylat Consider that this is two games in one so if you combine the MSRP of Wargroove which is £15.99 and Wargroove 2 (assuming the latter will cost the same which I doubt) it would be £31.98.
I'd say around £13 more is worth it considering how good these are and all the work put into this remake (completely new assets including 3D ones, animated cutscenes, voice acting etc.), not to mention you can pay less than MSRP on launch by buying this and another game for £84.00 (so £42.00 each) digitally with the vouchers or the same price if not even lower physically from some retailers!
@AtlanteanMan No doubt, no doubt. I was really trying to parrot what you said - if you get the itch there are sooooo many good titles on Steam. Point and click really lends itself to TBS.
You can get Paradox games on the cheap constantly. It isn't just WW2 - the is sci-fi (Stellaris) and historical (Europa Universalis, Crusader Kings) aplenty. But of course they aren't anything like this. So much more involved; more complicated. Great in every way though - with years and years of support behind them.
@roy130390 one of the greatest rock singer of all time!
@Lylat I dont understand the obsession with Wargroove. WG is not a fill-in for Advance Wars. I want my strategy to have jets, battleships and tanks, not knights and trebuchets.
@Joker1234 I definitely pre-ordered for that reason. I will have a lifelong grudge against Fire Emblem for taking attention away from AW
I got to give this a try. Plus as some people point out it’s not a board game. It’s a war map. Hopefully my backlog gets cleared up a bit.
I can't wait to play this on Friday. Advance Wars is finally back!
I’ll probably pick this up used at some point. I own both on Wii U VC but the Wii U is so much less convenient than the switch (news to everyone I know..). I played through a good chunk of the first game on there soon after I got the used Wii U. Not sure when I will get around to this one on Switch though with the backlog…
Still hoping for a content update/DLC/expansion involving Dual Strike. Just give me the COs, units, and the dual CO mechanic.
So many good new games but so little time. I will be getting this without hesitation but when I get to actually play it is the question. I’m happy there’s a couple of new features to make the game a bit easier if need be. From what I remember it was a rough game in parts. I prefer this to fire emblem so I hope it does well and warrants more releases of these.
These 2 games are very special to me. From 2002 through 2006 I was incredibly sick and spent most of my life during that period in hospitals. My GBA never left my side and these games were easily my most played. This remake is like an old friend returning. I’m so glad it turned out good I can’t wait till friday.
Great to see.
Definitely picking this up within the next few months.
Looks nice, like an indie game, for 15$ i will buy it, but 60$ it’s way too much for me when legend of zelda is so close to get released.
Not a huge fan of the particular look and style here. Also, you can see this is a shopped-out B or C tier Nintendo game (irrespective of how much fun it is to play), when, imo, it really should have been an A tier version. This should have been another AAA Nintendo game that instantly made everyone want more from it and such, but I promise you it's not gonna see much notable action after this for some time again. Nintendo didn't do the potential of the amazing originals the full justice they deserved in new versions in modern times.
The review mentions they didn't have access to online so I wasn't sure how the online mode is. I read a different review that mentioned that the online mode is only within you friend group. That there is no unknown matchmaking component, leaderboards, or ranked play. Can anyone clarify? Is that accurate?
Well probably may play these smaller GBA indie titles until Wargroove 2 comes out. Normally it's the other way around where I would play a similar indie game until a triple a Nintendo game comes out but for these I feel Wargroove 2 is the bigger triple a package.
The tanks aren't bouncy enough. This game is rubbish!
(looking forward to playing this again, but I do remember the tanks being more animated.)
@The_Trooper49
As someone who is very excited to get this remake, I have to say I agree.
Been really looking forward to it over the last year or so, but had I known about GBA games coming to NSO, I would have wanted the classics on there and a new game on Switch.
As Nintendo obviously knew about their NSO plans, does seem a strange course.
I love these so much. I played the hell out of Wargroove - which is largely an imitation - and I'm so excited to pick these up at midnight tonight.
Should have been a 10/10.
"We weren't keen on the battle maps presented as board games"
On the other hand, would have been worse If they had aimed for realistic graphics.
Is there a way to remove that board game style graphic around the map? Just like in Bayo 3 they made a mode for snowflakes and normal players. Or is it mandatory?
@Meangenie My kids love watching me playing Bayo v.3 - I was hoping snowflake mode would help with this - but really they didn't tone down Enzo's language at all. They just made Rodin's cigar a pastry.
I tried Bayo v.1 with the rugrats in tow and the language and sexy were way too much. I had to turn that one off
I do want to try this pair of games...eventually. Unfortunately my backlog already includes a couple of strategy games I'd like to get to first, so I'm better off waiting for now. The irony is I was in a pretty good position to play this before the last delay.
@Paulo
I don't know how many times this needs to be said,
but one joy/con does not equate exactly to one review score point.
It looks like Nintendo will get more of my money. I didn't complete the original one on GBA, losing a few times on the final battle. The second game I never started. Same with the two on DS!
ALERT ABOUT ONLINE MODE:
This review was written to EXCITE new players and try to sell the game.
Basically the game is EQUAL to both of the GBA. Same maps, same solutions to win.
It was better to have put the original GBA games in the subscription. This game doesn't even make sense to exist.
This game does the MINIMUM POSSIBLE, retailing for $60!
Another EASY PASS!
Wargroove is much better!
Wargroove 1 has more missions than Advance Wars 1 + 2 (2 games!), more characters, more special powers, more strategic possibilities, more elements, still keeping it simple, and you can create a whole campaign, containing maps, a story invented by you, and share . With online ranked battles 1-4 players, COOP 1-4 players (all game modes, including the shared maps and campaigns), against random people, with asynchronous gameplay, better plot and story, Wargroove has EVERYTHING. And on sale on Steam, this game costs $3 !
So honestly seeing as Nintendo life’s only red mark was the like playing board aesthetic thing which personally doesn’t bother me this is basically another 10/10 game. Honestly great to hear as this review did alleviate a lot of my worries like difficulty and length. Very excited to get my copy now.
@Uncle_Franklin right you are. But read the review, there are no complaints.
"So, what's our niggling criticism then? Well, we're not totally sold on how the battle maps are presented in a sort of playbox/board game style. Yes, we're being incredibly nit-picky, but there it is. You get used to it as you play, and we've all but forgotten it now, but early on it feels like a design decision that pulls you out of the action a little. We get that it's perhaps a decision made to further remove the warfare at hand from anything resembling real-world events, but we definitely prefer the original style of zoomed-in combat arena".
@Paulo
Reviewers don't generally start from the highest score and then deduct points.
A game might be the best that concept can be, and still not get a 10.
Really looking forward tothis. Can’t pick my copy up until the weekend annoyingly.
Absolutely classic games, if you haven’t played them before give them a go. I have and will be gleefully playing them through again. Great to see such an underrated series given some acknowledgement.
Feel like I’m buying a lot of Nintendo games last year or so.
Glad to see the wait was worth it.
I really wanna pick this up. But the art style just turns me off unfortunately :/
Incredible! I highly recommend!
Advance Wars are some of my favorite games ever. I’m so thankful these games have been remade so a new generation can try them. I still have my original gameboy advance cartridges but I’m picking this up to show support for the series and hope that more games will come out in the future. I would love it if they would make the two DS games available for purchase as well on the Switch.
Was watching this on stream today, and man. It's dull as paint drying.
I ordered it back in the day, but then came that nonsensical delay... Now I'll just buy it in the future (maybe I can also get it then at a discount). Huge backlog, currently playing Bayonetta 3, soon hugely invested with Zelda.
Oh, and its terrible that fog-of-war is back. That destroyed the gba-version for me (I have the vc-version).
Got a copy yesterday. Didn't play the series until Dual Strike, which is an awesome game. Can't wait to really get into these.
@msvt I agree the Tiny Metal. I had a three hour journey yesterday, d/l Tiny Metal, currently less than £4 in a cheeky sale, and the journey flew by. All the Advance Wars flavours, with a bit less finesse, but over £40 cheaper.
Wargroove is another option.
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