The first two games in the Advance Wars series are technically enhanced and back in one complete edition, courtesy of Nintendo and WayForward!
Thanks to Nintendo of Canada who gave us code for the game to do media coverage and testing. The publisher/developer therefore allows us to distribute and/or use excerpts from the game for our production purposes and does not interfere in any way with the awarding of the final score.
A good reason to go to war again
Although the subject is controversial in nature, war is part of human history. Despite the massacres, then, wars are subjects that are closely related to us and that have inspired a large number of works. Without pretending to be as serious as his inspiration, advance wars knew how to attract attention Game Boy Advance by offering a light style that still invites players to consider multiple elements to gain the upper hand over their enemies. To offer this experience to a new audience, Nintendo is bringing us the first two titles in the franchise to Nintendo Switch under the name Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Campthanks to the valuable help of the independent studio WayForward.
In both the first and second Advance Wars, there is Orange Star, a faction that wages war against its enemies to gain control of different territories. Each campaign features different, more colorful characters and leads you to fight enemies and destroy generals according to more or less logical patterns. In fact, with Orange Star, any excuse is good for sending units onto the battlefield, even if an opponent has only angered a general’s pride!
Little by little you will be introduced to the different elements that make up the complexity of each battle. Additionally, several missions serve as a practice to consider terrain types, weather, fog of war, and different unit types in your decision making. While these stealth tutorials make most missions rather easy, some of the latter will make your life difficult as the enemy can be ruthless or you may face initial handicaps.
Despite everything, the first two Advance Wars are still excellent turn-based strategy games today. Admittedly, they’re much lighter than other games of the same genre, but the pleasure of playing them is undeniable, whether you’re used to this type of game or not. Still, it’s a pity that the two games aren’t immediately accessible, since the second adventure is clearly superior to the first.
Over and beyond, WayForward has greatly improved the technical aspects of the original versions to make this set very attractive. With the exception of fairly easy terrain, the game bursts with color, while the bulkier units are a feast for the eyes when faced off against one another. In addition, the cartoon style suits both campaigns very well. As for the soundtrack, the improved quality of the music tracks is a treat for the ears. However, the decision to only narrate parts of the dialogue is a little odd, as it would have been more enjoyable to hear all of the dialogue than to have to read most of it.
On the other hand, in addition to single-player campaigns, Advance Wars 1+2 offers a number of modes and options that will keep you busy for a long time. In fact, you can unlock multiple maps, generals, soundtracks, etc. Thanks to the money you collect by completing missions. You can also fight locally or online by changing multiple parameters to play personalized games. Therefore, on top of the main campaigns, which should give you a good forty hours in front of your screen, you can certainly put in dozens of extra hours by browsing through all the additional modes on offer.
In short, despite some problems, the first two Advance Wars come back to us in a set that is as complete as it is pretty. With this quality, we can only hope that the other games in the series will also benefit from an overhaul!
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