Advance Wars

Summary

Genre: Strategy
Number of players: 1-4

Review

Advance Wars is a title which has no hype behind it whatsoever. I have never even seen an advertisement for it, and it doesn't have a popular franchise behind it. Nonetheless, there are many other games which aren't hyped to the skies and yet are much better than some that are - such games being known by the title of 'sleeper hits' to show their quiet achievements. So does Advance Wars fall into this category, or is it just plain rubbish?


Gameplay: Advance Wars is first and foremost a turn-based strategy game. You control an army whose job it is to defeat the opposition, either by destroying all of their units or by capturing their headquarters. You have access to a wide variety of units, from the lowly infantry and mechanized infantry, to the more powerful tanks, artillery, missile and antiair units, not to mention powerful air and naval units such as the fighter, bomber, submarine and battleship.

As mentioned, the game is turn-based, so first one player takes a turn, which entails moving as many of his units as he wants, and attacking the opponent with them if he wants, then the other player does the same. All of the units have different functions, and a balanced army really needs to include most unit types if it's to have a chance at success. Infantry and mechs are the only units that can capture cities, bases, airports and HQ's, so they're essential to push your territory forwards, but they are virtually useless in combat except against other infantry. Tanks are great against infantry and other ground vehicles, but poor against air and sea units. Artillery and other long-range units can attack over a distance, but cannot move and attack in the same turn. Antiair units are great against air and infantry units but awful against anything else, and so it goes.

Attacking the enemy is obviously an essential activity, but whenever a non-artillery unit engages in battle, there will be a counterattack against it if the enemy unit isn't killed by the attack. Using the wrong unit to attack might even result in a counterattack that kills the attacker. One very, very important factor to bear in mind, and a departure from most strategy games, is that a damaged unit is weaker when attacking than a fully-healthy unit. Each unit has ten hit points when first created, and, while this next point is only apparent when the combat scenes appear, each 'unit' is actually made up of five units, not one. An infantry unit, therefore, is really five men, not one. As the unit takes damage, some of the men get blown away, so an infantry unit with only four HP is only made up of two men. As a result, the firepower is only 40% of maximum. This is true of all units in the game, and makes for a very deep strategic challenge. Attacking a unit when you know you will only damage it, not kill it, may nonetheless cripple its attacking ability and render it pretty useless until it can get back to a city or base and begin recovering HP.

Terrain is another factor playing a big part in the strategy. There are a number of different types of terrain, ranging from roads, plains and woods to mountains, shoals and rivers. Each terrain type affects both movement and defensive cover for various units. For instance, a unit in the mountains may have very limited movement, but it has a high defensive cover against any attacking units; while a unit on the road can move very far, but all attacks against it will do full damage. This makes for a considerably tactical battle. In addition, terrain also affects the 'Fog of War', on maps which use this feature. Units on mountains can see much further in the fog, while units in woods and reefs will be invisible to any unit that isn't right adjacent to them.

A final factor affecting the battle is each player's choice of Commanding Officer. There are a total of ten different CO's to use in the battle, and which one you choose makes a real difference to your strategy. CO's aren't present on the battlefield like 'Hero' units in games like StarCraft for the PC. Instead, their strengths and weaknesses are transferred to all the units under their command. There's the obligatory 'average' CO, who is a complete all-rounder; there's another who is very strong in direct combat, but very bad in ranged attacks; still other CO's have strengths in air, sea or ranged attacks, while others can capture bases faster, or see much further in Fog of War. In addition to these unit bonuses and weaknesses, each CO has a unique power, which can be used every few turns once charged up. These powers range from restoring two HP to every unit, to allowing a double attack, to inflicting one HP damage to every enemy unit on the field, and so on. These powers can really swing the course of battle, and the weaker powers are balanced by being charged up a lot faster than the stronger ones. So the choice of CO can make a great difference.

Gameplay is highly enjoyable and amazingly strategic. Winning a battle is highly satisfying, and the sheer number of strategic possibilities makes the experience often very deep. Great stuff.


Challenge: The computer AI is very good indeed, and usually proves a highly capable foe. There are no difficulty settings for the AI, but they got the standard AI about right: not unstoppable, but not making any stupid mistakes either.

As far as longevity goes, there are a huge number of modes to try. When the game is first started, you are forced to complete a 12-part training mission - it's a testament to the game's complexity that this training is both essential to fully understand the game, but is also highly entertaining. Other modes to try are the Campaign mode, which pits you against a series of increasingly-tough missions against a series of foes; the VS mode, where you can battle either human opponents (by passing the GBA between up to four people) or computer opponents, either alone or in teams; the War Room mode, where you attempt a challenge against the computer to win coins which can be used to buy extra maps in the Battle Maps Room; and you can also create your own maps in the Design Maps mode. Link play is also possible: see the multiplayer section below.

So there is plenty to do, especially since there are well over 100 maps to try in the VS mode, and up to three maps can be designed in Design Maps. The game will last for a very long time, and should retain pick-up-and-play appeal indefinitely.


Graphics: The usual overhead map display is okay, but perhaps quite average graphically. The battle animations which come up are much better, with highly-satisfying scenes of the two groups of units blasting away at each other. The general graphical feel is a Japanese cartoon style, and a lot of personality is exuded from the units and CO's alike. Overall, graphics are impressive enough.


Sounds: Sounds are also good. There are a lot of musical tunes, and each CO has his or her own signature tune which plays during their turn. These range from sinister military marches to more active and catchy music. Sounds effects are spot on, with all manner of weapon shots, ricochet noises and explosions done just fine. There is no actual speech, but this doesn't detract from the gameplay at all and is entirely forgivable given the limitations of the hardware and cartridge.


Multiplayer: Besides the VS mode with its passing-the-Gameboy system - which works fairly well although can get slightly tiresome when it's not your turn, there are two link modes as well - single-pak and multi-pak. As the names suggest, with single-pak mode only one cartridge is needed and up to four GBA's can be connected, while for multi-pak, each player needs a copy of Advance Wars in their GBA. Single-pak mode is quite a restricted mode, with only one map to play and no bases for creating new units, while multi-pak mode is much more open, equivalent to the VS mode but on several GBA's. The one and only drawback with this mode is that while another player takes his turn, the other players can't do anything but stare at their screens: they can't examine the map or their troops while waiting. Nevertheless, at least there's more to see than in the VS mode between turns. Link mode is a decent addition to the game and can be great fun.


Summing up: Advance Wars may not be the most widely-heard-of title on the market, but this is entirely undeserved. The game is top fun, and is one of the deepest strategic challenges around. With great computer AI, a huge variety of units and superbly enjoyable, Advance Wars really is a must for strategy fans, no matter how little experience with turn-based strategy they have. A fine game.


Gamesmark: 95%


Reviewer: Maverik