Played "Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp": Everything used to be better

My first foray into the world of strategy games was with "Advance Wars" on the Gameboy Advance. The colourful pixel graphics and the beginner-friendly tutorials immediately grabbed me in 2001. I also devoured the successor "Advance Wars 2". On car journeys, in bed and on holiday - the little war games were my constant companions.

So I was delighted when Nintendo announced a remake of the two games two years ago with "Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp". Two games in one package - with reworked graphics and a new soundtrack. A dream come true.

After two postponements - partly due to the war in Ukraine - the game is now available for the Nintendo Switch. I've invested around fifteen hours in the campaign. I still enjoy the strategy battles as much as I did back then. However, I'm not at all happy with the 3D reinterpretation of the pixel visuals.

Scissors, rock, paper

As an old "Advance Wars" stager, I immediately feel at home. The excellent gameplay has not been changed in the remake.

In "Advance Wars", you command your troops on a virtual battlefield in turn-based battles. You have various ground, air and water troops at your disposal. You move the units across the map on a grid. Each unit has its own movement and attack radius.

The interactions between the troops are reminiscent of the classic rock-paper-scissors principle.

Instead of rock, paper and scissors, there are around a dozen different units in "Advance Wars". Bomber planes destroy ground troops in one fell swoop. However, they are vulnerable to fighter jets. Fighter jets, on the other hand, can be easily knocked out of the sky with artillery shells. However, these guns are weak against armoured attacks. And so on.

There are also different gradations for some units. While the conventional tank destroyer already performs well on the battlefield, you can really clean up with the main battle tank. However, this costs significantly more to produce than the standard version.

In order to earn enough money to produce high-calibre killing machines, you need to capture as many cities as possible. You do this with infantry units. But beware - although these ground troops are agile, they are also fragile. When capturing cities and factories, you can quickly be taken by surprise by enemy tanks.

Attack is the best defence

The offensive and defensive power of troops is influenced by various factors. Some fields on the map - such as cities, mountains and forests - give troops a defensive bonus. If the map is covered in fog, you can even hide in forests and reefs for an ambush. If your units are damaged, their attack power is also reduced.

Before each mission, you select a squad leader to command your units. These have various special powers that replenish over time.

The skilful Andy repairs all troops in one turn with his power. Max increases the attack power of all melee troops for one turn. Commander Olaf transforms the map into a snowy landscape for one turn. And the clever Sonja recognises hidden units for one turn.

The special abilities of the troop leaders are fun and can turn the balance of power in a match completely upside down. The superpowers never feel unfair.

Only one more round!

The game's campaign is a great tutorial for the extensive game mechanics. "Advance Wars" introduces you to new troops, leaders and facilities step by step. In each mission you learn something new and improve bit by bit.

The scenarios you face in the game are also very varied. In one battle, you fight your way through dense fog and cannot see your enemies. In the next, you find yourself on the open sea playing a round of ship sinking. In some missions you have to capture the enemy headquarters and in other battles you have to survive for ten rounds.

The typical "just one more round" feeling quickly sets in. And before you know it, that one round has turned into an hour-long session. That's why I love the "Advance Wars" games.

If you want to put your skills to the test, you can try your hand at various challenges outside of the campaign. There is also a multiplayer mode. However, you can only compete against your friends online - there is no public matchmaking. That's a shame, but I can get over it. For me, the appeal of the game lies in the hours of single-player battles anyway.

I want to see pixels

As much as I enjoy the game, I can't get to grips with the revised graphics for the life of me. It all starts so beautifully. When you start the game, you are greeted with a pretty anime sequence. Colourful, exaggerated and beautifully animated. Unfortunately, this anime aesthetic is thrown overboard in the battles - with the exception of the animated avatars.

The whole thing reminds me visually of free-to-play games on smartphones. It all looks so generic and soulless. The 3D models are poorly detailed and minimally animated in both the map and split-screen views. With the exception of the beautiful water, the maps all look unspectacular and barren.

In contrast, the original on the Gameboy Advance looks timeless. Especially in the split-screen view, the pixel tanks exude a charm that is completely lost in the 3D reinterpretation. An option for the original pixel display would have been nice.

At least the new 3D graphics have one advantage: You can use the right stick to zoom in and out continuously to get an overview of the battle. This was not so easy on the small GBA screen. A small consolation for all pixel art fans.

Conclusion: Solid remake, questionable visuals

"Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp" is a solid remake of two timeless strategy classics. Virtually nothing has been changed in the gameplay - and that's a good thing. If you're even vaguely interested in strategy games, you should give these two GBA gems a chance. Despite the generic mobile graphics.

I hope that the remake will soon be followed by a real successor. The last game in the mainline series was released in 2008 for the Nintendo DS. That was 15 years ago. I don't want to wait that long for a new spin-off of the colourful strategy game. With or without pixel graphics.

"Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp" is available for the Nintendo Switch. The game was provided to me by Nintendo for testing purposes.

Video games

EUR51,31

Nintendo Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp

Switch, DE

16

Video games

EUR51,31

Nintendo Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp

Switch, DE

16