The upcoming remakes look to add some modern touches
Okay, now I get it: they’re supposed to be toys! Well, that makes sense, then. The Advance Wars remakes were a little strange looking when they were first revealed back in September, with an initial launch date of December. That launch was pushed back, and for good reason: The project has gone through a few tweaks and additions that already seem better.
Most notably, our initial consternations were around the art style. The anime/chibi hybrid seemed a bit off-putting, but after the latest Direct perhaps our trepidations were a little premature. The style of the game seems to be one of playing with toys, with a real eighties’ anime vibe to the whole experience. I can be cool with that direction. Though the aesthetic is spread across both games in the collection, it perhaps suffers ever so slightly when we see smaller maps and more of the minimal terrain sequences; toys on a small playing field have a bit of an issue, scale-wise, that causes them to take up a lot more visual space comparatively.
Aside from the visuals, there are some new features coming to the games to bring them up to date with more modern experiences with the strategy genre. Voice acting has been added, which is weirdly a big thing for Nintendo. Players can now fast forward gameplay instead of waiting for turns to eke out, and can reset turns if they make a massive mistake. Additional modes are being added, too, including a War Room mode which tracks high scores, a Design Room that lets players create and share custom maps, and online and local play for up to 8 players.
While many fans have been asking for straight ports of the original games to the Switch, it’ll be interesting to see if these remakes will pique enough interest to warrant a new addition in the series, especially since the fantasy-based Fire Emblem series has sort of filled the strategic role in Nintendo’s heart in recent years.
Advances Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp hits the Switch on April 8, 2022
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