Advance Wars (2001) was a game that came out at the eleventh hour, and if it had waited another day, it may have become impossible to release at all. The game was released on September 10, 2001, only a day before the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Being a game that seriously understates the brutality, horror, and tragedy of war, I think it is safe to say that it could not have seen the light of day if it had waited any longer. Despite its connection to a tragic history, this is one of the finest war games I have played.
Advance Wars presents war in an oddly positive and silly fashion, which you would think would be detrimental to its presentation, but in a way, amplifies its qualities. By ignoring the harsh aspects of battle, the game is allowed to focus on one thing: the strategy of war. This is a turn-based strategy game, where players take turns moving pieces around a board, attacking each other, and building their armies. So deep are the mechanics of the game as to make it nearly perfect.
The single player campaign mode of the game has you as one of four commanding officers of the Red Star army, in a war against the Blue Moon army and their CO, Olaf. The other officers working under you are Andy, Sami, and Max. Each CO has different strengths and weaknesses, which give an additional layer to the strategy. For instance, Andy's troops are strongest in the rain, but have trouble in snow. Max's tanks are more powerful, but his long range capabilities are less than normal. In addition, each CO has a special power they can use when a meter fills up (caused by casualties on either side), such as Andy's ability to repair all units, or Olaf's to instantly make it snow.
The game plays like an extreme version of chess. There are many different pieces to work with, including infantry, tanks, boats, and planes. Each unit has a health of 10, and when two units get into combat, the result depends on a number of variables. The type of unit, who initiated the strike, the terrain, and the CO issuing the attack. The less health a unit has, the weaker it becomes in a skirmish. Different terrain and weather conditions affect movement. Infantry can walk over rivers and mountains, whereas tanks cannot. Movement takes gas, and attacking takes ammunition, and failure to ration and distribute supplies can be costly.
Funds are allocated from allied cities every turn. To make a city your ally, you must make an infantry unit capture it. Cities are crucial because they offer higher defense, funds, and if you station a wounded unit in one, they will recover two health each turn. Also capable of capture are bases (which allow you to build new ground units), ports (which allow you to build ships), and airports (which allow you to build planes and helicopters). Building new units costs funds, and the better units are quite expensive. While there are units that are favorable to have in your army, none are without weaknesses. The bomber can dole out massive damage to land and sea units, but cannot fight back against other planes. Rocket launchers can attack units from far away, but is helpless at close quarters.
Victory is achieved by one of two situations: capture the enemy's headquarters or destroy every enemy unit. In the campaign mode, there may be more objectives, for instance, there is one mission where you are only tasked with surviving ten turns (and you are heavily outnumbered), and another where you have to capture so many bases before the enemy does. No two battles will be the same, and the game offers many variables that always keep the game feeling fresh. In one battle, there may be an emphasis on naval combat. In another, there may be fog, which limits your visibility and it becomes a careful guerrilla fight. Every situation has been thought out and given life.
In today's gaming world, there is a large focus on war games. The Call of Duty franchise comes out with a new title every year, always focusing on the negative of war. They are right to say that war is a horrible thing, but that message has grown tired. Advance Wars came out (barely) in a time before the Iraq conflict, and fear of terrorism, where a focus on strategy was all the game needed to make itself shine. You aren't just some soldier wielding a gun, thoughtlessly shooting at every target in sight. You are a Commanding Officer, the brains behind the operation, the strategist who will lead your troops to victory and glory.
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