Game Review: Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp (Nintendo Switch)

Released in 2001 and 2003 respectively, Advance Wars and Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising were turn-based strategy war games released for the Gameboy Advance. In both games, players commanded fictional armies across land, sea, and air to defeat the enemy.

The games were extremely popular and fans have clamoured for more, especially with the handheld capabilities of the Switch. So, after a long delay and releasing with not much fanfare, a remake of the first two games finally came out. Called Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, it updates the visuals and sounds, includes voice acting, animated shorts, and online play. Similar to the Resident Evil 4 Remake, developer WayForward has taken something that was already great and made minor tweaks to make it even better.

There are no real changes to the stories of either game. The wars between nations and the increasing threat of the Black Hole Army. Players choose a CO (Commanding Officer) with their own unique ability and different strengths and weaknesses, then take to the battlefield. The aim being to wipe out the opposing army or capture their base. Every so often, the gameplay is shifted by different win conditions. Such as having to survive for a set number of days, having to beat the enemy in a set number of days, or protect a specific unit, but it mostly comes down to the same thing. Wipe them out, all of them.

Which, no matter how many times you play, across both games and so many maps, never stops being fun. Especially as the different COs offer different ways to play, and your own strategies can change depending on the map you’re playing.

Be it on land, water, in the air, or all three, when it comes to turn-based wartime strategy, Re-Boot Camp is as addictive and enjoyable as the original games were.

There’s a lot of content to enjoy in Re-Boot Camp, not only do you get both Advance Wars and Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising, but also get a swathe of unlockable extras. Earn points for getting the best rank possible in a mission, and those points are converted into coins, which are then spent in the store. In there you can unlock playable COs and use them on a huge number of unlockable maps against the AI.

Not only that, you can design your own maps to play on, and even go online to battle against other players. Although if there is one area that is severely lacking, it’s this. Finding a game is extremely difficult and not much fun. Disappointing? Yes, but considering how much is on offer in the single player modes, very few will find themselves worring about the issues with online play.

It is possible to sink countless hours into the game, with both Advance Wars having extensive campaigns. As well as alternative missions along the way, and different difficulty settings. The latter does make a difference for seasoned players, even if the games aren’t particularly challenging. That being said, Advance Wars is turn-based and that does mean you can easily make a mistake that can cost you heavily. Which is why another new addition is the ability to restart a turn. Something that can be very useful in maps that utilise fog of war.

As stated above, it’s these small changes that make the difference, that make the experience better. Who would have thought the ability to fast-forward battle animations would be such a game-changer? It is and Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp has it.

Performance wise, there were no notable issues when playing both docked and handheld. The game has a few slow loading points, but nothing egregious. Whether you’re holding a controller or the Switch itself, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is a blast. War never changes and Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is proof that it doesn’t have to.