Allow me to start off this glowingly positive review with a lament for the unhinged energy provided by the first Advance Wars title. No longer are we tasked with expending lives and resources over inane misunderstandings, but rather mobilizing against a serious threat. Visually coded as Nazis but written more non-specifically as vague authoritarians, the Black Hole faction brings a tonal dynamic closer to media such as classic Star Wars than the idiosyncratic, lethal Saturday morning cartoon warfare of its predecessor. While it's less unique, Advance Wars 2 does pull it off well by dramatically increasing the scale, with four nations liberated across 30+ missions and the amount of playable COs in the campaign increased from 3 (outside of the final mission) to 12. It is an enjoyable feeling to have the tactical antics contextualized as being part of a massive, and vital operation, even if that is an overall reduction in flavor.
The tactical side is where the sequel unequivocally improves. While the increased roster of playable COs brings a reduction in the number of enemy COs, it's more than made up for by the sheer number of scenarios that the game employs. New mechanics such as pipes, cannons, and lasers create obstacles and hazards that need to be managed. Fog of war maps are actually deploying sparingly and strategically. Air, land, and sea battles are applied in different combinations to provide varying utilities for the game's large selection of units. These elements work to enhance aspects of the first title, such as the dramatic difference between a map with unit production versus one without, to create a title that always has fun new problems to overcome, without feeling unfair. On some of the final few maps I would spend up to a few hours before conceding defeat and then jumping back in shortly after because I was so excited to try a new idea I had to turn the tide of battle. I'm just delighted that all of the cool systems of the first game got their time to shine in a much more fleshed out campaign.
Played on Steam Deck via mGBA.
The tactical side is where the sequel unequivocally improves. While the increased roster of playable COs brings a reduction in the number of enemy COs, it's more than made up for by the sheer number of scenarios that the game employs. New mechanics such as pipes, cannons, and lasers create obstacles and hazards that need to be managed. Fog of war maps are actually deploying sparingly and strategically. Air, land, and sea battles are applied in different combinations to provide varying utilities for the game's large selection of units. These elements work to enhance aspects of the first title, such as the dramatic difference between a map with unit production versus one without, to create a title that always has fun new problems to overcome, without feeling unfair. On some of the final few maps I would spend up to a few hours before conceding defeat and then jumping back in shortly after because I was so excited to try a new idea I had to turn the tide of battle. I'm just delighted that all of the cool systems of the first game got their time to shine in a much more fleshed out campaign.
Played on Steam Deck via mGBA.