Being an Advance Wars fan requires patience (it’s been 15 years since the last game in the series) but the wait for Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp has been particularly frustrating. Initially slated for a 2021 release, the game was pushed to 2022 for further polishing, then delayed indefinitely following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Understandably, fans began the speculate the game had actually been canceled, but worry not, Re-Boot Camp is finally coming out this month!

　　I’ve had the chance to go hands-on with Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, tackling the first 15-or-so missions from the collection’s first campaign, so does this remake land with precision? Or has time dulled its fighting spirit? Scroll on for my early impressions.

　　Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is pretty much what it says on the tin – the classic GBA titles Advance Wars and Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising remade for Switch by developer WayForward Technologies (Shantae, River City Girls). For those not familiar with Advance Wars, they’re a series of turn-based tactical strategy games that somewhat resemble developer Intelligent Systems’ other series, Fire Emblem, albeit without the RPG elements. Advance Wars units are simple faceless grunts and there’s no real consequence if they die. In fact, intentionally sacrificing units is a big part of the series’ strategy.

　　Players maneuver units around small, grid-based battlefields with the goal of wiping out the opposing army or claiming their base. All units, regardless of class, have 10 hits points, which also represent said unit’s power, encouraging commanders to play aggressively in order to hobble their opponents’ offensive capabilities. All units have strengths and weaknesses, with the overall meta being more complex than Fire Emblem’s classic rock-paper-scissors Weapon Triangle. For instance, tanks are powerful front-line damage sponges, but they’re weak to mechanized infantry and can be outmaneuvered by air units. Ranged units like Rockets can rain death from afar, but if you can sneak up close, they’re basically defenseless.

　　Many units also have more unique quirks – Recon units are mobile and cheap to spawn, but they can only move quickly on roads as they run on wheels instead of treads. Submarines can submerge and hide from opponents, but it consumes a lot of fuel, and if they run out, they sink. You also have to take into account terrain modifiers and your commanding officers’ powers, which can be deployed every few turns and have the potential to turn the tide of battle. In case I haven’t made it clear, you shouldn’t let these games’ simple appearance fool you. Unlike Fire Emblem games, which often take quite a while to ramp up the challenge, Advance Wars will happily kill you on your first mission if you’re not paying attention.

　　So, that’s a general overview of Advance Wars, but what’s changed with these remakes? Honestly, not a lot. Some of the early training missions have been more integrated into the main campaign, but otherwise, these are the same challenges fans faced on the GBA. Some effort has been made to make them a bit more approachable for modern audiences, as you can now redo your last turn if you happen to make a mistake, although honestly, I would have liked to see the ability to fully rewind a mission. The hardcores would cry foul, but they could just make it an optional feature, as it is in Fire Emblem. In addition to the redo option, there’s also a new Casual difficulty option (which I haven’t tried out yet) and the option to fast forward through battle animations.

　　Presentation-wise, Re-Boot Camp is a somewhat mixed bag. Commanders have been redesigned in that trademark WayForward style (the female characters are all very… peppy) with fluid, dramatic animations bringing some additional life to the game. The battlefield is rendered in charming faction, as it now looks like a tabletop board game adorned with little plastic units. Unfortunately, battle animations leave something to be desired, with gawky soldiers fighting in front of low-detail backgrounds. Sure, these animations are a technical step up from the GBA, but artistically? I’m not so sure. At times Re-Boot Camp has the look of an up-rezzed Gamecube title. The game’s audio fares better, with the original games’ memorable tracks receiving both a standard remix and an amped-up version for when a commander deploys their power. Limited voice acting (usually only the first couple words of each line are spoken) also livens things up a bit.

　　And that’s about all there is to report. In addition to the two Advance Wars campaigns, Re-Boot Camp seems to offer a familiar lineup of options, including the ability to create your own maps and take on friends in Vs. mode, which is now online (I haven’t been able to test that yet). Make no mistake, there’s plenty of content here, just don’t expect this collection to reinvent the wheel (or tank tread).

Current Thoughts on Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp

　　Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp arrives on Nintendo Switch on April 21. Expect a full review from Wccftech closer to launch.