Prepare for some military action on the go as we examine the best Advance Wars games of all time. There’s no other way to describe Advance Wars besides as a Nintendo institution. And, if you are a subscriber to the Retro Dodo newsletter, you will have also read about Brandon’s recent discovery of this series and how difficult he has found it to put down. Advance Wars, a tactical military strategy game, challenges the mind in numerous ways.
It is entertaining, difficult, and so addictive that a warning should probably accompany it. Advance Wars is a series that will keep you occupied for months and years if you’re a fan of board games that require you to think before you move and where a wrong turn can spell disaster. I’m not referring to Scrabble when I say this. However, what are the best titles, and which game ranked highest? So let’s see The Top Advance Wars Game Of The Year 2023.
5. Advance Wars: Dual Strike
The third game in the Advance Wars canon, Advance Wars: Dual Strike, is first on our list of the best Advance Wars games. And, as they say, the third time’s the charm! Dual Strike isn’t just one of the best Nintendo DS games ever made; it’s also one of the best strategy games ever made, selling over 35 million copies in the first 10 days of release alone.
What a way to get this list started! As you may have guessed from the title, the Advance Wars games are all based on turn-based military tactics, waging war on an opposing army and thinking strategically to gain an advantage. Dual Strike is no exception, with players venturing into Omega Land to battle the forces of the Black Hole. They’re attempting to mine the world’s energy, which sounds eerily similar to our current situation.
Train your brain by planning attacks from all angles, including the sea and the air, capturing key areas critical to the opposition’s attack plan, and defeating their soldiers in battle!
4. Advance Wars: Days Of Ruin
Two DS games in a row! Advance Wars: Days Of Ruin is up next! Listen, I know the title has ‘Advance’ in it, and we are going to get to some Gameboy Advance games very soon. The series was so successful that it just carried on past the GBA’s shelf life, including moving onto the Nintendo Switch! Anyway, back to the topic at hand.
I love the fact that Days of Ruin has a bit more of a mature feel to it in the sense that it’s less bright and boasts a darker color scheme. It’s still the same gameplay as before, but if anything it just feels more like a war title, and that’s the name of the game, after all! Like its younger sibling, Days of Ruin is all about capturing, destroying, and winning the war.
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With 26 missions to play through, the campaign offers fans a chance to really test their strategic skills in some exciting scenarios. All of the characters from the previous game have been replaced too, keeping the same gameplay feel but a fresh new look. The puzzle element in this game has been made tougher due to the fact that CO powers play a less prominent role and arrive later on. You’ve got to rely on your smarts more and be sneaky, which is why I’m ranking Days of Ruin higher than Dual Strike in our list!
Let’s check out the rumors about PlayStation Showcase 2023 which May Arrive Prior To Summer Game Fest.
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp ranks third on this list of the greatest Advance Wars games of all time! As you might have guessed from the title, this game is a remake of the first two Advance Wars games, and it was just released on the Nintendo Switch at the time of writing! The graphics have been significantly improved, with the game now resembling Links Awakening after its release on the Nintendo Switch.
The thing is, and I know this is a new title, and I know we love the Nintendo Switch, and I know it plays great, and we’re having a great time writing guides for you… However, the title is ‘Advance’ Wars. That means we have to prioritize the two GBA games over the remake… We simply must! If you don’t have a GBA or a GBA SP AGS-101 with a cool backlight, you should definitely get this game for the Switch.
If, on the other hand, you want to expand your GBA game collection, then check out the final two games on our best Advance Wars games list!
2. Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
So, with the surprise ruined and the final two games all but confirmed, let’s begin our final countdown with Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising. As you might expect from the fourth game on this list, the goal here is still to battle and conquer enemy troops. The main difference between this sequel and the original Advance Wars game is that you don’t have to select missions in order.
There are multiple missions based on each in-game continent, with players controlling various factions as they battle a common foe – The Black Hole. Design mode is one of the game’s coolest features, with players working to create their own maps to battle on and using the in-game editing tools. Aside from the non-linear gameplay, the other major differences are the addition of more characters and maps from the first game. New Black Hole structures appeared, as did Super CO powers, which are meter-draining abilities that can turn the tide of a battle. As we are exploring some old games the meanwhile the game we’ve been waiting for The Amazing Spider-Man is digitally available. so check it out here.
1. Advance Wars (2001)
The war has been won, and only one title can triumph. Advance Wars is rightfully at the top of our list of the best Advance Wars games! It’s not always the case that the first game in a series is the best of the bunch, but that’s exactly what happened here. Don’t get me wrong: all of the sequels are fantastic, but nothing beats the original game, the one that started it all.
If you enjoy Risk or Stratego and enjoy turn-based, tactical gameplay, look no further. It’s just such an easy game, with a tutorial section that you want to play through rather than shortcut through. This first GBA game has been hailed as one of the greatest games of all time, and we wholeheartedly agree. It blows my mind that this game was originally intended to be a Japanese-only title.
Think about a world without Advance Wars! You must lead the Orange Army to victory. You’ve been falsely accused of plotting to conquer the world, and now you must defeat everyone who is attempting to harm you in order to put things right. With incredible level designs and some of the best skirmishes known to portable gaming, you’ll soon be gaming on the edge of your seat wherever you are, sticking out your tongue in concentration, and finding this addictive game insanely difficult to put down!
