Wargroove

Genre: Turn-Based Strategy

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local and Online), Online Content Sharing

Game Company Bad Behavior Profile Page: Chucklefish

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in Wargroove + Wargroove 2 Bundle, along with Wargroove 2)

Wargroove is a Turn-Based Strategy game in the same vein as Advance Wars. Exactly the same vein. Basically, this is Advance Wars with a medieval fantasy skin. Which, if you have any familiarity with the Advance Wars series, should sound like music to your ears, since that series was consistently phenomenal and it has been MIA since 2008.

For those unfamiliar, battles in Wargroove take place on various battlefields where commanders produce different types of units (swordsmen, pikemen, archers, cavalry, etc.), each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Cavalry can travel far and is pretty powerful, but is expensive, has trouble with difficult terrain, and is weak to pikemen. Archers can attack from afar without having to worry about getting hit by a counter-attack, but are weak when they get attacked directly, that sort of thing.

As the one in charge, you’re deciding which units are best suited to the terrain and the forces you’re up against, how best to move your units, and where to prioritize your strategy. And as everything in the game is turn-based, you can take your time deciding the best course of action.

All of the ins and outs of these details and much more is gradually revealed to the player over the course of the game’s campaign, which is a huge help for those new to the game, or those wanting to get a feel for how this game differs from Advance Wars. The game features bright, cartoony characters with colorful personalities that seems to undercut the seriousness of the heavy topic of war this game presents… but that too is right out of Advance War’s book.

As for what isn’t out of Advance Wars book, developer Chucklefish wasn’t resting on its laurels, and managed to bring plenty of new stuff to the table here. In addition to the campaign, players can take on “arcade” levels (a series of challenges that are short on story and get you right to the action), unlockable puzzles (where you must complete specific tasks to win), and play in the multiplayer mode locally or online.

However, what’s really impressive here is the custom content. While Advance Wars games had a mode where you could create your own custom maps, here it’s expanded upon greatly. Now, not only can you design your own multiplayer maps, you can design your own puzzle maps for other players to tackle, and you can even design your own campaigns – Chucklefish has basically included here a way for you to create your own add-on expansions to the game.

If you’re not the creative type, you can simply download maps and campaigns others have created and shared online, using search functions that are simple, easy to use, and comprehensive – you can search by type of map, by how popular it is, by how highly-rated it is, you can even put in a code for a specific map to download it.

If I had to make one complaint, it’s that this game includes hero units, which are somewhat overpowered and at times end up being the focus of any given map, when I’d prefer if the game kept closer to Advance Wars in this regard. Also, the story and voice clips can get a bit cheesy at times, yes even compared to Advance Wars. However, these are very minor complaints, and overall this game is an absolute blast.

Wargroove is everything fans of the Advance Wars games could want in a spiritual successor, and then some. And for those unfamiliar with the series but who enjoy turn-based strategy games, this is a must-have game. Do not miss it.

tl;dr – Wargroove is a Turn-Based Strategy game that is a damn near perfect spiritual successor to Advance Wars. This game is absolutely loaded with features, and should be considered a must-have for any fan of strategy games.

Grade: A

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2019 Game Awards:

Winner:

Best Strategy Game – There were some really good strategy games on the Nintendo Switch this year, but none delivered the whole package like Wargroove did. The gameplay is fantastic, the sound and visuals are great, but what really pushes this game over the top is the absolute wealth of content included along with it, including a world of user-made content thanks to the packed-in campaign creator. Add in multiplayer options, a cast of likeable characters… yeah, this game is absolutely brilliant and needs more love.

Game of the Year – You know how this game didn’t make it into my list of most-played games of the year? That’s because if I let myself, it would swallow me whole. There is so very much great game here I don’t even know where to start. Well, first, it’s a spiritual successor to Advance Wars, one of the greatest franchises Nintendo has seemingly abandoned. Second, it has a delightful cast of characters in a beautiful presentation. Third, the gameplay is absolutely top-notch, with some of the best turn-based strategy gameplay to be found on any platform. However, what really puts this game above and beyond is how dedicated developer Chucklefish was to delivering not just a great experience, but one that was overloaded with content and options, including local and online competitive and co-op multiplayer, and not just a level builder, but a campaign builder, allowing players to contribute whole expansions to the game. And that, of course, is in addition to the free DLC the developer has made for the game post-launch… and for all of this, the game is just a measly $20. This game isn’t just a fantasy-themed homage to Advance Wars, this game tops Advance Wars, and it is exceedingly rare that anyone beats out Nintendo at their own game, let alone an indie developer. For accomplishing that rare feat, I am delighted to give Wargroove eShopperReviews’ Game of the Year Award for 2019.

Runner-Up: Best Multiplayer, Best Value

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