Advance Wars (2001) | Nintendo's Game Boy Advance Video Game

Advance Wars for Game Boy Advance is a classic turn-based strategy game featuring tactical battles, unique Commanding Officers, a lengthy campaign, multiplayer modes, and deep battlefield strategy.

Game Intro

Advance Wars is one of the standout strategy games released for the Game Boy Advance and remains a favorite among turn-based tactics fans years after its debut. Developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo, it introduced many players to the Wars series with a colorful presentation that hides surprisingly deep strategic gameplay.

The story takes place across a fictional world divided between several military nations. What begins as a conflict between Orange Star and Blue Moon quickly escalates when Orange Star's young commanding officer, Andy, is blamed for attacks against neighboring countries. As tensions rise, the accusations spark a larger war involving Yellow Comet, Green Earth, and other nations. Throughout the campaign, players uncover the truth behind the conflict while leading armies through a series of increasingly challenging battles.

While the narrative is simple compared to modern strategy games, it does a good job of introducing the game's cast of Commanding Officers and providing context for each mission.

How to Play

Advance Wars is a turn-based strategy game where every battle takes place on a grid-based map. Players command an army made up of infantry, tanks, artillery, aircraft, naval units, and support vehicles. Each unit has strengths and weaknesses, making proper positioning and planning essential to victory.

Most missions can be completed in one of two ways. The first is to eliminate every enemy unit on the battlefield. The second is to capture the opposing army's headquarters using infantry or mechanized troops. Some missions introduce unique objectives, such as defending key locations, surviving for a set number of days, or securing important cities before the enemy can reach them.

Money is earned by controlling cities and properties across the map. These funds are used to build new units from factories, airports, and seaports. Managing resources efficiently is just as important as winning individual battles, especially in longer missions where every unit counts.

A major part of the strategy comes from the game's Commanding Officers, commonly known as COs. Each CO has unique abilities, strengths, and weaknesses that affect their army's performance. Learning how to use these special powers effectively can completely change the outcome of a battle.

Campaign

The main Campaign mode follows the game's story and serves as the core single-player experience. Missions gradually introduce new mechanics, units, and tactical situations while increasing in difficulty. Success requires careful planning rather than rushing units into combat.

Field Training

Field Training acts as the game's tutorial mode. These missions teach the fundamentals of movement, combat, capturing properties, terrain advantages, and unit management. New players can learn the basics here before jumping into the main campaign.

War Room

War Room offers a collection of standalone maps designed for players who want to test their skills outside the story mode. Performance is graded based on efficiency and battlefield execution, encouraging players to improve their strategies and earn higher rankings.

Multiplayer

Players can compete against friends in local multiplayer battles using a link cable. The mode allows for custom matches on various maps and offers a different challenge compared to fighting the computer-controlled opponents.

Map Design

The built-in map editor lets players create their own battlefields and customize terrain layouts. Custom maps can then be used in multiplayer matches, adding plenty of replay value for those who enjoy designing strategic challenges.

Ranking and Progression

Advance Wars rewards strong performance through its ranking system. Players earn scores based on three categories:

• Speed – How quickly a mission is completed.
• Power – How effectively enemy units are destroyed.
• Technique – How well players preserve their own forces during battle.

High scores improve the player's overall rank and unlock additional content, including new Commanding Officers and maps. This progression system provides a reason to revisit missions and experiment with different strategies to achieve better results.

Controls

Desktop/PC Controls

• Arrow Keys – Move the cursor around the battlefield.
• Z Key – Select units, confirm actions, and navigate menus.
• X Key – Cancel actions or return to previous menus.
• Enter/Return Key – Open the main menu.
• Select – Access map and status information.

Game Boy Advance Controls

• D-Pad – Move the cursor around the battlefield.
• A Button – Select units, confirm actions, and navigate menus.
• B Button – Cancel actions or return to previous menus.
• L Button – Cycle through units and map information.
• R Button – View additional battlefield details and shortcuts.
• Start – Open the main menu.
• Select – Access map and status information.

Touch Devices Controls

You can use onscreen trontrols in touch devices like android mobile, applie phone, iPhone, tablet, iPad and other touch support devices

Why Advance Wars Still Holds Up

Even decades after its release, Advance Wars remains one of the strongest examples of turn-based strategy on a handheld system. Its easy-to-understand mechanics, varied missions, memorable Commanding Officers, and rewarding tactical depth make it enjoyable for both newcomers and experienced strategy fans. The balance between accessibility and challenge is a major reason the game continues to be recommended whenever classic Game Boy Advance titles are discussed.