Game Boy Advance
Wii UOverview
Advance Wars is a tactical turn-based strategy game developed by Intelligent Systems and originally released for Game Boy Advance in 2001. While the game utilizes many of the trappings of modern military combat, Advance Wars also features a colorful cast of characters and a lighter overall tone intended to provide players with a more approachable version of military strategy.
Although Advance Wars is technically another installment in Nintendo's long-running "Wars" series, it is also the first game in the franchise to be released internationally. However, Advance Wars was never published as a standalone title in Japan. The game's release in Japan and Europe was delayed due to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US; while Advance Wars was published in Europe the next year, it did not receive a Japanese release in any form until 2005 as part of the Game Boy Advance Wars 1+2 compilation.
Story
For Advance Wars' single-player campaign, the player is cast as a military adviser for the country of Orange Star. When Orange Star's territory is invaded by neighboring Blue Moon after a period of relative peace, players must lead Orange Star's army to repel the hostile forces and investigate the reason behind Blue Moon's sudden aggression. Throughout the course of the campaign, the Orange Star army travels across Cosmo Land while fighting against the continent's other four factions.
Gameplay
Advance Wars' basic gameplay consists of two or more Commanding Officers (or COs) taking turns maneuvering their own military forces across a grid-based map in order to eliminate all opposing units or capture the enemy CO's Headquarters (HQ). Many of the game's single-player missions have alternate primary objectives such as protecting important units, capturing a certain number of properties or destroying enemy materiel.
Similar to the Fire Emblem series, combat in Advance Wars is based around a "rock-paper-scissors" system wherein each unit type possesses certain strengths and weakness relative to other types of units. For example, Medium Tanks (or "Md Tanks") can easily destroy Anti-Air units in direct combat; however, Md Tanks are largely ineffective against Bombers, which can eliminate Md Tanks with ease. Meanwhile, Anti-Air units are poor against Md Tanks while being very effective versus Bombers. By strategically exploiting enemy units' weaknesses, a smaller force of units can potentially triumph over greater numbers.
Capturing properties is critical to a CO's war effort during most missions. Only foot soldiers (Infantry and Mechs) are able to capture the five types of properties: Cities, Bases, Airports, Seaports and HQs. Each owned property grants an additional 1,000 Funds to its respective owner per turn. On maps with production bases (Bases, Airports and Seaports), COs can use their available Funds to purchase additional units, as well as to repair and resupply their existing units.
Units
A variety of military units can be commanded and engaged in Advance Wars. All units are initially deployed with ten hit points, which can be depleted by attacks from enemy forces. Different units have varying levels of resistance to certain types of attacks.
When a unit's HP reaches zero, it is destroyed and removed from play. Most types of captured property restore two HP to friendly ground units positioned there at the beginning of a turn, while Seaports and Airports can repair naval and air units respectively. Units with less than full health can also be combined with other units of the same type; when combined, the new unit's health is equal to the sum of its parents' health, up to a maximum of 10 HP. Additionally, any surplus HP is converted into Funds at a rate of 10% of the unit's base cost per health point.
Most controllable units in Advance Wars are "Direct-attack" units, which must position themselves directly adjacent to an enemy unit in order to attack it. Conversely, "Indirect-attack" units can only fire on enemy units positioned at least two tiles away. While Direct-attack units can both move and attack in a single turn, Indirect units cannot move and fire on the same turn.
Ground Units
 | Infantry (Inftry): The least expensive unit to deploy. Infantry can capture properties and cross mountains, but their firepower is low.
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 | Mechanized Infantry (Mech): Upgraded foot soldiers equipped with bazookas. Their firepower comes at the cost of reduced movement.
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 | Recon: Fast-moving scout vehicles with superior vision on Fog of War maps.
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 | Tank: Versatile and highly maneuverable, Tanks can serve as both front-line and rear guard ground units.
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 | Medium Tank (Md Tank): Larger and slower Tanks equipped with the strongest ground-based Cannons in the game.
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 | APC: Transports one foot soldier unit across longer distances. APCs can also resupply other units in the field but carry no weapons. |
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 | Artillery (Artlry): A cheap Indirect-attack ground unit fitted with treads for extra mobility.
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 | Rocket Launcher (Rckts): These powerful Indirect attackers are more difficult to position than basic Artillery. Unlike other ground units, Rockets can severely damage naval units.
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 | Anti-Air (A-Air): The aptly named Anti-Air unit is also highly effective against foot soldiers.
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 | Missiles (Mssls): While slower than Anti-Air units, the Indirect-attack Missiles pack a more destructive payload against airborne targets.
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Air Units
 | Battle Copter (B Cptr): Attack helicopters can fire on nearly every unit type except Fighters and Bombers.
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 | Transport Copter (T Cptr): This unarmed helicopter transports a single foot soldier by air. |
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 | Fighter (Fghtr): The final word in air-to-air combat, these screaming-fast jets can obliterate an opposing air force in short order.
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 | Bomber (Bmbr): As a flying assault platform, Bombers all but guarantee air superiority over enemy ground and naval forces.
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Naval Units
 | Battleship (B Shp): The game's only Indirect-attack naval unit delivers devastating Cannon fire against sea and land targets.
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 | Cruiser (Crsr): These Sub-destroyers are also equipped with deck-mounted Anti-Air guns. Cruisers can carry two Copter units.
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 | Lander (Lndr): Unarmed boats that can transport two ground units, including Vehicles. Landers must be on Shoals or Seaports in order to load and unload units. |
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 | Sub: Stealth naval units that can Dive to conceal their position at the cost of increased fuel consumption. While they can still be spotted by adjacent enemy units, only Cruisers or another Sub can fire on a submerged Sub.
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Terrain
Just as important as any unit or structure in the game is the battlefield itself. All units must spend "movement points" to move each turn, and different kinds of terrain have different movement costs that also vary depending upon the type of unit attempting to traverse them. Certain terrain types can afford strategic advantages, while others can penalize to an extent. Because air units do not travel across the ground, they are generally exempt from movement restrictions and only spend one move point per space regardless of terrain type; however, aircraft gain no defensive bonuses from terrain either.
| Terrain | Description | Move Cost |
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 | Road: Paved roads are easy to traverse but offer no defensive cover.
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 | Plain: Grassy plains provide minimal defense. Tire-equipped Vehicles cross Plains more slowly than those with treads.
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 | Wood: Dense forests are more difficult to navigate than Plains but offer better cover. In Fog of War maps, units hidden in Woods can only be spotted by adjacent ground units or air units.
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 | Mountain (Mt): Infantry and Mechs can cross Mountains, which provide excellent cover. Foot soldiers also gain +3 vision on mountaintops.
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 | River (Rivr): Only foot soldiers can ford Rivers, but their lack of defensive cover leaves units highly exposed.
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 | Bridge (Brdg): Bridges allow Vehicles to cross Rivers. As with Roads, cover here is basically nonexistent.
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 | City: Stationed ground units are resupplied and recover 2 HP per turn in friendly Cities. Even enemy-owned or neutral Cities provide good defensive cover.
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 | Base: Military bases capable of deploying ground units. Like Cities, ground units can heal and resupply at friendly Bases.
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 | Airport (Arprt): Air units are deployed, resupplied and repaired at allied Airports.
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 | Seaport (Port): Naval bases feature shipyards that deploy, resupply and repair sea-based units.
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 | Headquarters (HQ): A heavily fortified military command post with ground support facilities. Capturing an enemy HQ immediately ends the battle.
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 | Sea: The domain of naval and air forces, open seas offer transit for boats and little else.
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 | Shoal: A vital link between naval and ground-based forces. Landers must use Shoals or Seaports to load and unload ground units.
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| Reef: Rocky reefs give some much-needed defensive cover to naval units, which can also conceal themselves here in Fog of War maps.
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Fog of War
Fog of war is a battle condition wherein the visibility of a map is limited to the range of vision provided by an army's individual units. Ground units remain hidden from enemy ground- and sea-based units' visual ranges when moved onto Wood terrain tiles, and naval units may similarly hide within Reefs. However, units camouflaged in this way can be revealed by opposing units located on an adjacent tile. Infantry units positioned on Mountains gain a substantial increase to their visual range.
Fog of war can make unit movement tricky; heading directly into any tiles occupied by hidden enemy units will cause a player's unit to be "trapped" and forfeit their ability to attack until their next turn. Air units are particularly valuable in fog of war battles due to their high degree of mobility, as well as their ability to see enemy units hiding in Woods and Reefs; however, they are just as vulnerable to enemy traps as naval and ground units.
Nations & COs
Players choose a CO at the beginning of most missions. All COs have unique strengths, weaknesses and special attributes that affect the battlefield and their units in different ways. Each CO also has a unique "CO Power" that can be used once its respective power meter has been filled during battle; this is accomplished by dealing and receiving damage. Once activated, CO Powers remain in effect until the beginning of the CO's next turn.
Orange Star
The player's faction for the entirety of the single-player campaign. It is led by Nell, who also serves as the player's mentor during the tutorial. Orange Star and its military forces are loosely based on those of the United States. This nation is known as "Red Star" in the Japanese release, but its name was changed during localization to avoid any unintentional reference to communism.
 | Andy: Orange Star's mechanical prodigy is a naive but well-rounded CO with no real strengths or weaknesses.
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 | Max: A brutish CO with a flair for straightforward combat, all of Max's non-infantry Direct units enjoy a 50% firepower bonus. He despises "sneaky" tactics, reducing his Indirect units' attack range by one space and their firepower by 10%.
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 | Sami: A seasoned commando, Sami's Infantry and Mech units gain an extra 20% damage and 10% defense; additionally, she can capture bases at 150% speed. Sami's transport units also gain an extra movement space. Her non-infantry units suffer a 10% firepower penalty.
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 | Nell: A level-headed leader born under a "lucky star" that boosts her units' hidden Luck statistic by 5%, potentially increasing their firepower slightly.
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Blue Moon
The first opposing nation fought during the single-player campaign. It is led by Olaf, an arrogant CO who has attacked Orange Star for mysterious reasons. Blue Moon and its military forces are loosely based on those of the former Soviet Union.
 | Olaf: The pompous commander-in-chief of Blue Moon with a history of tactical blunders. Olaf nevertheless excels at winter combat: his units can move unhindered across snowy terrain. However, rainy weather reduces Olaf's movement more severely than that of other COs.
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 | Grit: A laid-back sharpshooter and ranged combat expert, Grit's Indirect units gain +1 attack range. Because of this specialization, his Direct combat units' firepower is 20% weaker than normal.
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Yellow Comet
An island country positioned just to the east of Cosmo Land's mainland. It is led by Kanbei, a self-styled samurai CO. Yellow Comet and its military forces are loosely based on those of Japan.
 | Kanbei: A hot-blooded emperor who demands superior combat skills from his forces, increasing all units' offensive and defensive capabilities by 20%. Kanbei's elite troops also command higher salaries, increasing his deployment costs for all units by 20%.
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 | Sonja: As Yellow Comet's head tactician, Kanbei's daughter is a master of military intelligence. Her units' HP is hidden from enemy forces and she boasts +1 vision range in Fog of War maps. Sadly, Sonja also suffers from -5% Luck, which occasionally reduces her units' firepower slightly.
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Green Earth
A large country bordering Blue Moon to the south. It is led by Eagle, a cocky pilot CO. Green Earth and its military forces are loosely based on those of several European countries, particularly the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
 | Eagle: The charismatic leader of Green Earth is unmatched in the skies, granting his air units a 10% boost in firepower, 10% better defense and superior fuel efficiency. Eagle's lack of seafaring experience translates to a 20% reduction in his naval units' firepower.
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 | Drake: An easygoing sea captain whose nautical know-how gives his naval units 20% additional defense and +1 movement range. Flight is not Drake's forte, and this is reflected in a 20% penalty to his air units' firepower. Rainy weather tends to follow him into battle, which reduces his enemies' vision by 1 and slows ground unit movement.
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Black Hole
A mysterious alien-like faction led by Sturm, an imposing CO who wears a strange mask. Black Hole's military forces mirror those of Orange Star, but with a much darker color palette.
 | Sturm: The shadowy mastermind behind the Black Hole invasion of Cosmo Land. His advanced units are exempt from all terrain movement penalties except snow. Sturm is notably more aggressive as an AI-controlled CO during the single-player campaign; his units' statistics shift from offensively oriented to defensive when he is used in multiplayer.
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Modes
Advance Wars features several modes of play. On a copy of the game with no prior save data, only the Field Training, Link Mode and Vs. Mode options are initially available from the main menu. New Advance Wars players must first register their name and complete Field Training to unlock the other modes.
Field Training
Orange Star's Nell acts as a mentor to the player character during Field Training, which serves as Advance Wars' tutorial. Each training mission focuses on a different aspect of playing the game, from basic unit movement to advanced battle strategies. Veteran players may skip the majority of Field Training by only finishing the "Fog of War" training mission, which unlocks the Campaign and several additional main menu options. Completing all thirteen available Field Training missions unlocks a secret fourteenth mission, "Special Intel".
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Campaign
The single-player campaign is story-driven and introduces players to Advance Wars' diverse cast of characters. All COs encountered during the campaign can eventually be unlocked for use in the War Room and multiplayer modes by meeting certain requirements. Completing the normal campaign once unlocks a more difficult "Advance Campaign" for purchase in Battle Maps.
Some campaign missions allow players to choose between multiple Orange Star COs. In certain missions with selectable COs, the choice of CO determines the map's layout and any pre-deployed units' starting locations.
Because the campaign features branching paths at certain points, not all missions can be accessed in a single campaign playthrough. Additionally, the numbering of missions may change depending on players' choices during previous missions. An asterisk (*) denotes a "secret" campaign mission requiring certain objectives to be met before it becomes accessible.
Orange Star
Mission 1: It's War! - The campaign's opening mission features Andy, the first playable Orange Star CO, as he sorties against Olaf's invasion force.
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Mission 2: Gunfighter! - Andy faces off against Blue Moon's second CO, an Indirect-attack expert named Grit.
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Mission 3: Air Ace! - The nation of Green Earth launches a surprise attack against Orange Star, igniting a fierce (albeit largely one-sided) rivalry between Andy and ace pilot CO Eagle.
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Mission 4: Max Strikes! - Players must choose between Andy and new CO Max at the start of Mission 4; their choice also determines which of two paths will be followed for the next several missions (A or M). If Andy is selected, he and Olaf begin their first rematch in a coastal region, allowing for battles on both land and sea. Completing the mission with Andy leads to Mission 5-A: Max's Folly?. If Max is chosen instead, his introduction to the Campaign features Max's powerful Direct attackers clashing against Olaf's ground and naval units on an alternate map. Completing the mission with Max leads to Mission 5-M: Sniper!.
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Blue Moon
Mission 5-A: Max's Folly? - Max charges into enemy artillery fire to prevent Grit from capturing an important Orange Star HQ. This mission is accessed by choosing Andy for Mission 4: Max Strikes!. Completing this mission leads to Mission 6-A: Olaf's Navy!.
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Mission 5-M: Sniper! - Fog of war settles over the battlefield, forcing Orange Star's army to play cat-and-mouse with Grit's hidden units. This mission is accessed by choosing Max for Mission 4: Max Strikes!. Completing this mission leads to Mission 6-M: Blizzard Battle!
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Mission 6-A: Olaf's Navy! - Neither Blue Moon's large naval fleet nor fog of war can prevent Orange Star's army from striking inland towards Olaf's HQ, which is defended only by token ground forces. Winning by rout leads to the secret Mission 7-A: Olaf's Sea Strike!, whereas capturing the enemy HQ skips straight to Mission 8: Sami's Debut!.
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Mission 6-M: Blizzard Battle! - In a bid to cripple Blue Moon's army, Orange Star rushes to capture territory near a vital deployment point used by Olaf for his invasion forces. Completing this mission leads to Mission 7-M: History Lesson!.
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*Mission 7-A: Olaf's Sea Strike! - After losing the bulk of his navy, Olaf dispatches his elite "Sea Strike Force" in a final desperate bid to halt Orange Star's advance. This secret mission is accessed by eliminating all enemy units in Mission 6-A: Olaf's Navy!. Completing this mission leads to Mission 8: Sami's Debut!.
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Mission 7-M: History Lesson! - Max finally catches up to Grit to demand an explanation for his defection to Blue Moon, dredging up their mutual history with Nell in the process. Completing this mission leads to Mission 8: Sami's Debut!
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Mission 8: Sami's Debut! - Orange Star special forces commander and new CO Sami joins Andy and Max as they prepare to face a vengeful Eagle under fog of war conditions.
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Yellow Comet
Mission 9: Kanbei Arrives! - While attempting to pass through Yellow Comet, Orange Star forces are ambushed by Kanbei, who believes the invaders have come to steal his country's territories. Completing this mission within eight days is the first requirement to access Sonja's three secret Yellow Comet missions.
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Mission 10: Mighty Kanbei! - Sonja tries to share valuable intelligence with Kanbei after her ill-prepared father's first defeat. Before she can finish her report, however, Kanbei rushes off to crush Orange Star without bothering to secure any Bases first. Completing this mission within ten days is the second requirement to access Sonja's three secret Yellow Comet missions.
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Mission 11: Kanbei's Error? - Finally grasping the tactical importance of Bases, Kanbei manages to secure a production facility near Orange Star's army. Unfortunately, his Base's poor location on an isolated island makes it rather useless. Completing this mission within twelve days is the third and final requirement to access Sonja's three secret Yellow Comet missions.
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*Mission 12: Divide & Conquer! - An indignant Sonja takes command after her father suffers a string of humiliating defeats. Her elaborate plan involves first separating Max from Andy and Sami in order to evaluate his combat skills. This secret mission is accessed by completing Kanbei's three Yellow Comet missions within certain turn limits.
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*Mission 13: Sami Marches On! - After administering a sleeping agent to Max, Sonja proceeds to put Sami through a similar combat evaluation by forcing her to capture properties. This secret mission is accessed by completing Kanbei's three Yellow Comet missions within certain turn limits.
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*Mission 14: Sonja's Goal! - Sami finally locates a groggy Andy and angrily rouses him from unconsciousness, demanding that he pull his own weight and face Sonja next. This secret mission is accessed by completing Kanbei's three Yellow Comet missions within certain turn limits.
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Green Earth
Mission 15: Captain Drake! - Drake demonstrates his mastery of naval combat (and tsunamis) against Orange Star as they cross into Green Earth's borders. The player's CO choice dictates which of three possible maps will be used for this mission.
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Mission 16: Naval Clash! - Drake tries to convince Eagle that Andy was not responsible for the initial attack on Green Earth, and that some mystery foe is the real instigator of the conflicts that have recently engulfed Cosmo Land. The salty sailor hopes to test his theory by engaging Orange Star's forces a second time. The player's CO choice dictates which of three possible maps will be used for this mission.
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Mission 17: Wings of Victory! - Eagle resolves to meet Orange Star in battle once again, this time to see for himself if Drake's theories about Andy being framed hold any water. The player's CO choice dictates which of three possible maps will be used for this mission.
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Mission 18: Battle Mystery! - Sonja unexpectedly arrives to share details of her own investigation into the true culprit behind the initial attack on Green Earth. Eagle agrees to follow her while Drake prepares for one last sortie with Orange Star's army. The player's CO choice dictates which of three possible maps will be used for this mission.
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Black Hole
Mission 19: Andy Times Two! - As Eagle and Sonja cross back into Blue Moon territory, she reveals that their enigmatic foe has constructed a series of Andy clones. These doppelgangers subsequently launched multiple offensives against Orange Star's neighbors while the country was being attacked by Olaf, thus sparking the current international crisis. Infuriated by these revelations, Eagle vows to crush the Black Hole invaders by allying with Orange Star's forces.
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Mission 20: Enigma - Sonja entrusts Grit with crucial intel to be passed along to Orange Star, who have finally engaged the shadowy Sturm and his Black Hole forces. However, shortly after "Sturm's" defeat, Grit arrives to report that it was merely another clone, and that Sonja is now in grave danger.
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Mission 21: The Final Battle! - Sonja ostensibly corners Sturm inside his stronghold, but he suddenly turns the tables and takes her hostage. Meanwhile, the nations of Cosmo Land rally against the bulk of Sturm's forces in a massive assault in which the player manages three different COs and their armies at once. Andy is always the centrally headquartered CO; his two partner COs on either side are determined by meeting certain criteria during prior Campaign missions.
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*Mission 22: Rivals!
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War Room
A set of twenty single-player maps separate from Advance Wars' main Campaign.
Stats
Players can review their War Room scores and overall Campaign ranking here. The player's Campaign rank increases as they earn Coins by successfully completing missions. These ranks are based on various animals, with six grades per animal: Gray, Opal, Jade, Ebon, Rose and Gold.
Battle Maps
Former Orange Star commander Hachi operates his own shop, selling new maps and new playable COs that have been unlocked through the Campaign in exchange for Coins. Players earn Coins by completing individual Campaign or War Room missions; higher mission Ranks earn the player a greater number of Coins.
Design Maps
Advance Wars includes a map creation tool to allow players to create and play their own custom maps.
Link Mode
A mode in which two to four players can connect their separate Game Boy Advance consoles via Link Cables for multiplayer battles. It can be played either with multiple copies of Advance Wars, or with a single cartridge sharing its game data across multiple consoles.
Vs. Mode
An alternate multiplayer mode allowing two to four players to take turns battling hotseat-style using a single Game Boy Advance.
