Advance Wars exists in a strange place for me. I spent a good amount of time in high school (and later college) playing it by myself and against other nerds. Mostly by myself. I’d say, like, 90 percent by myself. And even that 10 percent I got with other people was impressive for me at the time. Not to dig into it, but Lord almighty, I was not someone you’d want to play games with until I was maybe 22. Too much need in the eyes. Too much quivering in the voice.
Although Advance Wars has been around for decades, I forget the original games are ‘retro’ now, as Gen Z say. They also call me ‘mid’ all the time! Sounds nice! That’s not to say I don’t know these games are old. I have a solid understanding of how time works. But they’re not games that take me back to my childhood like Super Mario World or Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island or, I dunno, Super Mario World. When I’ve booted up Advance Wars on an emulator - don’t tell mom! - I enjoyed myself, but it didn’t revive some deep primal memory of comfort and warmth.
So it’s kind of surprising me now just how much childlike joy Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot brings me (outside of having to type that title). Even before it was rebooted, the game was cartoony and over-the-top. Yes, there are conversations to be had about depictions of war as fun little chess matches behind smiling anime characters, but I also don’t think a dictator is going to bomb a nation after being inspired by playing as Andy. Is there more nuance to that conversation? Oh, 100 percent. Am I going to do that? No! I shouldn’t have even brought it up!
I’m just happy to have something right now that feels like I’m waking up on Saturday morning and rushing down the hallway to get TV time before my parents wake up and kick me off. Literally. This morning, I woke up and almost went back to sleep and then thought, ‘Advance Wars’. That’s an improvement, because usually I wake up wishing God had finally taken me from this planet and put me in the cold Hell where I belong.
There’s a beauty and simplicity to the game that makes it a perfect morning warmup. The game is methodical without being slow. It takes concentration and strategy, but not hours of prep and long-term planning. It’s a Nintendo game. Of course it’s going to cater to a wider audience. But it’s refreshing to play a triple-A game that is just there for a good time. There’s no grimdark background. No deep lore. No expectations other than I make the big fun tank go four spaces then boom boom.
It seems slightly lazy to be excited about a game that doesn’t demand much of you besides paying attention. But that’s exactly why it’s a great Saturday morning cartoon. When I watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while scooping cereal into my mouth, I didn’t want prestige television. I wanted something enjoyable that wasn’t asking too much from me, a highly advanced child who had worked long hours all week on coloring in the lines.
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Hell, even the story is simple and cute. There are a couple fun-named factions at war for not-important reasons and they all have big personalities. Who cares? It doesn’t matter. It’s just icing. I love video game stories, I do. I’m here for sad tales of woe and loss! But, also, I contain multitudes and don’t need every game to require me to spend half a week reading up on the lore so I understand why everyone is shouting. We’re all about to play Tears of the Kingdom. We’re all set on games that will take forever.
The pure goofiness and silliness of the game fits perfectly with a seemingly simple interface and clear gameplay mechanics. There’s no hiding the ball. For a deceptively deep game, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot keeps everything on the surface. It wants me to have fun. Even when a mission kicks my ass, I can try again without fearing I’ve lost eight hours of effort or have to suffer through some heavy handed bullshit cutscene.
These games were good before, but WayForward (god bless them) put in the effort to make them shine even more than before. They didn’t try to fix what wasn’t broken - they just made it pop. The way the characters animate? Saturday morning cartoon. The way the characters talk? Saturday morning cartoon. The little shopkeeper who cheerfully tells you he’s got new items in stock? Less Saturday morning cartoon and more like a nicer version of the Resident Evil 4 merchant. Still!
Perhaps that’s why I love playing Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot and - coincidentally - the Game Boy Advance games that have popped up on Switch. They’re well-made games that aren’t demanding your life. Minish Cap may never be the BIG ZELDA GAME, but it’s lighter and sillier and less important. And sometimes I need less important games that don’t come in the form of rip-off cash grabs or knock-off puzzlers.
I’m not trying to imply Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot doesn’t matter. It does. It wouldn’t have a remake (which, honestly, isn’t really a reboot) if it didn’t. But it’s a game designed to make me happy, even when I’m losing. It’s cheerful. It’s colorful. It’s sweet. Ironically it’s a war game that’s bringing a little sunshine into the sad nightmare that is this world. At least for me.