Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp (Nintendo Switch) Review

While the mission design and mechanics hold up today, the move to 3D artwork for the missions doesn't recapture some of the charm found in the Game Boy Advance releases. On the visual presentation front, the 2D artwork impresses the most. Commanding Officer (or CO) character designs are clean and colourful, and are animated with a great amount of personality. One new addition to the remake is voice acting for the various COs. While not line-by-line, a little bit of voiced character dialogue does help their personalities shine. Along with animation flourishes for special CO powers, it all leaves a great impression.

The 3D modelling done for this remake has us mixed. Re-Boot Camp is a very plain looking strategy game where every unit seems to have come out of a toy box. The enthusiastic nature of the COs has no influence on the look of the various units. The aesthetics seem to clash with each other in that way. If the 2D art style had been translated somewhat into the battle scenes, it may have been more cohesive for the better. A boon in its favour though is that the title particularly shines on Switch OLED with its solid bright colours.

Another benefit of a simpler approach to the art is good performance. While docked, a full 1080p resolution helps the models and animations look crisp and the framerate is relatively stable in normal view. However, the framerate is unlocked for battle animations, giving off some visual judder. This has no bearing on enjoyment though due to the turn-based nature.

What lacks in visual charm in the thick of missions it makes up for in battle variety. There are several unit types and we felt immense freedom to carry out plans and strategies that felt unique, mission to mission, in the campaign. Missions that allow players to buy extra units particularly shine in this regard. There is also a redo turn feature for those who want to try a different approach to the previous turn. With that many unit types and ways to carry out encounters, this can make the game a bit on the easier side for a fair amount of the selection, but it adds to the fun factor and lends itself very well into the map editor.

The sandbox vibe that the art gives off does lend itself well to the modest amount of variety in offline offerings outside of the two campaigns. First is the War Room. Standalone mission maps can be bought at Hachi's Shop through the start menu and can be played with a CO of choice which is where most of the replayability can come from. Beyond that, there is a map creation tool called the Design Room that is surprisingly robust. However, while it is enjoyable to tinker with maps, they are largely stuck on one Nintendo Switch or shared locally.

Unfortunately, online implementation is under-baked. It was not possible to get a chance to test its functionality for this review; the main reason is due to the lack of online matchmaking. Multiplayer modes are restricted to local play or online via a Nintendo account's friends list and map sharing for others to use in offline modes isn't possible. This hurts the longevity of the game, especially when it comes to creating and sharing maps with others. Not including a seed code system almost seems like an oversight. With as much time as WayForward had with the game, the online functionality has elements left on the table.