Advance Wars

About Advance Wars (GBA)

Advance Wars is a turn-based strategy game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance in 2001. It revived Nintendo’s long-running Wars series - which began on the Famicom in 1988 - for the West, dressing deep tactical warfare in bright colors and cheerful characters. The nations of Wars World are at peace until the Black Hole army invades, and young Orange Star commanding officer Andy, mentored by Nell, must push them back.

Every unit, terrain tile, and CO power interlocks into one of the cleanest strategy systems ever made. Easy to learn over a handful of tutorial missions and endlessly deep afterward, it remains the GBA’s strategy benchmark.

Detailed Gameplay

Battles play out on grid maps where you and the enemy move every unit in turns. Capture cities to earn funds, build new units at bases, and destroy the enemy army or capture their headquarters to win. Fog, terrain, and fuel and ammo limits keep every map honest.

Commanding Officers

• Andy of Orange Star is balanced, and his Hyper Repair CO Power heals all his units
• Max is a direct-combat powerhouse whose indirect units suffer shorter range
• Sami captures properties faster and her infantry move farther, though her direct vehicles hit softer
• Unlock and face rival COs like Olaf of Blue Moon, Grit the indirect specialist, and Eagle of Green Earth

Units, Terrain, and Economy

• Build infantry, tanks, medium tanks, artillery, rockets, fighters, bombers, and battleships
• Forests, mountains, and cities grant defensive stars; roads and bridges speed movement
• Captured cities, bases, and airports pay funds each turn - economy wins wars
• Units burn fuel and ammo: supply trucks and APCs keep armies fighting

CO Powers

• Powers charge as your units deal and take damage, filling a star meter
• Trigger a power for a one-turn surge - Andy repairs, Max surges firepower, Sami doubles capture speed
• Every CO also has passive strengths and weaknesses that shape your whole build order
• Saving a power for the decisive push beats spending it on turn one

Campaign and Modes

• A story campaign of over 30 missions against Black Hole and its commander Sturm
• Branching choices and rival battles change which missions and COs you meet
• War Room offers score-ranked challenge maps, and Design Maps lets you build your own battlefields
• Versus mode supports up to four players, even passing one GBA between friends

Game Highlights

• Perfect Tactics: Terrain, economy, and unit counters in one clean, readable system.
• CO Personalities: Andy, Max, Sami, and rivals whose powers rewrite each battle.
• Huge Campaign: 30-plus missions plus War Room, map design, and four-player versus.
• Black Hole Invasion: A charming war story against Sturm’s invading army.

Controls

Command your army with the Game Boy Advance controls. - D-Pad: Move the cursor across the map and through menus - A Button: Select units and properties, confirm orders - B Button: Cancel, and hold to speed up cursor and animations - L Button: Check unit and terrain details - R Button: Cycle to the next unit that can still move - Start: Open the map menu, save, and end your turn options

Tips and Strategies to Win

Wars are won by income and indirect fire, not by charging tanks. - Capture nearby cities on turn one with infantry in transports - early income compounds. - Keep artillery and rockets behind a wall of tanks; indirect units cannot counterattack. - Build a mix: cheap infantry hold cities while your funds grow toward medium tanks and bombers. - Check the damage chart before attacking - terrain stars and CO bonuses swing close fights. - Save your CO Power for a breakthrough turn when many units can attack at once.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Who is the main villain in Advance Wars? A: Sturm, the masked commander of the Black Hole army, who secretly manipulates the nations of Wars World into fighting each other before invading.

Q: How many missions are in the Advance Wars campaign? A: The campaign has over 30 missions, with branching paths and optional rival battles that change the route and ending details.

Q: Can I play Advance Wars online for free? A: Yes, you can play it online for free in your browser on RiveGame with no downloads or installation required.