Set in a not-so-distant future, Advanced Wars: Days of Ruin on the Nintendo DS not only opens the next chapter in the long-running franchise, but also takes a turn away from the trademark gung ho, “Yay, war!” attitude of previous Advance Wars games, in exchange for a much darker and grittier plotline.
The game opens to a grim tale of destruction. The world has been bombarded by a meteor storm and 90% of the population has been blinked out of existence. Most of the major super powers have been reduced to ash. In their place, rogue bands of raiders have risen up to prey on the helpless survivors of the disaster, stealing food and supplies from the weak to continue their own selfish rampage.
Enter Captain Brenner and his rag-tag band of freedom fighters. Once part of the powerful Rubinelle Army, Brenner and his crew now scour the wastelands seeking survivors and aiding small settlements to drive off the raiders as people try to rebuild their lives. Things may look bleak, but fans of the Advanced Wars series will find themselves right at home on the new battlefields of Days of Ruin. In keeping with the darker theme, the graphics have been completely overhauled. Previous games in the series featured bright colors and lighthearted, Anime-esque characters; Days of Ruin is a stark contrast with bolder outlines and a much more comic-book feel to the artwork.
As always, the primary focus of the game play is on turn-based, tactical strategy. At the onset of any engagement, players are given as much time as they need to survey the battlefield, check the status of their currently deployed units, and prepare their battle plans. Depending on the objectives of their mission, the player may be tasked with any number of goals. In most cases, the primary objective is to either capture the Enemy HQ or defeat all enemy units while defending your own HQ. During the course of the battle, neutral cities and facilities (Factories, Airports, Seaports, etc.) may be captured in order to provide funds or- in the case of facilities- a place to produce new units.
Units can now level up in battle, increasing their capabilities. Units increase their level once for each enemy unit that they destroy. The level of each unit is identified as I, II, or Vet, with Vet being the highest level. Each unit type has its own strengths and weaknesses to other units in what is essentially a very elaborate game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Your standard infantry unit is generally very weak, being only marginally effective against other Infantry types and highly ineffective to vehicles, tanks, ships, and aircraft. On the other hand, your standard tank unit is highly effective against infantry units and light vehicles, but again will have trouble against heavier vehicles, ships, and aircraft. Many of the unit types will be familiar to anyone who has played an Advanced Wars game, but Days of Ruin features a few new additions to the lineup. The Bike unit, for instance, is a highly mobile, light vehicle, capable of capturing cities and facilities; a function previously reserved for ground infantry only. Other new units include the Flare; a new tank-like unit that can reveal areas affected by the Fog of War; the Anti-Tank, an indirect-fire unit strong against tanks with the ability to counter-attack during direct attacks; and the War Tank, the strongest ground unit in the game. New air units include the Duster, which has the ability to attack both ground and air units; and the Seaplane, which is produced by Carriers and can attack any unit. Additionally, there is a single new sea unit, the Gunboat, which is armed with a powerful missile salvo that must be re-supplied at a Port after each use. Despite the addition of new units other units have been removed from Days of Ruin, keeping the grand total of different unit types at 26; the same as Dual Strike.
The COs (Commanding Officers) and their powers have been sufficiently toned down in Advanced Wars: Days of Ruin. Unlike Dual Strike, where COs could perform Tag powers giving players the ability to take two turns, the CO powers in Days of Ruin are far less potent and can no longer change the tide of the entire battle. At the HQ or any unit-producing facility, COs can join with a specific unit, and automatically promote that unit to Vet level, but at the cost of half of that unit's value. The CO's unit confers an advantage on friendly units within a certain range, the "CO zone." These effects are generally minor advantages such as attack or defense boosts. CO effects are constant and, unlike previous games, only benefit units within the CO zone.
The control scheme has remained largely unchanged from Days of Ruin’s first DS predecessor, Advanced Wars: Dual Strike. Like Dual Strike, the game can be controlled entirely via the touch screen and stylus; however those looking for a more traditional experience should have no trouble using the control-pad and buttons. One new addition to the controls is that of a zoom feature which allows the player to pull back their view, providing a broader look at the battlefield which can come in quite handy when planning your next move.
The game’s main storyline takes the player across a total of 28 missions with an additional 38 training missions which appear at different times throughout the single-player campaign. These training missions are more challenging than the story missions and are entirely optional to play. In a first for the series, Days of Ruin includes online multiplayer over Nintendo’s WFC service, as well as a feature for players to share their own custom map designs and download maps made by others. Over 150 premade maps are included in the game for use in local multiplayer, and designed for two, three, and four-player matches. Multiplayer games can be played with only one DS game card: each player can pass the game to the next player when it is their turn.
Overall, Days of Ruin is an excellent addition to the Advance Wars franchise. The main campaign features a much grittier and darker theme which makes each part of the story more engaging and less like a Saturday morning cartoon. In addition to the excellent single-player campaign, Days of Ruin is the first in the Advance Wars series to be compatible with the WFC and even features voice chat between players who have exchanged friend codes. If you’ve been curious about trying out an Advanced Wars game before but haven’t, or you’re looking for a good strategy game to play on your DS, Days of Ruin may be exactly what you want.
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin Review
