The new installment of the Advance Wars series is here, and darker than ever. And this game does not disappoint.
Though not everything is great with the story. The storyline scenes seem to run a little more like Intelligent System's other well famed Strategy title Fire Emblem, though I would suspect it should make it better, regardless that the scenes do post-pone you from the action for as little as one minute to seven looong minutes.(Thank you for the start button Nintendo!) Also, sometimes the constant thought of hope with some of the characters really just gets dull after a while, with one of the main characters, Will, constantly using a phrase, turning it from a catchy line to an over-used cliche statement.
The battle system and controls are just as good as they always were, if not better. The CO system has been greatly balanced out, making it so that not one CO has a true advantage over the other in battle. The online feature is really handy for those that want to face other people rather than the CPU. The inclusion(and the absence) of several units really add more strategy involvement in the game. Fog-of-War is now a bit easier to maneuver with the new Flare units, and quick travels with the Bike units.
The changing of the COs, however, would seem to disappoint many fans of the series, seeing how the system seems to be a little more complex, probably a bit complex with the newcomers also. The inclusion of only 12 playable COs is a big let down since that is less than half of the COs featured in the previous installment on the DS. Though regardless that no CO may be truly stronger than the other, the exception of the final CO really upsets the balance of the 'equal opportunity' rule. The final COs CO range and stats is extremely over-powered that it would put all other characters to shame if used properly. The Campaign mode seems to be rather difficult to complete, seeing how the AI is greatly enhanced to do more 'thinking' than before in the previous titles of the series. Some stages may actually seem impossible to finish, even with the helpful tips the game gives you in-game to help you win.
The Online is a great inclusion, but the map trading with random players just seems to be so limited. All stages must be only 10 x 10 and have been completed in play at least once. This really sets a serious limit to all those that make some tremendous maps larger than 10 x 10. At least friend playing has as much freedom as the wireless play. Any type of map can be traded, and battles can be on most any stage, with the inclusion of voice chat.(friends only though) And space is not an issue when it comes to custom maps. There's 50 slots for custom maps to keep you company just in case you feel a little creative.
The graphics are fairly improved over the last DS title of the series. The darker atmosphere really shows much more expression in the game, along with the 2-screen battle action to really show as much of the battle as possible. Also the new character designs look fantastic, with their unique new looks, though some of them creepy looking... Though in the battle map, the inclusion of the zoom-in tool is a nice little feature to show more detail on the units, though it'll probably be the least used of all the features in-game, since actions can be executed faster with the camera zoomed out.
The music is rather good this time around, featuring a completely new set of soundtracks instead of recycling some of the past tunes. The Hybrid music is really attractive for the most part, though it probably might turn some people to play the game muted with the soundtracks mostly heavy metal/classical hybrids constantly playing in the background in the battlefield, depending on the CO. As from the previous installments of the series, each CO has their own unique, individual theme song that plays when you are on the battlefield. Though to some people, it might get old constantly hearing the same theme song over and over again while playing the game.
To wrap this game up, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin is a must-have title if you are a fan of Turn-based Strategy games such as Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics, and a should consider title for the others. With its good storyline and limitless possibilities on the battlefield, you should be able to play this game for hours at a time and still be able to pick it back up the next day or so. It should not disappoint with it's improved graphics and soundtrack list, not to forget about the Online feature, which spans the possibilities worldwide for battling. This is one title that doesn't disappoint.
Storyline- 7/10
Gameplay- 8/10
Controls- 10/10
Graphics- 9/10
Music- 8/10
Overall- 8.5/10