While Advance Wars D.o.R. does try to change things up a little the changes both improve and not improve the game.
• Deeper and more mature characters and story.
• Huge amount of extra fun stuff to do besides the main campaign.
• Game play has not been changed, this is good because it is perfect just the way it is.
• Tactics make a big difference, not like some tactical games that just requires you to gang up on one enemy unit until it's destroyed and then repeat the same tactic over and over.
• Every unit has it's uses, there's no totally useless game units.
• Combat is deep, fluid and lots of fun.
Cons:
• Entire game world is bland and looks the same all the way through out the game.
• Game difficulty can fluctuate from battle to battle quite a bit.
• C.O. skills seem less important in this game compared to previous Advance Wars games.
• Some of the extra units from the previous Advance Wars are not in this game.
The story is deeper and more mature compared to the previous Advance Wars games but is standard compared to other SRPG's. The world is devastated by a massive meteor shower and from the rubble a small military unit emerges. The group ends up battling it's way across the world looking for a new home to call their own. Enemies like rouge military groups, disease infested civilians and a mad science genius seem hell bent on enslaving or killing your forces.
Game play is exactly the same as the previous Advance Wars games. You command your unit's on a large grid battle field and try to wipe out your opponent's forces or capture the enemy H.Q. The tactical part of the game is to capture cities, navel ports, airports and factories. This gives you money and the ability to build new units and over power your opponent. After you win a battle you progress the story which leads you to the next battle. There are lots of side battle you can participate in that have nothing to do with the main story but they are lots of fun and can be very challenging.
Final thoughts:
The look and feel of the game is similar to the other Advance Wars games but lacks the colourful jovial greens and blues. The theme of the game is post apocalyptic and the new colour scheme fits, but I found that I missed the more fun theme. I played the game for a total of 70.5 hours and had a lot of fun, I encourage you to buy a copy and cut loose.
Game Play: 9
Graphics & Music: 7
Story & Characters: 8
Value: 8
Score: 8/10