Wargroove is the perfect game for those thousands of folks who wish Nintendo would get around to making a new Advance Wars. In fact, in pretty much all ways possible, it’s far superior to that cult classic strategy series. Set in a fantasy world amid four warring factions, Chuckelfish’s latest has 12 unique commanders, a fantastic multi-layered story campaign, a full arcade mode, online and local multiplayer, and player-created content and campaigns that can be shared online and cross-platform. Yep, the game’s online play is also cross-platform. PC, Switch, Xbox One, and people expect that PS4 cross-play will eventually come as well.
In short, Wargroove may be pixelart and give off the vibe of a retro strategy game, but in so many ways it’s as layered and deep as any AAA multi-million dollar experience. And the kicker? You won’t have to buy half the commanders as DLC! Zing!
The campaign itself begins with the Cherrystone Kingdom and a mystery that’s as good and well-written as any fantasy RPG out there. While there’s no real player choice and the story plays out linearly, it’s full of charm, humor, and genuine heart. I dare you not to fall in love with a dog in a suit of armor, too.
Beyond the excellent campaign, there’s near limitless replay value in the online and local multiplayer. You can do it in real-time, but it’s also entirely possible to play asynchronously, and let players take their turns when they have time. The game remembers the save-state and lets you pick up whenever. The interesting parts of Wargroove is that it also works in an economy to each battle. You fight to control towns, which produce gold, which you use to produce units for the fight. In campaign mode there are various win conditions, but most online and MP fights will be about taking out the enemy commander or capturing their base.
In short, Wargroove is an excellent turn-based strategy game that will have you fondly remembering days spent with Advance Wars, and simultaneously being happy that Wargroove is here to replace that missing genre from the Switch’s library. The fact that it’s cross-platform with PC and XB1 is amazing, and should prove to give the online and created content library a healthy long life.
