Advance Wars is coming to Switch this December

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Advance Wars is coming to Nintendo Switch with a new HD bundle due December 3.

Advance Wars 1 + 2 Re-Boot Camp is exactly what it sounds like: a modern re-release for Advance Wars and Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising, complete with visual and other updates. Described as "reimagined and rebuilt from the ground up," the two-in-one package has swapped the original pixel art for a 3D aesthetic without sacrificing the grid-based and turn-based tactics that the series is known for.

Advance Wars and Advance Wars 2 were originally released on the Game Boy Advance in the early 2000s. Interestingly, this Switch re-release seems to be somewhat based on the Japan-only title Game Boy Wars Advance 1 + 2, which bundled the two together way back in 2004.

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We haven't seen a new Advance Wars game since 2008's Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, but the series has lived on in spirit thanks to games like Wargroove and Into the Breach. Advance Wars established a distinct and memorable approach to turn-based strategy with commander-led battles that play out through skirmishes between specific unit types. Your choice of commanders, weapons, and units could make or break specific strategies, to say nothing of the terrain for each encounter and unique limiters like ammunition and fuel.

This gave the series an almost rock-paper-scissors feel but with considerable depth, and it was an instant hit with many strategy fans, inspiring a few spinoff games and countless spiritual successors. It's nice to see the original games getting some love on a platform like the Switch; newcomers will get to try the series without digging through retro rigmarole, and longtime fans can soak up some nostalgia while continually pining for an all-new entry. Here's hoping.

As it happens, today's Nintendo Direct showcase was chock-full of sequels and updates for obscure and niche franchises. Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is bringing the first three games to PC and all consoles later this year, Warioware: Get it Together is dropping a batch of co-op microgames on Switch, and the Game and Watch fandom is eating well thanks to the new Zelda handheld model due this November. Speaking of Zelda: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel is aiming for a 2022 release date, and we finally have some real gameplay footage. Metroid fans got a little love as well; no Metroid Prime 4 update, but Metroid Fusion sequel Metroid Dread is here to hold us over.

Check out our ongoing E3 2021 roundup for all the biggest stories and updates from this year's fragmented event.