Wars (series)

Lore & Background

The series began in Japan with Famicom Wars (1988), featuring two armies—Red Star and Blue Moon—on square grid maps. Game Boy Wars altered the grid to function like hexagons and introduced White Moon. Super Famicom Wars expanded to four armies: Red Star, Blue Moon, Yellow Comet, and Green Earth. Advance Wars (2001) was the first to release in North America and Europe, but was delayed in Japan due to the September 11 attacks; it eventually reached Europe in January 2002 (as originally scheduled for that region), and Japan only via the Game Boy Wars Advance 1+2 compilation in November 2004.

Advance Wars introduced Commanding Officer (CO) Powers, special abilities that grant temporary advantages. Subsequent games added Super CO Powers (Black Hole Rising) and Tag CO Powers (Dual Strike). Days of Ruin (2008) departed from the series' lighthearted tone, weakened CO Powers, and reintroduced a unit level system. The series also includes spin-offs: Battalion Wars (2005) and Battalion Wars 2 (2007), 3D action real-time strategy games developed by Kuju Entertainment.

Multiplayer has been a key feature, from two-player local play in Famicom Wars to link-cable play on Game Boy Advance and online multiplayer in Days of Ruin and Battalion Wars 2. Map editors appeared in Advance Wars games and Game Boy Wars 3. After a long hiatus, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, a collection of remakes developed with WayForward Technologies, was announced at E3 2021 and released in April 2023, delayed from its original December 2021 date due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Reader's Guide

The Wars series holds significance as a foundational turn-based strategy franchise that bridged Japanese and Western gaming markets. Its international breakthrough, Advance Wars, demonstrated that tactical gameplay could achieve commercial success outside Japan, directly influencing Nintendo's decision to localize the Fire Emblem series. The series' core mechanics—grid-based movement, unit variety, and CO Powers—set a template for accessible yet deep strategy games. The spin-off Battalion Wars series explored real-time 3D action, showing the franchise's versatility. The series' legacy is marked by its long hiatus after Days of Ruin (2008) and the eventual revival via the Re-Boot Camp remakes in 2023, which were delayed by geopolitical events. The Wars series remains a touchstone for turn-based strategy, with its emphasis on multiplayer and map editing fostering community engagement. Its influence persists in modern tactical games, and the remakes introduced the series to a new generation on the Nintendo Switch.

Did You Know?

• Advance Wars was released in the United States on September 10, 2001, but was put on hold in Japan due to the September 11 attacks; its European release followed in January 2002 as planned.
• The original Famicom Wars featured two armies, Red Star and Blue Moon; Red Star was renamed Orange Star in international releases, though the official reason for the change has never been confirmed.
• Battalion Wars, a spin-off, was developed by Kuju Entertainment and released for the GameCube under the title Totsugeki!! Famicom Wars in Japan.
• Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp was delayed from April 2022 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, eventually releasing on April 21, 2023.