{"id":79140,"date":"2019-01-30T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-30T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/wargroove"},"modified":"2019-01-30T14:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-01-30T14:00:00","slug":"review-wargroove-a-turn-based-strategy-classic-that-intelligent-systems-would-be-proud-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/01\/30\/review-wargroove-a-turn-based-strategy-classic-that-intelligent-systems-would-be-proud-of\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Wargroove &#8211; A Turn-Based Strategy Classic That Intelligent Systems Would Be Proud Of"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/wargroove\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/wargroove\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div id=\"\">\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Wargroove Review - Screenshot 1 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/81212\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/81212\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Wargroove Review - Screenshot 1 of 6\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Intelligent Systems has always been known for its strategy game IP, with <strong>Fire Emblem<\/strong> naturally being the most popular, but that esteemed series might never have made it West were it not for the more colourful and militaristic antics of the <strong>Advance Wars<\/strong> franchise. Unfortunately \u2013 despite its similarities to Fire Emblem and its high critical acclaim \u2013 Advance Wars never <em>quite<\/em> hit the same levels of popularity as its sibling and hasn\u2019t received a new release since <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/ds\/advance_wars_days_of_ruin\">Days of Ruin<\/a><\/strong> on the DS, way back in 2008. In the void left behind, the responsibility of carrying on the series\u2019 legacy has been left up to the fans, which is what brings us to the current eShop launch of <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/wargroove\">Wargroove<\/a><\/strong>. As a spiritual successor to Nintendo\u2019s popular series, Wargroove manages to satisfy in nearly every conceivable way, offering a diverse helping of high-quality single and multiplayer content that\u2019s sure to keep fans entertained for dozens of hours.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Wargroove Review - Screenshot 2 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/81209\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/81209\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Wargroove Review - Screenshot 2 of 6\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Wargroove begins in the land of Aurania, where the peaceful Cherrystone Kingdom must always be on guard against the frozen, undead hordes of the Felheim Legion in the west. The story mostly follows Mercia, a princess-turned-queen who has the responsibility of the throne suddenly thrust upon her when an agent of Felheim assassinates her father King Mercival and instigates a fully-fledged invasion. Although it isn\u2019t exactly a groundbreaking story, it\u2019s absolutely packed with a diverse and colourful cast of memorable characters from a handful of different factions that manage to keep each mission engaging, even beyond the stellar gameplay.<\/p>\n<p>These characters all have surprisingly deep backstories (accessible through a handy Codex, which is fleshed out as you play) which strike a nice balance between humour and more serious themes. Our favourite character is a Felheim commander introduced early on named Ragna; an extremely angry (and equally incompetent) zombie woman stitched together from pieces of great military leaders who is prone to temper tantrums when the Cherrystone army easily beats her. Characters like Ragna keep things interesting and stop the story from going stale, but we appreciate the effort the developers have placed in creating a world with such a rich and fleshed-out history; it\u2019s tantalisingly easy to see how many future games could be set in this world.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Wargroove Review - Screenshot 3 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/81210\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/81210\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Wargroove Review - Screenshot 3 of 6\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Naturally, you\u2019ll be spending the bulk of your time examining grid-like maps from a top-down perspective, painstakingly moving units around in a delicate dance for victory. Battles unfold in a turn-based manner, with the goal usually being to either seize the enemy stronghold or defeat the enemy commander, and play a bit like a much more in-depth version of Chess. There are dozens of different unit types that both teams can use, and they all have specific functions that make them extra effective against certain units and terribly weak against others. For example, a Knight can travel six spaces and hits harder than a typical swordsman, but is incapable of crossing mountain ranges and can\u2019t capture villages or barracks. Organising a well-balanced team and distributing those units wisely across the field is utterly integral to your success; mistakes are usually not crippling, but they <em>are<\/em> costly, and too many ill-placed units or poorly thought out offensive runs can lead to a defeat all too quickly.<\/p>\n<p>Another neat touch is that every unit has its own unique strength which allows it \u2013 under the right conditions \u2013 to inflict additional &#8216;critical&#8217; damage on the enemy. For example, standard foot soldiers gain a boost when they&#8217;re fighting next to their commander, while archers perform critical hits if they attack without moving in the same turn. Knights, on the other hand, only enable their &#8216;critical&#8217; when they&#8217;ve moved a certain number of squares before attacking, while spearmen are more powerful when fighting in pairs. Because each unit&#8217;s &#8216;crit&#8217; is accessed in a different way, it makes things even more tactical. Add in commanders \u2013 your most adept units which have access to the titular &#8216;Groove&#8217; powers that offer both offensive and defensive benefits \u2013 and things become even more interesting; these units are capable of taking down several &#8216;standard&#8217; units on their own, but should they fall in battle, the game is over.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Wargroove Review - Screenshot 4 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/81207\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/81207\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Wargroove Review - Screenshot 4 of 6\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Though the goal is usually to defeat a certain enemy unit or location, a secondary goal that\u2019s just as important lies in how many villages your team can capture along the way. Every map is scattered with a collection of neutral villages; once aligned with a team, these villages then generate a set amount of gold for the war effort which is spent on recruiting new units at an allied barracks. The more villages you take over, the more options you have to bring units onto the field in higher quality or quantity, and a good strategy for taking down an opponent can be found in crippling their income sources to effectively &#8216;starve them out&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p>A big part of what makes Wargroove so enjoyable is how there are different \u2018levels\u2019 to every battle that ensure you make every decision with the <em>whole<\/em> fight in mind. When a battle starts, do you recruit a bunch of cheap units that can fan out and take villages faster, or do you instead invest in just a few powerful units and try to rush the enemy before they get too entrenched? Once a few rounds have passed and each team has amassed its own collection of units and villages, it\u2019s wise to shift focus to where you want to apply pressure and focus your resources. More diverse units start appearing on the field, so team composition becomes increasingly more important, along with thinking about the kind of tasks you want each unit to carry out. Through all this, there are no right or wrong answers \u2013 multiple strategies could all feasibly carry you to victory \u2013 and watching your gambles play out turn by turn, adapting as you go, ensures that you remain constantly engrossed. Battles can take anywhere from twenty minutes to over an hour (don\u2019t worry, you can save and quit at any time), but it\u2019s remarkable how easily the time seems to slide away when you get in the zone.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Wargroove Review - Screenshot 5 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/94715\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/94715\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Wargroove Review - Screenshot 5 of 6\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>For those of you that manage to beat the campaign, there\u2019s no shortage of other content on offer to keep you coming back, all of it offering up some variation on the core strategy gameplay. For example, as you progress the main story and encounter new commanders, new levels are unlocked in an Arcade Mode in which you run a gauntlet of five battles on random maps to see how far you can get. Not only does this allow you to better familiarise yourself with each commander\u2019s unique skillset, but successfully completing the run unlocks extra goodies like new music tracks, concept art, and lore entries. Similarly, Puzzle mode tasks you with \u2018solving\u2019 levels by laying out specific scenarios and asking the player to achieve victory in one turn. This tests your knowledge of unit strengths and weaknesses, as well as how good you are at manoeuvring different terrain types and weather effects.<\/p>\n<p>For the more creative ones out there, Wargroove also contains an amazingly extensive level editor that allows players to create their own maps and even their own <em>campaigns<\/em>, complete with cutscenes. The level building tools are a little bit hokey to begin with (and sadly don\u2019t feature touch screen support), but are simple enough to master, allowing players a surprisingly high amount of creative control; it wouldn\u2019t be a shock to learn that the developers used a version of these tools themselves when building the game. You can control placement of virtually any character or tile type in the game, arrange a soundtrack from unlocked music, set special rules for when victory is triggered, and so much more; the developers are functionally handing over the keys and challenging you to make a better game than they could.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Wargroove Review - Screenshot 6 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/81203\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/81203\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Wargroove Review - Screenshot 6 of 6\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve finished a map or campaign, it can then be uploaded to the global server for distribution, and you can then download other player\u2019s creations and try them out. As you\u2019d expect, this adds a nearly infinite level of replayability to Wargroove long after the credits have rolled on the main campaign and other side content. Plus, the endless creativity of the internet never fails to impress, and already we\u2019ve seen some surprisingly in-depth efforts that play with the core game mechanics in interesting ways.<\/p>\n<p>Multiplayer naturally doesn\u2019t just stop there, however, you can also play locally or online with up to four players, on either official maps or anything player-generated. As you\u2019d expect, there\u2019s full support for all control types, even for those who just want to use one controller and pass it back and forth between turns. Once more, this creates endless opportunity for replayability, and while there\u2019s no ranking system to speak of, it\u2019s still generally more fun to battle against human opponents than against the AI.<\/p>\n<p>In terms of presentation, Wargroove goes for a rich, pixel-heavy art style that wouldn\u2019t look out of place on the Game Boy Advance, characterized by chunky, colourful character sprites on the battle screen and more realistic and detailed ones during cutscenes. It\u2019s not a particularly innovative look, but it absolutely nails the same level of charm and detail as the writing; a strategy game such as this is at its best when it goes with a simple art style, and Wargroove utilises one that helps to give it some memorable identity. In much the same thinking, the soundtrack is similarly charming, consisting of a series of soaring, fantasy-themed tracks that fit well with the setting. We wouldn\u2019t say that Wargroove is a showstopper in its presentation, but it still does a great job nonetheless and comes close to exhibiting the same level of craft seen in GBA instalments of Fire Emblem and Advance Wars \u2013 which, we imagine, was the developer&#8217;s intention from the start.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"conclusion\">\n<h2 class=\"heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>As far as strategy games are concerned on the Switch, Wargroove is one of the best titles you can find on the eShop. Extremely deep and diverse strategy gameplay, ridiculous amounts of replayability, and charming presentation all combine to make this one an easy recommendation to anybody looking for a deep and cerebral experience for their Switch. Advance Wars may only exist nowadays in our memories, but Wargroove stands as a worthy successor to the franchise; if Intelligent Systems does ever decide to revive its cult classic series, it\u2019s going to have some stiff competition to contend with thanks to Chucklefish&#8217;s efforts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Intelligent Systems has always been known for its strategy game IP, with Fire Emblem naturally being the most popular, but that esteemed series might never have made it West were it not for the more colourful and militaristic antics of the Advance Wars franchise. Unfortunately \u2013 despite its similarities to Fire Emblem and its high [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79140\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}