One of the things I like about most indie developer is their attitude of, “If a triple A developer won’t make it, then I/we will”. For example, since Konami hasn’t made a traditional Castlevania in years, there are several indie developers who are making their own versions of the game, the most prominent one being Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Here’s another example: before Sonic Mania, SEGA wasn’t making anymore 2D Sonic games, then Freedom Planet came along and showed SEGA that there was still a demand for 2D Sonic games. These are just a couple of games in a whole list of titles that deserve to be pulled from the nostalgia vault and given a second chance to shine. Like I mentioned before, “If triple A developers won’t make it, then I/we will”. And it seems that’s what indie developer Chucklefish had in mind for their latest game, Wargroove.
Wargroove is a turn-based tactics game that allows players to command army units across a map grid to defeat the opposing commander. Now if this concept sounds very familiar to those who grew up during the Game Boy Advance era, it should. This is the same concept that Nintendo used for the classic GBA game, Advance Wars. Released in back in 2001, Advance Wars is a turn-based tactics video game that allows players to command a modern military across a grid map to defeat the enemy commander. The game received raved reviews and is considered to be one of the best game in the GBA library and is on many greatest of all time lists. Can Wargroove carry on the spirit of Advance Wars, or will they crumble under the pressure? Let’s find out.
On the Warpath
Classic gameplay revisited- As I mentioned, Wargroove, much like Advance Wars, is turn-based tactics game that allows players to command army units across a map grid to defeat the opposing commander. What made Advance Wars a classic was its simple gameplay and making players think tactically when planing strategies. As the saying goes “If its not broke, don’t fix it”, and for the most part Wargroove plays just like Advance Wars. Only instead of a modern military, players take control of a medieval fantasy military. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be improved on or new things added. One of the additions that Wargroove changes in the gameplay is that, unlike in Advance Wars players could reinforce units by stacking/grouping them together, players can’t stack their units. This forces players to think very carefully about the placement of their units, especially if they are given a set amount and on a map that doesn’t have a barrack that could be used to recruit more units. They also had to think very carefully what unit they had to move and where to, because if they make one small error, then a weaker enemy unit could easily overpower a stronger one. The only way units can be healed is if they retreat near a captured building. However if they do get healed, that takes away from the health of the structure and will make it easier for enemy units to take it over.
Another added mechanic the game has is something called critical hits. Critical hits allows player’s units to deal extra damage. Each unit has a specific requirements that need to be met in order to activate. For example, one of the units requires to have one or more of the same unit positioned next to each other to deal more damage. Another example is having the basic infantry boosted due to having the commander unit next to them.
And speaking of the commander unit, in Advance Wars the commander usually stays in the background and is not used for battle other than to activate a special power. In Wargroove, not only do commanders have their own special power they can activate called grooves, they are also on the battlefield along side the army. Having a commander out on the field makes for a increased high stakes game as if the commander falls, its game over. So players really have to think their plans through, especially if they are playing against a live opponent (more on that in a bit).
Enjoyable story- Sigrid the vampire one night raids the King of Cherrystone’s castle for nefarious reasons. As she slaughters everyone in the castle, she makes it up to the King’s quarters. She demands the location of a key. He refuses to give her any information and is then killed. While this going on, near a hill the King’s daughter Mercia and his advisor/her tutor Emeric are in the middle of a training session. They get word that the castle was being attack and that everyone, including Mercia’s father the King, was killed. The two are shocked at the news, as they head back to the castle to help out and prepare for Mercia’s coronation. A few month later, Mercia is queen and all seems well, until she and Emeric receive word that Valder of the Felheim Legion has mastered an ancient artifact called the Fell Gauntlet that allows him to raise the dead and has amassed an invasion force marching towards Cherrystone. Still reeling from the death of the King, Mercia and Emeric call for a full evacuation of the near by villages to safety. Once the citizens were safe they, with a small group of knights travel towards Heavensong for aid and to try to figure out why has Felheim invaded Cherrystone. As players follow along Mercia’s journey, they will be introduced to various commanders, battle them and befriend them as they try to increase their forces. In addition to meeting these commanders, players will also get to know them a bit more as side stories/missions will pop up. Players will be able to take control of these commanders and battle through different scenarios that don’t add to the story, but like I mentioned, lets players to get to know these commanders better.
Colorful commanders- The commanders of Wargroove are some of the most colorful and fun looking that I’ve seen in a game like this. There are your typical humans such as Mercia and Emeric of Cherrystone and Koji, Ryota and Tenri of Heavnsong. Then there’s the plant-like Florans Greenfinger, Muru and Sedge. It wouldn’t be a fantasy medieval war game if there wasn’t an undead/monster faction, right? That’s where the Felheim Legion’s Valder, Ragna and Sigrid come in. Last but not lease, and who happens to be my favorite character of the bunch is the armored good boi, Caesar the warhound. As mentioned above, when players progress through the game’s story, they’ll either encounter one of the commanders and learn a bit more them through battle or control them through one of many side missions. Outside story mode, all of the commanders are unlocked and are able to be used in any mode.
Multiple modes- Now speaking of modes, Wargroove happens to have several modes that gives it more replay value once players have finished the story mode. If they want to play through the single-player story again, sans cut-scenes, then they can try out the arcade mode. Arcade mode has players fighting five battles in a condense version of the story from the perspective of the different commanders. Think of it like how one goes through a fighting game with a character and sees their ending. Also in the single-player section is a puzzle mode. Here players are given different scenarios on various maps for them to solve, such as using a set amount of units or finishing the battle in the least amount of turns. There’s also a codex where all the information about the units, tutorials, commanders and bits of the story are located. Some entries however are locked and in order to see them, several requirements must be met. The game’s gallery mode shows several pieces of concept art for the game, though just like codex entries, there are requirements that need to be met. This isn’t really an issue as these are met during gameplay and encourages replaying different sections of the game. As for any multiplayer modes, let’s go a bit more in-depth with them.
Offline multiplayer- While its fun to beat on and try to out smart the AI, its even better when you’re able to be a friend or two in battle. Wargroove’s offline local multiplayer mode allows for up to four players to battle. Depending on the how many are playing, each map has a different rule set unique to that map. Then there’s a chess mode/map. If you think about it games like Wargroove and Advance Wars are much like chess: players carefully position pieces waiting for the right time to attack. This is a 1v1 map that has units laid out like a chess board and follow somewhat the same rules of chess (ie moving one piece at a time). This also means that both opposing armies are a few squares across from each other in a confined space. So players really have to kick up their tactical skill in order to win.
Online cross-platform multiplayer- If facing off against a friend on the couch isn’t an option, then online cross-platform multiplayer is for you. Yes, you read that right, cross-platform multiplayer. As in having the ability to play against those who are playing Wargroove on either the PC or Xbox One (more on PS4 not wanting to cross-play in a bit). As digital downloads and streaming services increase in popularity and internet service becomes more faster, it makes sense for developers of a game that have multiplayer components and is on different platforms (Wargoove in this case) to want to have all of its player base to be able to play together regardless of what platform the game is on. Online multiplayer matches have access to the same options as of offline matches.
Deep map customization- If the game’s base content wasn’t enough, Wargroove has a robust map/campaign creation suite. This give players the ability to create custom maps for multiplayer sessions, puzzles and even full fledged campaigns that are just as good or even better that what the developers have created. While players’ cant create their own over world, there are enough customization options in the games creation editor that some creative players are recreating maps from other games like Advance Wars and Fire Emblem. Its amazing to see what players are able to come up with using the same creation tools that the developers themselves used to make the game. Now I would love to go into further detail about how the creation suite works, however I’ve only messed around with the editor for a bit and. So if you would like to go deeper into how the map/campiagn editor works, I suggest to either check out this article from GamerCrate explaining more about the editor or watch the following video from GameXplain as they go through and show how to use it:
Awesome sprite work- As I mentioned in the Battle Princess Madelyn review, sprite based graphics are continuing to thrive through indie games. The sprite work for Wargroove is awesome looking, especially when in motion. Each of the sprite designs for the commanders look unique and very detailed. Unit sprites for the various factions are unique looking, matching their commanders’ faction, though the animation seems to be recycled. That’s not really much of a fault, just something fans of sprite work will notice. The environments also match up to each of the commanders’ homelands and each of them feel alive and lived in, again despite the same backgrounds being repeated. Like I said, even with today tech, sprite work is still very tedious to create and to those artists that create such artwork, keep up the great work.
End turn
Unit management can get overwhelming- The one thing that can get annoying very quickly in any turn-based tactics game is that unit management can get overwhelming very quickly, at least for me. As battles start to drag on, there will be time where players will have dozens of units on the battlefield at once. The same goes for the opposing commander, be it AI or human controlled. Trying to remember the positions of each unit, while also keep in mind the positions of enemy units feels stressful after a while as mental fatigue sets in. For those who have played these type of games before will be right at home in Wargoove. For those feel overwhelmed, just take it easy and go slow.
Nitpick: Sony not on board with cross-platform multiplayer/sharing- This is more of a nitpick than anything but it bears sharing. Earlier I mentioned that Wargroove has cross-platform multiplayer between the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC. With internet speeds getting faster, streaming services and digital download getting more popular and most games running on the same engine across all platforms its on, it make sense that no matter what platform that the game is on (using Wargroove as an example) that the developers of that game want to bring their player bases on each platform together. Microsoft and Nintendo have already started laid the foundation of cross-platform multiplayer with the release of Minecraft on the Switch, Fortnite, and now Wargroove. So far Sony is the only one not willing to open up to the idea of full cross-platform play. Their reasons range from that they want to keep their exclusives to themselves, that they can’t just flip a switch to its up to the developers. Whatever the case maybe, Sony is missing a big chance to cross platform lines to unit all gamers.
Wargroove has taken the formula that Advance Wars created many years ago and transformed it into something that is both new and familiar. New mechanics are added it to make the gameplay fresh. The commanders are very colorful and now can join the battlefield. The story is enjoyable with side missions that lets players get to know the commanders better. There are several modes that extend replayablity, from the single player arcade and puzzle modes to multiplayer both couch and online. Speaking of online multiplayer, now players can face others who have Wargroove on PC or Xbox One, which increases the amount of opponents that are aviable in matchmaking. And if players feel like they can make better maps or a better campaign, then Wargroove’s very robust customize creator will allow them to do just that and will let them share creations with other players on other platforms. And of course the sprite work in the game is awesome, with some really unique designs for the various units and commanders. However as a battle starts to linger, there will be several units, both yours and the enemy’s that you will have to keep an eye one. This can get overwhelming, especially on bigger maps, but after a few round you will get used to it. And as I mentioned as a nitpick, the PS4 version of Wargroove does not support cross-play with the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC versions, which is a shame. With that said, I highly recommend checking out Wargroove if you’re missing Advance Wars and want a turn-base tactical fix.
