Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
2008
- strategy
- turn-based strategy (tbs)
- warfare
- single player
The story
Days of Ruin takes place in an entirely new world where a large-scale meteor shower triggered massive global destruction that eradicated 90 percent of the population. After the catastrophe, the survivors have formed together into militaristic bands that are warring over the last remaining scraps of civilization. You'll take control of Will, a young military cadet (whose hair is admittedly just a little spiky) who quickly becomes embroiled in the conflict at the outset of the game.
What it’s like
Bright, chunky pixel-sprite maps seen from a high angle, with a grid of hexes and tiny vehicles that stay crisp even when the battlefield is crowded, while the cutaway story scenes shift to hand-drawn anime portraits against flat, dusty backdrops of ash-grey skies and broken cityscapes. The palette is sun-bleached and sooty, with orange fire and muted olive drab doing most of the work. Sound is a brisk, cheerful military march with trumpet-led fanfares and a clicking, bouncing rhythm for turn changes, so the apocalypse feels more brisk than bleak. Each turn is a deliberate puzzle: you move units, weigh terrain and fuel, and watch the enemy respond, which makes this a settle-in-and-think game for long evenings rather than a twitch-reflex one. Its tone is earnest and warm-hearted despite the ruin, with a young cadet's loyalty and a cast of gruff commanders carrying the story, and the arc follows a bright newcomer learning hard lessons about the cost of war. Violence is cartoonish and bloodless: explosions, fallen soldiers and wrecked tanks, with no gore and little menace beyond stakes on the map. Good for strategy fans who want a thoughtful, low-gore campaign with a friendly, slightly goofy heart.
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