ADVANCE WARS 1+2: RE-BOOT CAMP

It might not have quite the charm of Link’s glossy reawakening, which held a similar spot at Nintendo’s last E3 showing in 2019, but we’re partial to this remake’s graphical style. Hard as it is not to miss the original’s chunky pixels, the new anime interstitials are perfectly suited to Advance Wars’ larger-than-life commanding officers, and turning the battles into a game of toy soldiers is a smart touch. It’s certainly preferable to the attempts made by Dark Conflict to push the series towards, well, darker conflicts. That was 2008, making this revival, which takes the campaigns of the two original Game Boy Advance titles and adds online multiplayer, very welcome. Not quite as welcome as a fresh instalment, but there’s a sense that waters are being tested. Turn-based strategy is back in vogue, after all, and Fire Emblem has had no difficulty winning new fans on Switch.