October 5th 2023.
Wargroove 2 – the mice are cute but misguided
The fantasy homage to Advance Wars gets a sequel with a new faction, three new campaigns, and an entirely new roguelike mode. It's been years since Advance Wars has been around and Nintendo has not hinted at any further plans for the franchise. This made Wargroove, a blatant clone of the classic series, a breath of fresh air for fans of the beloved strategy game.
The sequel, Wargroove 2, brings a lot of content and an endearing desire to please. The story picks up with a new faction of anthropomorphic mice who recklessly search for hidden magical weapons, stirring up a new wave of trouble. The plot isn't particularly deep but it's interesting to start playing as the bad guys, even if they're not moustache-twirling villains.
Unfortunately, the pixel art still isn't great, and there are multiple unit types with different names depending on the faction, making it difficult to distinguish between them. There are also similarities between the factions, including in terms of their commanders, which can make it hard to tell them apart.
The basics of the game, which involve taking turns to move and perform an action across a grid-based map, can be picked up in moments. But there are intricacies to learn with the different factions and unit types, such as healers and anti-air characters. Wargroove 2 makes the initial story campaign easier for novices and blocks off maps to make them as small as possible.
The biggest new addition is the Conquest mode, a completely separate roguelike game using the same units and gameplay, similar to a procedurally-generated Fire Emblem. There are also some welcome new features, such as being able to equip ordinary units with unique weapons or equipment to make them stronger.
The new map editor is also a great addition, allowing players to create their own campaigns with cut scenes. It's more powerful and easier to use, and you can create something quite professional-looking surprisingly quickly.
Overall, Wargroove 2 is a solid sequel to one of the best indie strategy games around. Despite a relative lack of new features, it's still an enjoyable experience with plenty of content and talking mice people.
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