If you have been wondering why Nintendo has not done anything with the “Wars” series of games since the Nintendo DS you are not alone! As the people at Chucklefish (you probably know them from the great science fiction sandbox Starbound) have clearly been wondering the same thing. That is evident in their awesome love letter to the series, Wargroove.
How to Download Wargroove
Wargroove can be downloaded from Steam. You can also obtain the official game soundtrack separately or bundled with the game for a lower price than if you purchased those two items separately.
The Game Review
Wargroove is a turn-based tactics game and it has more personality that you can handle! It has a retro style when it comes to its presentation. Despite this not being an original art style these days it is so clean, clear and clever that it stands out from all the other games that try to look like a Super Nintendo game.
As you would expect from a turn-based tactics game and especially one that is modeled after the Wars series. You are on a decent sized map and you need to navigate the map and try to take down your opponent in the most awesome way possible. Wargroove manages to walk that fine line between being a solid challenge and also a lot of fun.
Wargroove has a pretty solid campaign. You get to pick from one of many different commanders, each one of which has their own take on the story and their own motivations. The campaign has a story, but it is not exactly in depth, but it does have its charms. The basics are there are four distinct factions in the land of Aurania and something has to give.
The campaign will keep you very busy and it is fun, but some of the missions can take upwards of an hour. This is not a horrible thing you are thinking I am sure, but there is no way to save mid-battle. This means if you lose at the end of a grueling one hour battle it can feel more frustrating than anything else.
Thankfully there is a clever difficulty system that goes way beyond just easy, normal and hard. It really lets you get in deep and tinker with the settings so that you can give yourself the best chance possible of winning. On the flip side of this, you can also make the battles much harder for yourself too.
The arcade mode though is where it is really at. Here you can pick any commander you like and take on a series of missions (five) which are put together with a little bit of story. Here the maps are smaller and the battles take 30 minutes tops. This is so addictive and the fact that you have all kinds of crazy troops in battles ranging from pikemen to a gang of puppies makes you smile the whole time you are playing.
Another mode that Wargroove has is puzzle mode. This one I did not get super into if I am honest, but it is a solid addition to the game. You are put into a battle already in progress and you only have one turn (maybe more) to do a certain objective. This is a pretty good idea and a mode I am sure many people will get into when they have beaten the campaign and played arcade mode to death.
Then there is the editor! This is insane with the sheer amount of detail you can get into. You can craft your very own campaign complete with story and even cut scenes. This is very well done and if you are proud of your work you can share it with the other players online
Speaking of online, Wargroove allows cross platform play on the Xbox, Nintendo Switch and the PC. This is awesome and it also means that you will have no trouble finding a game. There is also local co-op here, but clearly, the attention went into the very solid online that it has.
Wargroove is a fantastic game and honestly, I feel that Nintendo would struggle to top this if they were to release a new game in their Wars series. The fantasy setting, the 16-bit graphics, the awesome personality, and the fun gameplay make this a game that is sure to be on many people’s top list by the end of the year.
