Veteran fans of the Advance Wars series still get the addictive game play and endless hours of strategic scenarios with new additions and a boosted storyline. Just like the three previous Advance War installments (two on the GameBoy Advance and Dual Strike on the Nintendo DS), this quality title remains highly challenging (think of chess/checkers…times 100). Familiar characters are wiped away along with the rest of the world in a darker themed installment.

Venerable characters Max, Andy and Sami are absent here. Instead an apocalyptic event storyline meshes with survivors with varying alliances in the Rubinelle and Lauran armies. This game also eliminates the characteristic Commanding Officer Powers of Max, Andy and Sami. No Neo/high powered tanks, increased repair abilities or accelerated base/HQ-capturing capabilities in a deep campaign. Players can even get off the beaten path and test their skills in the trial maps on the way to overall victory. The campaign still has the familiar format with some nice storyline twists beyond the basic good vs. evil scenario (or, in this case, ravenous vs. benevolent).

The boosted storyline includes COs Will (“an innocent kid”), the seasoned Brenner and opportunistic Lin. These characters exist more for story than for the war battles, mainly due to the reduced CO power. Isabella, a mysterious girl who seems to know vital military secrets, and top gun pilot Waylon (one of the most difficult campaign levels) also factor in.

This game also features three new vehicles. The bike, a motorcycle with sidecar, which gives a nice feel of throw back military time, even hints of Mad Max (check out the character named Beast). These long distance travelers are great from capturing bases. The duster planes can attack air and ground while the Anti-tank has indirect and direct battle capabilities. Players expect more primitive weapons, especially if there’s lots of dust (maybe the sand storms introduced in Dual Strike was the brain child behind the theme).

CO powers take a back seat in this adventure. A more realistic approach that makes the power even more special because it’s rare. COs can travel in vehicles from HQ or unit producing buildings. Any vehicles carrying a CO increases the offensive and defensive power of the vehicle and surrounding vehicles within a certain range. The CO gauge fills as you succeed, providing a very useful bonus, especially in the campaign mode. All offensive units get an individual rating as well. As each unit defeats another, it levels up (to a maximum of three). A unit containing a CO automatically gets the highest level. The trial maps are a great way to master the helpful CO powers, plus you have easy access the brief field tutorials when pausing in battle mode.

As if the game wasn’t hard enough, Fog of War moves to the forefront. Again, this element matches the theme well (lots of dust settling around the world). Flares help the situation, but you’ll likely still run into ambushes, which basically skip your turn. Stick to the woods, reefs or other hiding places to keep your units concealed on land and in the sea. Players can see hidden units when directly next to them, but those pesky ambushes quickly become a common event. Nooo!