With Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp bringing the beloved turn-based tactics series to a modern audience, many long-time fans have taken notice of the visual changes, character redesigns, and slight gameplay tweaks showcased in official footage—including the Nintendo Treehouse segments. In this analysis, we’ll break down what these design choices mean, how they compare to the originals, and where the reboot hits or misses.

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Unified Character Designs: A Dual Strike Direction

One of the first big questions from the footage is whether Re-Boot Camp would feature separate character designs for each game, as the original Advance Wars 1 and 2 did differ in style. The answer appears to be no. Instead, the game uses a single, unified set of character designs—largely inspired by Advance Wars: Dual Strike.

• Olaf, for example, adopts the brown-bearded, Russian-style winter hat look from Dual Strike, rather than his white-bearded, almost Santa Claus-like appearance from the Japanese version of AW1.
• Grit now sports a cowboy hat, a visual element that was exclusive to the Japanese versions in the past.
• Andy‘s new design loses some of the original charm that emphasized his youth and inexperience. His older design had oversized clothes and rolled-up sleeves, giving him a “rookie in over his head” look. The reboot smooths this out, presenting him more polished, and arguably less expressive.

Overall, the redesigns lean toward consistency and polish, but some subtle storytelling elements are lost in translation.

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Antagonist Design and Sonia’s Canon Background

The visual treatment of antagonists like Sturm (whose appearance differs wildly between AW1 and AW2) seems to follow the AW2 model, suggesting a preference for continuity and finality in design.

An interesting historical tidbit: Sonia was originally part of Orange Star in the Japanese release and wore a red uniform. In the Western versions, her color scheme changed to green and her backstory was altered. The reboot appears to follow the westernized version, but with other elements like Grit’s hat being retained from Japanese versions, we may see some hybridization.

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Animation & Cutscene Speed: A Step Backwards?

While the reboot adds some charming animation loops during CO dialogue and battle intro scenes, battle animations are noticeably slower than in the originals. Units take more time to roll into position, and CO Powers (like Nell’s luck boost or Hawk’s Black Wave) lack the snappy, high-impact delivery fans remember.

• Even in Treehouse footage, the host begins skipping animations early, which raises red flags about pacing.
• There are noticeable loading delays before battle cutscenes trigger.

These seemingly minor delays affect the game’s flow and may cause fatigue during longer play sessions.

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Graphical Overhaul: Aesthetics, Diversity, and Detail

The reboot brings a colorful, Saturday-morning-cartoon aesthetic. There are visual improvements, such as:

• Diverse infantry units with varying skin tones.
• Highly detailed battle backgrounds that reflect the map’s terrain (farms, cities, etc.).
• Accurate unit designs: What you see in cutscenes now matches what’s on the map.

However, this overhaul isn’t universally praised:

• Some units, like Blue Moon’s medium tanks, lack visual punch and don’t feel threatening.
• Certain animations, such as infantry salutes or placing flags, are stiff or awkward.
• Bomber movement in cutscenes appears goofy rather than sleek.

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UI and Visual Clarity Concerns

Some UI redesigns may unintentionally reduce clarity:

• The battle info window now features oversized icons and rounded edges, which may look slick but clutter the space.
• With unique unit sprites for each army now visible on the battlefield, new players might struggle to recognize unit types quickly, especially during hectic encounters.

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Dialogue, Player Identity, and Localization

One nostalgic element missing in Re-Boot Camp is the player’s role as an in-game strategist. In the original, characters like Andy and Nell would address the player directly, even thanking them in climactic moments.

In the reboot, this personalization appears to be removed or significantly reduced:

• Nell no longer references the player by name.
• Dialogue has been tweaked to speak only between COs, cutting out the “tactician” role the player once filled.

This shift, while minor on paper, affects immersion for those who cherished their subtle in-world presence.

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Environmental Design & Map Accuracy

Terrain translation from the original to the remake is mostly faithful, but some coastal tiles now have sharper, boxier edges rather than rounded coastlines. This could be a stylistic choice or a quicker implementation method, but it’s a small aesthetic departure worth noting.

On the plus side, the mission remakes are highly accurate. Early maps like “Tank Ops” and “Air Ace” mirror their original versions, both visually and structurally.

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Multiplayer, Features, and Wish List

So far, multiplayer details remain vague. Co-op on a single Switch seems confirmed, likely in pass-and-play fashion. What remains to be seen:

• Will there be online multiplayer?
• Can players share custom maps via Nintendo Online?
• Will coin-based unlocks for characters and maps return in full?

Some elements, like battle victory animations and unlockable battle maps, were skipped in the Treehouse demo, leaving fans to speculate.

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Conclusion: Faithful, But With Trade-offs

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp appears to be a respectful and mostly faithful modernization of the GBA classics. However, some trade-offs in pacing, tone, and charm may disappoint veterans. That said, the improvements in accessibility, visual variety, and animation will make the game more approachable for new players.

For longtime fans, the reboot may never quite replace the original. But it succeeds in introducing Advance Wars to a new generation—and with any luck, paves the way for future entries.

Stay tactical, and here’s hoping the series keeps advancing.