Wargroove

 PC
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. RPG Fan
    Feb 27, 2019
    91
    Wargroove is one of the most charming, polished, and enjoyable turn-based strategy games ever made.
  2. Jeuxvideo.com
    Mar 27, 2019
    90
    Wargroove goes further than Advance Wars, with a map editor and a more permissive campaign. With a strong gameplay, neat animation and beautiful art, it’s difficult to find any true flaw to Wargroove.
  3. The Digital Fix
    Feb 22, 2019
    90
    With impressive tactical depth, a challenging campaign, an excellent multiplayer suite and an outrageously deep set of tools for user-generated content, Wargroove is one of the games of 2019 and is well worth a look - doubly so for Advance Wars veterans.
  5. GameSpew
    Feb 12, 2019
    90
    It packs in a challenging campaign, brought to life with characters that are hard not to love, but it’s the level editor that really sets WarGroove apart. If it’s your jam – like it is mine – then Wargroove offers literally endless potential. And even if level designing isn’t really your thing, it’s still a lot of fun to play around with.
  6. The Indie Game Website
    Feb 7, 2019
    90
    If you’ve been itching for something suitable to return to after waiting for a new, addictive strategy RPG in the past, you absolutely must get your hands on Chucklefish’s latest. Despite its strict adherence to classic mechanics, it’s a brilliant overall package that has just about everything you could want out of a spiritual successor to your favorite tactical RPG. It’s perfect for on-the-go play on Switch and feels right at home on PC. If you’re not convinced yet, we’re not sure you’re a true strategy RPG fan anyway.
  7. GameOver.gr
    Feb 22, 2019
    85
    If you longed for an Advance Wars sequel you can finally stop searching for it. WarGroove is a true spiritual successor, and even though it doesn’t take many changes with the formula it is nevertheless filled with charming and highly challenging (albeit fare) content.
  8. IGN
    Jan 30, 2019
    85
    Wargroove is the Advance Wars successor its long-neglected fans have been waiting for. It faithfully revives the tactics I loved that series for while putting plenty of its own spins on the concept. Campaign levels do have a tendency to go on longer than they should considering its lack of mid-match saving outside of being able to quit and pick back up where you were later. But when you add in its extra modes, loads of unlockables, and amazing level editor and it’s a game I’m excited to keep playing far past its campaign.
  9. The Games Machine
    Feb 22, 2019
    83
    Even without the precision and balance of its source of inspiration, Advance Wars, Wargroove still manages to offer an excellent strategic experience through a wide variety of modes.
  10. LevelUp
    Feb 11, 2019
    83
    Wargroove takes the best of Advance Wars and mix it with some new things that allows it to stand by itself. It is a genuinely fun game with its own personality.
  11. Gamersky
    Mar 25, 2019
    82
    A well-crafted strategy RPG just like the Advance Wars series.
  12. 4Players.de
    Feb 11, 2019
    82
    Charming turn based tactics mixing Advance Wars with Fire Emblem, offering a great campaign and exemplary multiplayer comfort including crossplay.
  13. PC Games
    Feb 8, 2019
    82
    Wargroove knows how to entice the player with a cute pixel art style, loveable characters, well written dialogue and a strategy experience that will satisfy newcomers as well as seasoned veterans. The story is simple, yet enjoyable ,and the editor - in which you can design you’re own campaigns –, whilst extensive, could be more enhanced on a technical level. A charming Indie-Strategy-Game that leaves room for improvement, but still manages to be a lot of fun.
  14. GameSpace
    Mar 18, 2020
    80
    For the fans of the admittedly niche genre of turn-based RPGs, Wargroove is quite a find considering its price and the amount of content it offers. If you have ever wanted to bask in nostalgia and step back into the waters of classic turn-based titles, Wargroove can offer you a trip back in time and a couple of dozen happy hours.
  15. RPG Site
    Mar 4, 2019
    80
    In this Advance Wars starved world, Wargroove is the sustenance that keeps fans going. It’s a charming and difficult game, and while Wargroove is not perfect, it’s a great strategy title that strategy and SRPG fans will get a lot of fun out of.
  16. IGN Japan
    Feb 20, 2019
    80
    Wargroove might not surprise, but it does a good job in reviving and refreshing a classic genre. If you’re curious about strategy games, this one has all the answers.
  17. Strategy Gamer
    Feb 4, 2019
    80
    Chucklefish have a proven record of publishing great games and making great games and Wargroove is no exception. If the modding community takes hold then I can see this becoming one of my new favourite tactics games. And if you’re a fan of Advance Wars, you owe it to yourself to check it out.
  18. Cultured Vultures
    Jan 31, 2019
    80
    The strategy is deep and challenging, leaving little room for error while also feeling fair and balanced even in the worst situations. The story will leave you wishing for something with actual depth, but the gameplay more than makes up for those deficits with meaningful choices and beautiful design.
  19. PC Gamer
    Jan 30, 2019
    78
    Brimming character and imagination, Wargroove occasionally loses its groove over long-winded core gameplay.
  20. RPGamer
    Aug 23, 2019
    70
    I’m an antisocial recluse and took no advantage of the features available by connecting to the Internet, but the presence of such things in addition to the core experience means Wargroove has an enormous amount of content. Even without going through all the internet-enabled content, this game has plenty of material to keep anyone interested in a tactical experience invested. It’s not a game in which every element is effective, especially for those who demand a powerful narrative, but Chucklefish has made something worth investigating for those thinking Nintendo has let Advance Wars sit around without a follow-up for too long.
  21. GamingTrend
    Feb 6, 2019
    70
    Wargroove has the confidence to stick to simple, familiar gameplay with a few twists, rather than try to wow you with its novelty. While its charming graphics might make it look cute, it offers a vicious challenge that gets a bit uneven at times. If you get into its slower pace and high difficulty, it also offers plenty of alternate game modes and custom campaign creation tools to extend the fun.
  22. PCGamesN
    Jan 30, 2019
    60
    Chucklefish's strategy tribute does nothing worse than Advance Wars, and little better - instead, it’s exactly what it needs to be to spiritually succeed. It’s small, in both character models and design ambition, but it’s probably going to be massive. Despicable.
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This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

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  1. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Jan 30, 2019
    Wargroove, on the other hand, is faithful to not just the spirit but the body of its inspiration, keeping both the pleasures and some pains of the old toy war game, pointedly refusing to change most of the basics, and instead simply adding extra layers: online multiplayer, map editing, a “puzzle” mode. It’s not so much a spiritual successor as it is a full-bodied recreation of the franchise, with skeleton horsemen instead of tanks. The impeccable Into The Breach already established itself as the true successor to Advance Wars, but I’m perfectly happy to have the old GameBoy cartridge more or less repackaged, even if some of the old dust is trapped in there with it.

Awards & Rankings

46
#46 Best PC Game of 2019
78
#78 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 61 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 61
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 61
  3. Negative: 19 out of 61
  1. lord_batman
    Mar 7, 2019
    0
    An Advance Wars clone that pales in comparison to the original game. The story is extremely bland and stupid, characters are meh and the unitsAn Advance Wars clone that pales in comparison to the original game. The story is extremely bland and stupid, characters are meh and the units are unbalanced. The **** AI (Which is extremely stupid) running away all the time will make you waste hours of your life over the course of the main campaign chasing it to complete the objectives. Don't waste your time on this, there are better games out there. It's basically a poor man's Advance Wars.… Full Review »
  2. Ughduty
    Feb 15, 2019
    3
    Most important: UNITS DO NOT GAIN EXPERIENCE!!!
    And they don't level up. Something even Advance Wars had. The two are therefore not really    Most important: UNITS DO NOT GAIN EXPERIENCE!!!
    And they don't level up. Something even Advance Wars had. The two are therefore not really comparable!

    The game is relatively shallow. It is more like a puzzle game. There is just not much room for strategy or tactics being the battles and maps are of a rather small scope and you do not have a lot of options with your units. Second the AI is dump as bread. The game still has some appeal but it's for sure no game you want to play for hours on end. It's a game I would advice to pick up when it is on sale for no more than 8€.

    Single-Player Score 0/10:
    If I would had to pay only 8€ for it I would give the game a score of 6/10 but because of the asking price of 16€ I can not advise anyone to buy it if you are only interested in the single player portion of the game. Therefore I give it a single player score of 0/10. If there were unit experience implemented I would give this portion of the game a 6/10.

    Multiplayer Score 6/10:
    The multiplayer experience is a bit better because you do at least have a human AI to cope with. Nevertheless the missing units gaining experience thing pulls down the fun with this too. If there were unit experience implemented I would give this portion of the game a 8/10.

    My overall score therefore is a 3/10.    … Full Review »
  3. Se7en717
    Feb 2, 2019
    9
    Finally a game where I can live my nostalgic childhood of games like Fire Emblem and Advance Wars. On top of the fact that maps can be createdFinally a game where I can live my nostalgic childhood of games like Fire Emblem and Advance Wars. On top of the fact that maps can be created and shared across PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. This game is also on PS4, but because of Sony's ruling, you cannot cross-play between the other consoles if you own it on that platform.

    GAME PLAY

    The game play is spectacular. It plays like Advance Wars but with a few differences. For example, instead of your commander issuing commands in the background, they actually fight with you on the battlefield and are pretty OP at that. You have to be careful though, if your commander dies, you lose. The map creator allows you to create skirmishes, campaigns, puzzle maps, and scenarios. Unlike other campaign editors, though, this game allows you to create your own cut scenes.

    SOUND

    The music is pretty good. I find myself repeating the melodies throughout battle.

    VISUALS

    The visuals are what you would expect from a Fire Emblem or Advance Wars game but to me, I find it scratching that nostalgic factor.

    Although, out of all of the good things this game has, I do however have a complaint here and there. You cannot save multiple games at the same time. You can exit and return to where you left off but that is it. This can be fixed in updates or mods in the future, though. You, also, cannot pick random AI or pick a difficulty for AI either for skirmishes. Again, this can be fixed in future updates or mods.

    Despite these couple of cons, I give this game a solid 9/10 or if I could, a 9.5/10. For $20 (with a %15 discount right now if you have Stardew Valley or Starbound on Steam), this game is a must have for anyone.    … Full Review »
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