When Wargroove first arrived in early 2019, many were quick to compare it to Advance Wars. In a sense, there was merit to it. A turn-based tactical game with a powerful hero commanding a series of smaller units? Heavy rock-scissors-paper elements a la Pokemon? It’s definitely something seen before, but Wargroove manages to do a great job standing on their own two feet.
Developed by Chucklefish of Starbound and Stardew Valley fame, it features a campaign where the central hero Mercia, a recently-crowned queen, must go on the run after her dad is murdered by an evil villain in an attempt to gain total control of the land. Along the way she’ll meet all sorts of friends (and enemies) which she tries to reclaim her throne. It’s not the most novel idea, but it certainly plays out well.
All units have different strengths and weaknesses, such as dogs having greater eyesight but low attack power, archers having great attack distance but being weak up close, catapults that and hit hard and far, but are utterly useless at short range, and wagons that can quickly carry units long distances, but have no offensive capabilities themselves.
It’s up to the player to learn the ins-and-outs of their units so they’re best able to secure victory. Wargroove is challenging and the tactical elements require a great deal of planning, but it makes victory all the sweeter when it’s secured.
A big part of the game’s success is the ability to create your own maps and campaign’s in the game’s editor, letting you make your own stories and share them with the world. Add buildings and units, form the narrative, and watch your own customized story unfold right before your eyes.
It doesn’t exactly have the polish and bells-and-whistles of say, RPG Maker, but it works well for what it is; you can make a story funny, romantic, dramatic, the world is your Cherrystone. But the bigger news is the spread of Wargroove.
The game will be seeing a PS4 release on July 23rd. Excellent news for owners of the console who were drawn in by the allure but unable to play it, they’ll so be able to.
It’s unknown what, if any, changes will be coming to the PS4 edition, or if it supports crossplay, but any further information can be found on their twitter account. Until next time, stay and play savvy, gamers.
