Army Men Advance: A Retro Tactical Gem for the GBA

Introduction The Army Men Advance game for the Game Boy Advance was a delightful entry in the classic Army Men series that brought tactical, strategic gameplay to Nintendo's flagship handheld. Released in 2002, it offered a fresh take on the iconic green plastic army men premise that many grew up with. This turn-based strategy title stands out for its charming visuals, expansive content, and well-executed mechanics that still hold up today as a must-play for retro gaming enthusiasts and strategy buffs alike.

The Battle for the Backyard

At its core, Army Men Advance follows the time-honored narrative of the longstanding Army Men series. You take control of the valiant Tan plastic army as they defend their turf – in this case, a suburban backyard – from the nefarious Green plastic forces. While the overarching story itself is simplistic, it sets the stage for the game's light-hearted tone and self-aware humor that pokes fun at classic war movie tropes. The writing doesn't take itself too seriously, but still manages to inject plenty of personality into the army men units under your command. Each battalion is led by colorful commanders with unique personalities that get fleshed out through sharp banter between missions. Sarge, your gruff drill instructor narrator, guides you through the basics while the brash but skilled Thumper Jones heads up your assault troops. Without spoiling too much, Army Men Advance spans a meaty 20 mission campaign that takes you from the backyard battleground to increasingly outlandish locations like an abandoned construction site, a bathroom sink, and even a kitchen oven. The stakes escalate as new threats like the sinister Tan Plastics emerge, keeping the story engaging despite its inherently campy premise.

Tactical Turn-Based Gameplay

Where Army Men Advance truly shines is in its addictive, turn-based gameplay that draws inspiration from classic tactical strategy games like Advance Wars. Each mission plays out on a grid-based map where you carefully maneuver your army units one turn at a time to attack enemy forces and capture objectives. The depth is impressive for a portable strategy title. You command a diverse range of unit types beyond standard infantry – from mobile long-range artillery and anti-air rocket units to hulking tanks and semi-trucks that can ram enemies. Employing combined arms tactics by coordinating your forces is essential to succeed, especially on the higher difficulty settings. Army Men Advance's gameplay systems have a surprising layer of complexity for their retro era. Units gain veterancy from surviving battles, unlocking stat upgrades. Low ammunition or health can be replenished by capturing ammo dumps or hospitals on the battlefield. Physics-based mechanics like line-of-sight and unit facing are critical considerations in positioning your units effectively. While the turn-based combat evokes the spirit of classic tactical games, Army Men Advance puts its own unique spin on the formula with environmental interaction mechanics. You can exploit battlefield objects as mobile cover or destroy them to open new paths. Units can enter structures, creating tense interior firefights over key buildings. The ability to accidentally bury your own units by demolishing a fort adds a hilarious level of chaos. With 4 difficulty settings plus bonus campaign modes unlocked after beating the game, Army Men Advance will severely test your mastery of combined arms tactics. The invitingly straightforward mechanics have shocking depth that even tactical veterans will appreciate. Multiplayer modes that let you duke it out against friends add excellent replay value.

Charming Retro Visuals and Sound

Much of Army Men Advance's charm stems from its lovingly crafted visual presentation that truly captures the essence of playing with green plastic army men as a child. The character models, animations, and environments are meticulously designed to emulate the look of a real-life backyard battleground through the lens of tiny action figures. The backdrops like kitchen counters, sandboxes, and decks are instantly recognizable and sell the sense of scale. Details like grass textures, cracked dirt, and twigs make environments surprisingly lifelike for a GBA title. The developers had a clear vision and executed it brilliantly. Army Men Advance's rousing score, with triumphant horns and militaristic drum lines, complements the on-screen action perfectly. The gravelly vocals of Sarge feel ripped straight from a classic war film. Weapon effects like pinging ricochets, thumping explosions, and whirring tank treads are mixed crisply. While primitive by today's standards, the audio hits all the right nostalgic notes. While adorably lo-fi, Army Men Advance's graphics and audio design contribute mightily to its coherent theming and immersive battlefield experience. It's a prime example of creatives making the most of limited hardware and bending technical constraints to their artistic advantage.

Enduring Entertainment Value

Looking back, it's easy to see why Army Men Advance garnered rave reviews and was considered one of the best Game Boy Advance games of its era. But unlike many retro hits, it has aged remarkably well thanks to its compelling gameplay loop of carefully planned tactical warfare contrasted with its self-aware, often humorous tone. For patient strategists seeking an underrated gem from the 32-bit era, Army Men Advance is an absolute must-play that belongs in every retro gamer's collection. Its gameplay stands toe-to-toe with other celebrated GBA strategy hits like the Advance Wars series. The vibrant, coherent art style and charming premise still hold up in an era of gritty modern military shooters. Whether indulging in nostalgic memories or discovering a unique tactical classic for the first time, Army Men Advance deserves recognition alongside Nintendo's heavy hitters on the Game Boy Advance. From its endlessly replayable campaign to varied bonus modes, this strategy game manages an impressive level of depth and longevity for a portable title.

Gameplay Highlights

While Army Men Advance's full campaign is dripping with content, a few standout missions exemplify the variety and ingenuity in its level design: Junkyard Assault - One of the earlier missions sees you infiltrating a maze-like junkyard with a small squad. Having to carefully scout with infantry while supporting them with artillery strikes from tanks stuck outside creates intense tension. Oven Ambush - Deep into the storyline, you must retake control of an active oven to turn the heat on enemy positions. Rapidly swapping units between hot and cold zones adds frantic micro-management to the usual tactical gameplay. Showdown at High Noon - The climactic final stage has you defending a sandbox from an all-out Tan blitz using all your veteran units and every trick in the book. Army Men Advance goes out with an epic bang. Reinforcements - In one bonus game mode, you start with a skeletal force and must capture supply lines to reinforce your paltry infantry with tanks, artillery, and more while holding strategic map points. Each mission brings new challenges that force you to leverage the full depth of Army Men Advance's mechanics in novel ways. The variety keeps the gameplay loop feeling fresh throughout the lengthy campaign.

Helpful Gameplay Tips

While Army Men Advance's mechanics gel together beautifully, the learning curve can prove brutal for newcomers. Here are some essential tips to help enhance your battlefield tactics: • Don't underestimate how powerful suppressive fire is – pinning enemies in place opens opportunities for maneuver or escape • Conserve veteran units and cycle in fresh recruits to avoid losing hard-earned experience • Exploit line of sight rules by shooting from corners or elevated perches • Explosives and grenade launchers can blow apart cover points and create new lines of fire • Capture ammo dumps quickly to resupply forces before major offensives • Set up crossfire areas using overlapping fields of fire to trap and eliminate enemies • Watch for friendly fire! Errant shots and explosions can take out your own forces • Use mobile cover like sandbags and trucks to form moving firing lines With these strategies and a keen appreciation for combined arms maneuvers, even green recruits can prevail against the toughest GBA missions.

The Lasting Impact of Army Men Advance

While clearly inspired by genre classics, Army Men Advance was innovative and influential in its own right. Its turn-based combat system with immersive environmental destruction was a precursor to franchises like the Battleground series. Beyond gameplay, Army Men Advance's distinctive artistic direction and tongue-in-cheek premise paved the way for stylized war games like World of Tanks or Toy Soldiers. It proved that military strategy games didn't have to be grounded in gritty realism to resonate. In retrospect, Army Men Advance was a boundary-pushing outlier that pushed the humble Game Boy Advance to its creative limits. Its vibrant worlds and lengthy campaign rivaled contemporary home console offerings. For many nostalgic gamers, it represented the height of the iconic Army Men franchise. Even today's top strategy games could still take cues from Army Men Advance's focused design pillars - like approachable mechanics with nuanced depth, immersive but lighthearted theming, and a content-packed campaign with incredible replay value.

Where to Play Army Men Advance Today

For those inspired to experience this cult classic for themselves, Army Men Advance is still readily accessible on original GBA hardware and modern emulators. While it sadly never received any official digital re-releases, even second-hand cartridges remain very affordable. Due to its status as a critically-acclaimed fan favorite, Army Men Advance is the type of underrated gem that retro gaming collectors and curators have preserved and documented extensively online. Players can easily find fansites with comprehensive digital guides, walkthroughs, and behind-the-scenes trivia. In an exciting development, a full-on Army Men Advance remake from passionate fan developers has even been in the works for over a decade. With its dedicated community, this tactical masterpiece will likely find new life and relevancy for modern gamers.

Conclusion

Even nearly 20 years after its initial release, Army Men Advance continues to reverberate through the retro gaming community as a must-play cult classic. At its heart, it shows the incredible artistic and technical heights that humble handheld hardware could reach. Intelligent Systems, the developer behind games like Fire Emblem and Advance Wars, packed an incredible amount of depth into this overlooked gem. The immersive campaign, gorgeous art style, and satisfying tactical gameplay make Army Men Advance feel like a true passion project. While many contemporary portable games aimed to streamline experiences for short bursts of play, Army Men Advance resisted that trend in favor of a generous helping of meaty strategic content. This retro GBA title remains a shining example of gameplay prioritized over graphical flash. Whether you cut your teeth on the game back in the early 2000s or have yet to experience its delightful brand of strategic mayhem, Army Men Advance is truly a timeless must-play for fans of the tactics genre, retro gaming, or addictive gameplay loops in general. This cult classic stands tall as one of the most underrated and utterly unique titles from the 32-bit era.