Advance Wars 2 : Black Hole Rising Overview
Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising is a turn-based strategy game where players command armies on grid-based maps. The conflict involves defending the nations of Macro Land from a renewed invasion by the Black Hole Army, led by Sturm. Players control forces from Orange Star, Blue Moon, Green Earth, and Yellow Comet across a campaign structured around these different factions.
Commanding Officers provide unique modifiers to units, such as improved movement or attack, and can activate special powers that affect the entire battlefield. These powers, which include launching missile strikes or granting extra movement, are earned during combat and can alter a battle's momentum. The game's challenge comes from managing a combined-arms roster of infantry, tanks, ships, and aircraft, each with distinct roles and a rock-paper-scissors style of effectiveness.
Strategic depth is further increased by environmental factors like terrain, weather, and fog of war. Players must also manage logistics, using infantry to capture cities and bases to generate income for deploying heavier units. New elements compared to the first game include the Neotank and Black Hole defensive structures like laser turrets, which create additional mission objectives and hazards.
Outside the campaign, the game offers a Versus Mode for up to four players and a War Room with scored challenge maps. A map editor is included for creating and sharing custom battlefields for use in multiplayer matches.
