I’m one of those weirdos who still has their DS by the bedside or in a drawer in their desk. Sometimes you just want to play Advance Wars. This year has been fantastic for fans of the turn-based strategy genre, particularly from that early 00s era of handhelds. Almost closing out this year is Chucklefish and Robotality’s Wargroove 2. Okay, we’re a couple of months away, but it isn’t like an Advance Wars 3 is going to release in December. The point is that the sequel to the fantastic successor of that genre is out and proves to be a continuation of its prior success.

Set once again on the continent of Aurania, you play as the new faction of anthropomorphized creatures such as rabbits and mice called Faahri. As the furry-faced intruders, you research/steal Cacophony artifacts from a previous apocalyptic war. Buried in tombs following war thousands of years ago, these weapons have untold powers to bring about destruction. The last war it was used in turned a bit apocalyptic after all. It is at this point you look at yourself like Mitchell and Webb and ask, “Are we the baddies?”

You aren’t wearing the hats, but if you use the German translation, you are at least speaking German. So while being “evil™” you (playing as commander Lytra) attempt to become friends with the rest of the force. For the love of god, it is the bit of the story that feels like pulling teeth. It is mostly the prologue in which that happens, but the somewhat bloated writing trying desperately to world-build this grand war between factions on the horizon maintains throughout, and it doesn’t feel snappy. As a partially voiced story with lots of text box exposition before, during, and after battles, it can be tiring.

As I’ve said before, stylized/pixel-based fonts can be tiring for me as a dyslexic. That’s why it is surprising to find that the accessibility of Wargroove 2 (at the time of review) is rather meager. Days before release, a photosensitivity option was added to disable weather effects. Beyond that, there is a color-blind mode and an option to enable/disable vibrations. If you have trouble reading pixel-based text that sometimes animates (wavey) or highlights plot devices in specific colors to provide emphasis, suck eggs, I guess?

Gameplay is the tried and tested “No, after you” strategy style of turn-based combat. Each side moves all their chess pieces and attacks, while the others just have to sit and wait. There are a couple of differences we’ll get into, but Wargroove 2 continues what I’ve loved about its predecessor and this style overall. You don’t have to sit through everything. Within the options, you can ask for the combat animations to only show for commanders, only your side, never at all, or always for all. There is also a fast-movement option so we don’t waste time boring me to death.

This takes place on colorful and interesting maps with various attributes to either the unit that you have in the fight or the tile they stand on. Archers on higher ground (for example) will find it easier not only to defend but also to attack, while melee fighters in marshy river banks will struggle to defend themselves. Though “higher ground” might not best describe some fights, as you are sometimes fighting above or below it too. Alongside the Faahri, the new adventure introduces/reintroduces Nadia and Wulfar, as they command their squad of pirates to plunder the isles surrounding Aurania.

Wargroove 2 also features something I abhor about turn-based titles and their stories. At some points throughout your time, there are maps with “exploration” before the action kicks in or more plot is hammered in. During this exploration, you’ll move around and talk to those within the party and possibly find a chest that will contain lore to fill out your codex. Eventually, the conversation triggers the next portion of the gameplay. What really annoys me about any game that does this is that your movement is restricted to however far you move in combat, so if you have to cross the whole map, it takes a while.

Restricted movement makes sense in combat when you swap turns. When you are clicking constantly or fiddling with Xbox controller movement, it feels clunky and like it is wasting time. I know, it is the most minor of grievances to have, especially when it is often standard for the downtime during some turn-based titles or RPGs of a similar vein. Nonetheless, it feels like clutter based on restrictions of previous generations of gaming that could be fixed with a tiny bit of code. Wargroove (as a series) does a lot to make combat feel constantly refreshing, but this is a portion that feels dusty and old.

Split into five campaigns, you’ll command different units with similar but distinct gameplay loops. You still do all the usual grid-based movement and attacks, but using the pirates as an example, you’ll use boats and water a lot more than you will when playing as the Faahri. This is alongside each commander’s somewhat unique special attacks which are called Grooves. Unlike the previous game, your Grooves stack into a multiple of 2. Wulfar, for example, has to over-exaggerate that they are Scottish, and thus “Tee Off” makes their hammer into a golf bat.

It seems that the second tier of each commander’s Grooves deals more damage or possibly in the case of the very weaselly Pistil of the Faahri, has a larger area of effect. The honest truth is that it is difficult to spot the difference as you rarely get the chance to charge to the second tier in a number of battles. It is possible that I just used Grooves a lot to get myself out of poor strategy. The point is that despite all allies being on the same side and only being a small part of the battle, your commanders offer something unique even within the party they are fighting in. Though you’ll churn out standard units for fodder, these 22 commanders have a variety of attacks to look at.

It is a shame that not all of them have a large variety of lines for their short time speaking, though at the very least it provides a reason for the volume slider. Orla, Errol, and Wulfar’s exaggerated Scottish accents (only 1 is by a Scottish actor) stressing/rolling the Rs will never stop being annoying after expunging that from myself. Given it is a word or two whenever stress is put on seemingly arbitrary sentences, you’ll get sick of something quickly enough, mostly Lytra’s “WOW.” It is only one step removed from a 10-hour loop of Owen Wilson doing exactly that.

My negativity is with the little things. Wargroove 2 is brilliant in continuing what was previously there with a few tweaks. Those who might not have cared for the plot from the original aren’t going to be excited by the constant interruptions of gameplay for idle chats. However, there is something new for gameplay-loving freaks. The new Conquest mode offers very short battles (2 turns early on), that let you play in a Roguelike manner if you just want some gameplay to fill your time. Or you could play with the new custom maps since their creation suite has been improved from last time.

While Wargroove 2 isn’t reinventing the wheel, there certainly is a lot of tread left on this metaphorical tire. Though to say Wargroove 2 exceeds its predecessor might be a stretch, as in broad strokes it is more of the same. It is refreshing in parts and aimed at those with a desire to find out more details on the land of Aurania, but it doesn’t breathe a whole new life into the genre entirely. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get yet another sequel in years to come that possibly expands a lot further, similar to the Burnout way of doing sequels. For now, we’re in that Burnout 2 phase.

Ultimately another delightful turn-based strategy with the Wargroove war paint all over it, Wargroove 2 does enough to satisfy fans of the series and the genre as a whole. Sadly though, it isn’t a great jumping on point. I might disagree with the sledgehammer used to tell the story, especially the portions about the power of friendship, but after a while, you’ll probably enjoy something from it.

Maybe I’m just old and like quoting an even older man when he said, “This is banter, I’m against banter.” However if there is one thing I am not against at all, it has to be beautiful and energetic turn-based strategy which Wargroove 2 is through and through.

A PC review copy of Wargroove 2 was provided by Chucklefish for this review.

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Wargroove 2

$19.99

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• The same fantastic gameplay you love with minor refinements.
• Look at that art, it is beautiful!
• An interesting use of pronouns.

Cons

• Accessibility? I've never heard of her.
• The hammers used to tell the plot.