Advance Wars 2 - Black Hole Rising
Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising is a turn-based strategy game about coordinating infantry, vehicles, aircraft and naval units on grid-based battlefields. Capturing properties funds new deployments, while terrain, supplies and commanding officers shape tactical decisions. The campaign is joined by configurable battles, a map editor, same-system turn-taking and Game Boy Advance link play.
- AI score · out of 10
- 9.0 / 10
About this game
Battles unfold through alternating turns on square-grid maps. Players move units and issue orders to attack, capture properties, transport troops or hold position. Victory may require routing an opposing army, capturing its headquarters or meeting a particular map objective. Direct and indirect attacks have different movement and range restrictions, making the arrangement of a fighting force as important as its raw strength. Properties connect battlefield control to the economy. Captured cities and facilities generate funds, while bases, airports and ports deploy the corresponding unit types. Fuel, ammunition and damage limit how long a unit can remain effective. Supply vehicles, repairs, transport operations and joining damaged units support an army over successive turns. Maps using fog of war add the problem of discovering threats before committing forces. The campaign uses an overview map to select missions. Commanding officers differ in their effects on units and can activate normal or Super CO Powers after building the required meter. Separate battles allow rule adjustments, and the Design Room lets players arrange terrain, properties and units to save original maps. The GBA release supports up to four players taking turns on one system, alongside linked Single-Pak and Multi-Pak modes. Single-Pak play uses preset maps and rules; Multi-Pak play requires a cartridge for each participant and also supports exchanging original maps. Ordinary battles can be saved from the map menu, but the manual explicitly excludes Link mode from saving.
Collected in series
Advance Wars puts you in charge of a miniature army, moving tanks, infantry and aircraft one turn at a time. Capturing towns pays for reinforcements, while terrain and unit matchups turn each map into a tactical puzzle. Later campaigns add new fronts and a harsher vision of war.
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AI review
AI reviews are subjective assessments, not player ratings. See each review for its evidence and limitations.Published date:
Rewarding decisions backed by a meaningful learning curve
Advance Wars 2 - Black Hole Rising centers on resource planning, unit control, and tactical judgment, and turn-based tactical decisions. Successive missions add rules, map constraints, and tougher opposition, giving the handheld release a recognizable rhythm and a clear set of player goals. Map information, unit states, and action feedback determine readability, and the best parts connect readable objectives with steady mechanical feedback. Brief tutorials, dense menus, and long scenarios increase the learning curve, which is the main reason the original cartridge can feel less approachable today. This GameNavo assessment uses the release description, classification, media record, and retained source evidence. It does not import user ratings, press aggregates, emulator conveniences, or features belonging to console versions and later remakes.
Strengths
- The central loop connects resource planning, unit control, and tactical judgment, and turn-based tactical decisions with readable goals.
- Progress has a clear structure and introduces recognizable stage or system changes.
- Presentation supports the rules with useful visual and audio feedback.
Weaknesses
- Brief tutorials, dense menus, and long scenarios increase the learning curve.
- The original GBA release lacks modern conveniences such as rewind, save states, and expanded tutorials.
Who it is for: Players who enjoy strategy games, accept period-specific handheld controls, and want to understand the original release on its own terms.
Play notes: This assessment is based on documented release evidence rather than a full playthrough; language, link hardware, and cartridge save condition may affect use.
View scoring basis
| Dimension | Review state | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension The content-and-pacing score weighs progression, repetition, recovery after failure, and meaningful replay value. The judgment is specific to this release and does not reward a longer description or a larger media library. | Reviewed | 9.0 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension The core-experience score evaluates the rules, control feedback, and room for mastery in this specific GBA release. It excludes title recognition, source volume, asset count, URL-derived values, and external review averages. | Reviewed | 9.2 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension The presentation score considers the actual GBA visuals, sound, readability, atmosphere, and narrative expression. Hardware-aware strengths receive credit, while limitations of this release remain part of the result. | Reviewed | 8.7 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension The technical-usability score covers responsiveness, interface clarity, saving, language barriers, and accessory requirements. Emulator conveniences are not credited to the original release, and release-specific friction remains reflected in the score. | Reviewed | 8.9 / 10 | Not provided |
Review sources
Not provided
Core information
- Developer
- Intelligent Systems
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Release date
- 2003
- Platforms
- Game Boy Advance
- Content kind
- Game
- Release state
- Released
- Region
- Worldwide
- Official website
- Not provided
- Offline minimum players
- Not provided
- Offline maximum players
- Not provided
- Online minimum players
- Not provided
- Online maximum players
- Not provided
- Categories
- Strategy & Tactics · Primary genre
- Tags
- Command-based CombatSteep Learning CurveResource ManagementLong-term ProgressionTurn-based Combat2D GraphicsSlow BurnTurn-based TacticsPlayer versus PlayerTop-downSolo-friendlyWarReplayable
- Supported game languages
- Not provided
- Requires base game
- Not provided
- Standalone
- Not provided
- Age ratings
- Not provided
- Play modes
- Single playerMultiplayer
- Perspectives
- Top-down
Release editions
- Game Boy AdvanceWorldwide2003
- Wii UWorldwide2014
Game gallery
Sources
Not provided