Game Boy Wars
Encyclopedia
is a turn-based war simulator
produced by Nintendo
and Intelligent Systems
that was released for the Game Boy
in Japan
only in . It is a portable follow-up to the Family Computer
war simulator Famicom Wars
, making it the second game in Nintendo's Wars series. A series of sequels to the original Game Boy Wars were produced by Hudson Soft
The player and their opponent (the CPU or another player) take turns (or phases) in moving their army, which can deploy up to 50 units. Each of the units can be given an order, such as attacking enemy units, assisting friendly units, or conquering. Units can be land, sea, or air units, and can be deployed from near the player's capital using funds obtained from any of the player's properties. Land units can be sent out from cities or factories, air units from airports, and vessels from harbors. There are 24 different kinds of units that can be deployed by both armies.
instead of Nintendo
and Intelligent Systems
.
support.
An alternate version of Game Boy Wars Turbo was released as a promotional giveaway by Weekly Famitsu
featuring a set of maps submitted by readers of the magazine.
and Game Boy Color
. The CPU's decision-making algorithm has once again been improved and the game now displays which spaces the player can move into or attack when they're moving a unit, allowing for clearer decision making process for the player. There are 54 new maps in Game Boy Wars 2.
. The working title during the game's development was Game Boy Wars Pocket Tactics during development.
The gameplay of Game Boy Wars 3 is a departure from the previous Game Boy Wars titles, being modeled after the Nectaris
series of war simulators that were also produced by Hudson. For example, indirect attack units can now move and attack at the same time in one turn. In contrast to the previous Game Boy Wars titles, having the required fund is not enough to produce certain units. The player must provide construction materials to the factories and cities as well. To do that, the player must deploy construction units to these sites and built the materials. These construction units can be used to cut down trees and create roads.
Game Boy Wars 3 features a Beginner Mode, which gives the player a 16-part tutorial on how to play the game, as well as a Standard Mode in which the player can fight against the CPU or another player in one of 60 maps. There's also a Campaign Mode in which the player must fight through over 45 different maps that are dictated by a storyline, which has several branching points determined by the player's performance. A feature exclusive in the Campaign Mode is the ability to redeploy surviving units from a previous battle into the next one. Units gain experience points through combat, allowing them to be promoted from one of five ranks (D, C, B, A, and S), increasing their strength. Units who reach an S rank can be transformed into a new type of unit.
listed the Game Boy Wars series as one of the titles they want in the 3DS Virtual Console
.
Japanese fansites
Wargame (video games)
Wargames are a subgenre of strategy video games that emphasize strategic or tactical warfare on a map, as well as historical accuracy.-History:The genre of wargame video games is derived from earlier forms of wargames...
produced by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
and Intelligent Systems
Intelligent Systems
is a Japanese first-party video game developer and internal team of Nintendo Co., Ltd. It has its headquarters in the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture....
that was released for the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
only in . It is a portable follow-up to the Family Computer
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
war simulator Famicom Wars
Famicom Wars
is a turn-based tactics military game. Produced by Nintendo, it was released on August 12, 1988 for the Family Computer in Japan and later re-released on the Wii Virtual Console on May 19, 2009. It is the first game in the Wars series.-Gameplay:...
, making it the second game in Nintendo's Wars series. A series of sequels to the original Game Boy Wars were produced by Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
Gameplay
Two countries, Red Star and White Moon, are warring against each other. The player takes control of either forces on hexagonal maps with square tiles. As the commander, the player must direct his or her forces to either destroy all of the enemy forces or capture the enemy's capital city. In pursuit of this goal, the player attempts to take control of the cities, factories, airports, and harbors on each map. There are a total of 36 maps in the game.The player and their opponent (the CPU or another player) take turns (or phases) in moving their army, which can deploy up to 50 units. Each of the units can be given an order, such as attacking enemy units, assisting friendly units, or conquering. Units can be land, sea, or air units, and can be deployed from near the player's capital using funds obtained from any of the player's properties. Land units can be sent out from cities or factories, air units from airports, and vessels from harbors. There are 24 different kinds of units that can be deployed by both armies.
Sequels
A series of sequels to the original Game Boy Wars were later published several years after the original game was released. These sequels were developed and published by Hudson SoftHudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
instead of Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
and Intelligent Systems
Intelligent Systems
is a Japanese first-party video game developer and internal team of Nintendo Co., Ltd. It has its headquarters in the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture....
.
Game Boy Wars Turbo
Game Boy Wars Turbo is an enhanced version of the original Game Boy Wars that was released on June 27, . The main new feature in Game Boy Wars Turbo is that the CPU now has a better decision-making algorithm during its turns, allowing battles to proceed swifter than in the original. Turbo also features 50 new maps, as well as Super Game BoySuper Game Boy
The is a 16-bit adapter cartridge for Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainment System, as well as the Super Famicom in Japan. The Super Game Boy allows game cartridges designed for use on the Game Boy to be played on a TV display using the SNES/Super Famicom controllers. When it was released in...
support.
An alternate version of Game Boy Wars Turbo was released as a promotional giveaway by Weekly Famitsu
Famitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
featuring a set of maps submitted by readers of the magazine.
Game Boy Wars 2
Game Boy Wars 2, the second of the Game Boy Wars sequels by Hudson Soft, was released on November 20, . It features support for the Super Game BoySuper Game Boy
The is a 16-bit adapter cartridge for Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainment System, as well as the Super Famicom in Japan. The Super Game Boy allows game cartridges designed for use on the Game Boy to be played on a TV display using the SNES/Super Famicom controllers. When it was released in...
and Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
. The CPU's decision-making algorithm has once again been improved and the game now displays which spaces the player can move into or attack when they're moving a unit, allowing for clearer decision making process for the player. There are 54 new maps in Game Boy Wars 2.
Game Boy Wars 3
Game Boy Wars 3, the third and final Game Boy Wars sequel produced by Hudson, was released on August 30, exclusively for the Game Boy ColorGame Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
. The working title during the game's development was Game Boy Wars Pocket Tactics during development.
The gameplay of Game Boy Wars 3 is a departure from the previous Game Boy Wars titles, being modeled after the Nectaris
Nectaris
Nectaris, occasionally released as Military Madness, is a series of sci-fi-themed, hex map turn-based strategy games for a variety of systems...
series of war simulators that were also produced by Hudson. For example, indirect attack units can now move and attack at the same time in one turn. In contrast to the previous Game Boy Wars titles, having the required fund is not enough to produce certain units. The player must provide construction materials to the factories and cities as well. To do that, the player must deploy construction units to these sites and built the materials. These construction units can be used to cut down trees and create roads.
Game Boy Wars 3 features a Beginner Mode, which gives the player a 16-part tutorial on how to play the game, as well as a Standard Mode in which the player can fight against the CPU or another player in one of 60 maps. There's also a Campaign Mode in which the player must fight through over 45 different maps that are dictated by a storyline, which has several branching points determined by the player's performance. A feature exclusive in the Campaign Mode is the ability to redeploy surviving units from a previous battle into the next one. Units gain experience points through combat, allowing them to be promoted from one of five ranks (D, C, B, A, and S), increasing their strength. Units who reach an S rank can be transformed into a new type of unit.
Reception
GamesRadarGamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
listed the Game Boy Wars series as one of the titles they want in the 3DS Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
.
External links
- Game Boy Wars at Nintendo
- Game Boy Wars Turbo, Game Boy Wars 2, Game Boy Wars 3 at Hudson Soft
- Game Boy Wars at NinDB
Japanese fansites
- Kensama's GBW3 Page has basic information on GBW3
- Game Boy Wars series page, information on the GBW series as well as Game Boy Wars Advance 1+2 and Famicom Wars DS
- optical illusion, a page dedicated to GBW3. Information on Campaign and a few other things.
- Game Boy Wars Network's GBW3 page, has maps of every level in the game and other useful information