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Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, also known as Advance Wars: Dark Conflict in Europe and ファミコンウォーズDS 失われた光 in Japan, is the fourth game in the Advance Wars series of games. It involves a new list of COs, Forces and many changed Units. It has a much darker tone and feels than the previous games, as well as having a storyline that is independent of the other games.

Several details distinguish each version, such as differences in the names of the factions, characters, and units, as well as significant dialogue changes. This is due to Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe receiving Japanese copies of the game to translate independently, resulting in unique versions for each region.

The setting is a post-apocalyptic world, one that's been devastated by meteor strikes. The objective is the same as ever, to win battles involving different forces.

Gameplay[]

The gameplay, while keeping the same formula as the previous Advance Wars games, differs greatly. Unlike previous installments, the developers kept the game in a more balanced and competitive environment.

The CO System has been altered dramatically. Here are a couple of changes:

  • CO Abilities are not automatically implemented at start. The unit must be either pre-deployed with the CO already boarded or the unit must wait in their own IconHQHQ, IconFactoryRedFactory, IconAirportRedAirport, or IconPortRedSeaport for one day. The next turn, the unit can select CO to board a CO on that unit, but have to pay half the unit's value to board.
  • New to the CO system is a limited CO zone surrounding the unit that gains the specified stat boost based on the CO. In addition, any unit in the CO Zone gains a +10 increase in Defense and Attack.
  • The CO Meter has 12 bars. Each bar holds 5 HP for a maximum of 60 HP. When 6 bars are filled, CO Zone increases by 1. When all 12 bars are filled, CO Zone increases by 2 and you can use your CO Power (COP) at any time. If the COP is used, the CO Zone becomes the entire map for 1 turn and the bar resets back to 0 after the turn. If the unit that the CO boarded is destroyed in battle or the CO Power was used, the bar resets to 0 and the player must redeploy a CO if the unit was destroyed. The meter increases as the units in the CO Zone inflict damage.
    • IconForsytheForsythe and IconCaulderCaulder do not have a CO Bar nor COP.
    • IconTabithaTabitha is the only CO that does not increase the meter for any counterattack damage.
  • None of the CO's have a stat decreasing weakness.
  • Unlike previous games, CO Powers are primarily used for strategical purposes such as increased range and vision.
    • No CO gains an attack increase when using their power. The only CO that gains a defensive boost is IconWaylonWaylon.
  • DoR allows players to level up a unit each time your unit destroys another unit. The maximum level a unit can be is DoRIconVeteran(Days of Ruin) or DoRIconAce(Dark Conflict). When units join together, the highest unit level is applied. The boosts are as follows:
    • DoRIconI (one kill): +5 Attack (105/100)
    • DoRIconII (two kills): +10 Attack (110/100)
    • DoRIconV (three or more kills): +20 Attack, +20 Defense (120/120)
    • DoRIconMedal (CO on Board): +20 Attack, +20 Defense, + CO Zone bonus (130/130)

The following units have been removed:

The following units are new to the game:

The following units have been received changes:

Cost Ammo Fuel Vision Range Attack* Other
IconInfantryRedInfantry 1000 > 1500
IconMechRedMech 3000 > 2500
IconRigRedRig 70 > 99 Formerly APC. Can now build temp ports for IconTempAirportRedair and IconTempPortRedsea.
IconTankRedTank 9 > 6
IconArtilleryRedArtillery 9 > 6 1 > 3 70 > 60
IconAntiAirRedAnti-Air 8000 > 7000 9 > 6
IconMediumTankRedMedium Tank 16000 > 12000 8 > 5 60 > 50 1 > 2 85 > 70
IconMissilesRedMissiles 6 > 5 3-5 > 3-6
IconRocketsRedRockets 6 > 5 1 > 3 80 > 70
IconWarTankRedWar Tank 28000 > 16000 3 > 5 1 > 2 180 > 85 Comparable in stats to previous Med Tank. Similar appearance to Megatank.
IconTCopterRedT-Copter 2 > 1
IconBCopterRedB-Copter 3 > 2 55 > 70
IconBomberRedBomber 22000 > 20000 9 > 6 2 > 3
IconFighterRedFighter 9 > 6 2 > 5 100 > 65
IconGunboatRedGunboat 7500 > 6000 0 > 1 60 > 99 1 > 2 0 > 40 Replaces Black Boats. Attacks instead of healing. Soldier Storage 2 > 1.
IconLanderRedLander 12000 > 10000
IconCruiserRedCruiser 18000 > 16000 3 > 5 85 > 105
IconBattleshipRedBattleship 28000 > 25000 9 > 6 2 > 3 2-6 > 3-5 85 > 65 Can move and attack simultaneously.
IconCarrierRedCarrier 30000 > 28000 9 > 4 3-8 > 1 100 > 35 Can build up to 4 seaplanes. Direct attack instead of indirect attack.

* The attack comparison is usually compared to how much damage it would normally do to a Tank or B-Copter. The Fighter damage listed is the amount of damage it does to a Bomber. The Cruiser damage listed is the amount of damage it does to a Fighter. The Carrier damage is overall, since it has a different weapon. Gunboats damage is overall.
 

Plot[]

The plot of Days of Ruin is considerably darker than, and unrelated to, the plots of previous games. 75% of mankind has been killed off following devastating meteor strikes, which have destroyed much of civilization and caused a massive dust cloud to blot out the sun. Scattered survivors pick through the wreckage, and the remnants of several military superpowers patrol the ravaged landscape, some factions protecting the innocent while the others prey upon them.

Following the disaster, which obliterated much of the warring nations of Rubinelle and Lazuria, a young cadet from the Rubinelle military academy named Will escapes the ruins of the academy's mess hall and is confronted by The Beast, a former sergeant gone rogue who leads a small band of raiders. Will is rescued by Brenner and Lin of Rubinelle's 12th Battalion (nicknamed "Brenner's Wolves"), and takes on the group's cause of saving as many survivors of the meteor strikes as possible. During a search, Will discovers a mysterious amnesiac who does not remember her own name, but somehow knows detailed military information. Will later dubs her Isabella, and she becomes a vital part of the battalion as they put an end to the Beast's reign of terror.

One year after the meteor strikes, the 12th Battalion comes into contact with the New Rubinelle Army, and learns of the war raging between the Lazurian Army and the NRA. Brenner reluctantly sides with Greyfield, leader of the NRA, and advances on the Lazurian force, eventually defeating them at Fort Lazuria. Distraught by the ruthless execution of the Lazurian commander, Forsythe, Brenner and the 12th Battalion break the Lazurian prisoners out of an NRA internment camp before they are also executed. While the group escapes, Brenner stays behind and hides in an abandoned city to buy them some time. An infuriated Greyfield orders the use of a new weapon which completely destroys the city, killing Brenner and the NRA troops searching for him. As they retreat, they desperately fight off Greyfield's encroaching armies. Will, who was placed in command of The Wolves following Brenner's death, remembering something that Brenner said earlier, decides to take the fight to the NRA, and make Greyfield and Waylon pay for Brenner's death. Hearing from Caulder himself that Greyfield wants to use the Caulder Missiles against them, Lin leads a force against Greyfield, preventing him from launching the missiles and defeating the NRA once and for all. In the process, Lin personally shoots and kills Greyfield, avenging Brenner's death.

The 12th Battalion is unexpectedly attacked soon after by Intelligent Defense Systems, a private military contractor that had secretly supported first the Lazurians, then the NRA by supplying them with weapons of mass destruction. Caulder, leader of the IDS, had taken advantage of the world's devastation to carry out horrific biological and psychological experiments that he would have been unable to undertake otherwise, such as creating and spreading a terrible new disease, the Creeper, for the sole purpose of studying the survivor's reactions. Despite numerous demoralizing attacks by IDS and its massive bomber, The Great Owl, the battalion survives and eventually pursues Caulder to his main laboratory and fortress, The Nest. In the end, Caulder is killed in the destruction of his lab, and the war is finally brought to an end. One year later, the city of New Hope, founded by the 12th Battalion after the conflict, begins to flourish in the new-found peace. The sun is seen rising above the nearby hills for the first time since the meteor strikes, giving hope of a brighter future.

Forces[]

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin features five new forces, four of which are playable:

See also[]

Gallery[]

External links[]

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