In this day and age when so many classic game series get neglected, it is nice to see developers step in and take up the task of making games for fans of those series. Shattered Throne is a turn based strategy RPG that takes heavy inspiration from the Nintendo Wars series (known as Advance Wars in the west), while also bringing its own ideas to the table. The result is an epic game that is fun in both single and multiplayer and feels like a true successor to the Nintendo series without being a ripoff.
Like in Advance Wars, there is a grid layout ( one that will look familiar to many) where you position your troops and plan your attacks. Unlike Advance Wars, there are some big changes. For example, in this game there is unit progression within a level where units gain xp for kills and level up. This is more reminiscent of Fire Emblem but fits nicely in here. There are also buildings with different purposes and some can be upgraded into different classes, thereby adding to the strategy elements. The game has a combo system that will increase the damage done to enemy units that are attacked continuously which is a great addition to the gameplay.
In this game there are three main factions. Human, Elf and Undead. All the factions have their own generals as well as units and buildings and act differently. This gives a lot of variety to the gameplay and helps keep things fresh. As well, some unique classes have traits that are theirs only, such as crusaders. The crusaders will attack enemies near a target as well as the target itself. And this is only one example of the variety within.
The multiplayer was a blast to use and instantly took up much of my free time, with it proving rather addictive. There is also a map editor and Steam Workshop enabled, so fan creations are easy to come by. This is one of the best spiritual successors I have ever seen I gaming and I will give this the highest praise I can. I wish Nintendo would hire the developer, Checkmark Games to create the next Advance Wars game.