To celebrate the end of 2021, we are looking back at some of our best articles this year.
Originally published this past May:
Warhammer 40 000 is one of the most iconic wargames of all time. Throughout its multiple editions, and spinoff games, the franchise has also spawned many video games, with some amazing entries such as the Dawn of War games, Space Marine and Mechanicus, but there is one game I would love to see get made.
Advance Wars is a beloved franchise from Nintendo that has a devoted fanbase. The turn-based strategy game has many fans among Wargaming enthusiasts and video game fans alike to due its well-thought-out mechanics and use of cover from terrain, use of various types of troops and vehicles and so on. It would be ideal if Nintendo could get the rights to make a Warhammer 40 000 game and do so in the style of the Advance Wars series.
This is not as far-fetched as some may think either, as the mechanics in Advance Wars can get pretty deep and actually come very close to mimicking the rules of the Warhammer 40 000 tabletop game. Developing a game with mechanics specifically tailored to 40K rules will not be that hard, and many different factions can be playable. This includes different regiments of the Imperial Guard like the Cadians, Catachans, Attilans, Kriegers and so on, in addition to Mechanicus units and Sororitas and that is just the Imperium factions without getting into Space Marines. The playable factions could also be given their own unique individual characters like in the Advance Wars series, and have them be characters we follow in the story.
Different worlds in the galaxy could provide different terrains, including Forge Worlds, Hive Worlds, Eldar Maiden Worlds, Daemon Worlds, Eldar Craftworlds and so on. Each could give a new type of challenge for players, and new obstacles to overcome. There could even be battles set on ships as well, especially given the nature of things such as Space Hulks. As well, the various weaponry of the various factions would make appearances, such as Bolters, Lasguns and more, and have to be properly factored into the game.
Other factions such as the Craftworld Eldar, Dark Eldar, Orks, Necrons and Chaos could all be playable units as well as enemy units and provide a lot of different scenarios for players to enjoy in the game as well. After all, these factions all have a wide variety of playable units in the tabletop game, and that would fit perfectly here. Artillery and vehicles would be factored in depending on the faction played, and each has plenty of their own variations of weapons and vehicles like tanks and so on.
And if there are concerns that such a game would be too mature or unlike the usual output for Nintendo, be aware that Nintendo has been releasing many games that they have funded that are far different than their usual output, such as the recent Fatal Frame games, the Bayonetta titles and so on. And Mechanicus, a recent 40K game has also seen a release on the Switch, which we have reviewed here, among other Warhammer titles on the system. Nintendo is no stranger to mature games and has not censored titles in decades.
Furthermore, Nintendo has broached darker storylines within the Advance Wars series itself with Days of Ruin, which was a much different take on the series up to that point. Days of Ruin shows that this is something Nintendo could easily do, and create something amazing in the process. It is not hard to imaging how such a game could look either, as artist SteelJoe on DeviantArt created a mockup of what it could look like, which you can see below (Used here with permission).
In the end, this would be an ideal collaboration and one of the best translations of the tabletop to video game form. It is my hope that a game like this is one day made and Nintendo pursues the license.