Famicom Wars Summary
Before the Advance War, there was the Famicom Wars.
First released in 1988, Famicom Wars is the first of the Advance Wars series. Developed by Nintendo on the Famicom, or NES as it is known in the West. The gameplay consists of one or two players taking control of two armies, the Red Star or Blue Moon. From there, the player has a limited amount of funds to build units, bases, and vehicles to defeat their opponent.
Upon release, it was received with praise. Many magazines and outlets saying that it was one of the Famicom’s best games.
Famicom Wars Premise
In contrast to the later Famicom and Advance War series, the plot here is relatively simple. You play as a commander of the Red Star (Orange Star outside of Japan), where you wage war against the Blue Moon force. And that’s it. Unlike later games, there’s no plot beyond simply killing each other, as the COs lack personality and history.
Famicom Wars Main Characters
Er, sadly, there are no distinct “Characters” in the game. As both Red Star and Blue are virtually identical, save for the color scheme and logo. Same troops, same bases. But we can cover each of the units in question!
Land Units.
- Infantry. Cheap, and weak, but can deployed en masse. These guys are the backbone of an army, as they can capture buildings and bases! There’s only one other unit that can.
- Mech. Slightly stronger infantry units. Better against armor, but less so against most others.
- Med Tank. The most expensive and powerful land unit you can get. Stands strong against most foes.
- Tank. These are your go-to fighting forces, as they are strong against most units. At least until you can reliably field Med Tanks.
- APC. These guys can carry infantry and mech troops much quicker than if they were on foot. They’re also fairly decent against light armor and infantry, thanks to a machine gun.
- Howitzer. Sometimes, you just need something to go boom. The upgraded form of artillery. Just make sure no one can get close.
- Artillery. The weaker form of the above unit, with many of the same strengths and weaknesses. It is cheaper, however.
- AA Missile. It is good against one thing, and one thing only. Air Units. That said, it is very good at what it does.
- AA Tank. The same as the above!
- Supply. These guys keep your soldiers and vehicles fueled and armed, so take care of them!
Air Units.
- Fighter. Your go to air fighting force. Can only be taken out by Anti Air units.
- Scout. The cheaper form of the fighter.
- Bomber. While it’s not so good against air units, the Bomber is what you need when you don’t want to see your enemy’s ground forces anymore.
- Copter. The APCs of the sky! Infantry and Mechs can load up into them, allowing them to bypass mountains or rivers.
Sea Units.
- Battleship. The most powerful unit in the game, and the most expensive! It is capable of bringing down any other unit. The only things it has to worry about are Bombers and Landers. And if it is well protected, not even those can stop it.
- Lander. A sort of “Jack of all Trades” water unit (given that the other is nothing but firepower). It can act as an AA unit, ferry troops, and sink battleships if need be.
Famicom Wars Titles of Video Games in the Series
- Famicom Wars (1988).
- Game Boy Wars (1991)
- Game Boy Wars Turbo (1997)
- Super Famicom Wars (1998)
- Game Boy Wars 2 (1998)
- Game Boy Wars 3 (2001)
- Advance Wars (2001)
- Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising (2003)
- Advance Wars: Dual Strike (2005)
- Battalion Wars (2005)
- Battalion Wars 2 (2007)
- Advance Wars: Days of Ruin (NA) / Dark Conflict (EU) (2008)
- Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp (2023)
Famicom Wars Cheat Codes
Clear Save Data
At the main game menu, before the game starts, press and hold A + B both on the first controller and the second controller at the same time, then press Start on the first controller.
Famicom Wars Cheat Code FAQ
Is Advance Wars a remake of Famicom Wars? Sort of. Famicom Wars was the one that started the series, but Advance Wars is the one that got it off the ground.
Is Battalion Wars connected to Advance Wars? While they are made by the same company, and have many of the same units, the two are otherwise separate universities.
And that’s all for now folks! Remember to check out the rest of CheatCC for even more gaming news, cheat codes, and reviews!
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Nintendo.