The Advance Wars series is full of excellent, catchy music. Given how you'll be listening to a character's music everytime it's their turn, it's a good thing, too.
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Famicom Wars
The OST was remixed for Super Famicom Wars, but each theme has different feels when compared to the latter game.- Red Star has two themes:
- Blue Moon has two themes to keep up with its rival:
- The Map Select
theme is more than capable of getting you into the groove of prepping for open warfare.
Super Famicom Wars
- The introduction
theme, which plays when you're choosing a map, is adventurous while sounding serious. It was so good that it was remixed for Reboot Camp many years later. - The redone versions of the themes from Famicom Wars, Yuan Delta's Theme
and Von Rosso's Theme
, each retain their original feels, albeit having a more laid back tone as if both were fighting for fun. - Rogenski's Theme
sounds awesome and inspiring, like propaganda played at its fullest. - Hetler's theme
sounds buffoonish and clownish, but fits with a man who can't maintain his facade. - Caroline's Theme's
very high energy gives it a major rush. It has been compared to a Fire Emblem boss theme. Given her status as one of the Super COs, it may as well be. - Billy Gates's Theme
has a youthful energy that the young Billy Gates more than gladly applies. - Mr. Yamamoto's Theme
is imposing but gives an air of wisdom and experience, making it clear you're fighting against a legendary general who will not go down easily.
Advance Wars/Black Hole Rising/Dual Strike
Since the themes are done in a variety of styles, there's a good chance that one of the themes will be somebody's favorites. Especially for the first three Advance Wars games. So let's list 'em all!
- Orange Star:
- Andy's Anthem.
Surprisingly, Andy is the only one with an "anthem" instead of a theme. - Nell's Theme
fits for tutorial levels (at least in the first game). - Sami's Theme
is a triumphant march. Fittingly, her SCOP is called "Victory March". - Rachel's Theme
is a bright and cheery theme that illustrates her Nice Girl nature while keeping her utmost seriousness in saving her homeland. - Hachi's Theme
is a calm and laid back theme with an air of peaceful shopping. - Jake's Theme
is a rock-style theme basing itself around the then-modern style of rock-and-roll. Jake, being designed to work with such an aesthetic, matches such a theme. - Max's Theme
sounds laid back and boisterous, which fits the muscular CO perfectly.
- Andy's Anthem.
- Blue Moon:
- Olaf's Theme.
In contrast to Nell's, it's every bit a villain's theme (at least in the tutorial and the first few missions in the first game). - Grit's Theme
is a very laid back country tune, fitting the laid-back CO. - Colin's Theme.
Who knew that polka music could be so awesome! - Sasha's Theme
is a merry jingle that wouldn't sound out of place during Christmas.
- Olaf's Theme.
- Yellow Comet:
- Kanbei's Theme
is styled in a theme stereotypical to his code. - Sensei's Theme
is a hilarious trumpet/harpsichord example, somewhat reminiscent of old-time radio in its start-up. Often used in parodies like Bob Squad to denote when something silly or dumb is happening. - Grimm's Theme
crashes in right from the start, just like the reckless CO himself. - Sonja's Theme
is serene and graceful, sounding almost too peaceful to be in a war-based game.
- Kanbei's Theme
- Green Earth:
- Eagle's Theme
has an '80s rock n' roll sound that wouldn't be out of place in Top Gun. - Jess' Theme
features a light industrial-sounding beat fitting an armored vehicle specialist; you'd be forgiven if you thought it was a track from Command & Conquer: Red Alert. - Javier's Theme's
sounds are like a rush to war to defend one's homeland. All the while, it gives off a boisterous vibe.
- Eagle's Theme
- Black Hole:
- Hawke's Theme.
Just like Hawke himself, this dread-filled tune lets you know that Hawke means business whenever you have to fight him. - Sturm's Theme
is prefaced with a siren-like sound, as a warning that you're facing off with the real Big Bad.
- Hawke's Theme.
- Bolt Guard: Von Bolt's Theme.
Absolutely overblown and pompous, with the use of bagpipes to reinforce his evilness. Very fitting for a Big Bad. Better still, it gets darker and more intimidating as it progresses, scaling up the menace the more units he has to move and the longer his turns take. It wouldn't feel out of place in a scene where the Big Bad is Putting on the Reich. - But it's not just the themes that get attention in this game...
- Black Hole Coming,
from the first and second games. Despite being from the lighter incarnations of the series, is incredibly dark and foreboding. A fitting tune to hear when preparing for the last few levels in the game. You know you're playing by Black Hole's rules, and failure is not an option. - The Black Hole Rising ending music
makes you think about all the memories you'll have from campaign, and all those virtual lives lost in freeing Macro Land from Black Hole's tyranny. - The Green Earth Theme
really carries the sense of a long and drawn out conflict, making everyone weary, yet the battle is far from over. - Super Power
and Tag Power
themes. When you hear them, it's time to ROCK! - Black Hole's Super Power
and Tag Power
themes. - It's short, only fifteen seconds, but Blue Moon's mission screen theme
perfectly captures the grim heroism of its soldiers, and ominously sets the mood when you're staring down one of their harder missions. Especially T-Minus 15. - "It's a Trap!"
from Dual Strike. Black Hole mocks you and your attempts to stop it.
- Black Hole Coming,
Re-Boot Camp
The remake takes most of the awesome CO themes from the originals and turns them up to eleven. The biggest glow up is when you activate their CO Power, which remixes their CO themes even further adding more energy and style depending on the CO.- Andy's Anthem becomes a rave party
when he uses his powers. - Olaf's theme gives a great deal of seriousness and fury
. A given considering he is fighting ruthlessly against anyone who dares threaten Blue Moon. When he uses his powers
, his tune takes on a more dread-inducing tone, complete with siren-like alarms in the background. - Grit's theme sounds like something straight out of a western.
The power version
swaps out the melody for an electric guitar, perfectly fitting for when he gets serious. It also resembling the more rock-heavy Orange Star themes adds some Foreshadowing too. - Colin's theme adds flutes and percussion
not present in the original, and it all further adds to his Naïve Newcomer status. It becomes fast-paced and confident
when he uses his COP and SCOP. - The instrumentation of Sonja's theme becomes more like a classical orchestra
which fits her academic style. Her powered up version
breaks out into a full orchestral marching band. - Sensei's theme, now with a full jazz orchestra
. The power version
turns it into smooth electro-swing, and even incorporates the original GBA drumroll. - Eagle's theme was widely regarded as one of the few duds in the original soundtrack. The remake turns it into a pulse-pounding heavy metal track
, that somehow gets EVEN MORE METAL
during his Powers. - While most Power themes ramp up the intensity compared to the original, Drake's
goes in an entirely different direction: slowing down the tempo and adding Surf Rock elements. It really sells the feeling of Drake in his element: the seas might be stormy for his enemies, but for him it's smooth sailing. - Jess's theme is more industrial than before,
even adding a more cybernetic feel. And true to the name of her CO Powers Turbo Charge/Overdrive, her power up
cranks up the tempo and speed of her theme. - Lash's theme is every bit what a modern update to the song should be.
Grows ever more techno when she uses her powers
. - Most people thought Clone Andy's Anthem would be the same as Andy's. Hoo boy, were they dead wrong
. They were instead treated with what can only be described as an auditory Uncanny Valley Dark Reprise of Andy's anthem that perfectly serves as a grand introduction of Black Hole and the evil they relish in. His CO theme is even more foreboding
, setting the mood that this Andy is not the one who doesn't know what an Airport is, but instead the one who has caused some of the greatest atrocities in Cosmo Land's history. - The update to Sturm's theme
manages to make him sound even more evil than he already was with some very heavy metal. It also goes on for over 4 minutes without looping, adding extra elements to the original song. - And if you thought Sturm was done and you've backed him into a corner, his Final Boss music
kicks in for the final battle of Advance Wars 2. The build up as the tensions rise, and the added instruments after his theme starts shows he's done playing games. - The Cosmo Land Map
theme plays when you're choosing a mission while playing the first campaign. It is remixed from the introduction theme of Super Famicom Wars, which further helps set the stage.
