Video Game: Advance Wars II

Advance Wars II: Black Hole Rising is a strategic war game released by Nintendo on the Game Boy Advanced handheld platform. Creating a best-selling title on a handheld presents obstacles to artists far different than those met when designing a PC or next-generation game. The most obvious and relevant to this analysis is the major restrictions on memory available for art assets. In a two-dimensional environment, depth is purely illusory and must be achieved through knowledgeable use and application of color. Perception of light and shadow is additionally created predominately with color as opposed to games created with 3D engines (such as 3dsMax or Maya) that allow artists to strategically place a variety of virtual lights within the environments. The high level of success and acclaim received by Advance Wars II has been due to its minimalist approach to not only gameplay mechanics, but also visual design.