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Fire Emblem
2003
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GAME-BOY-ADVANCE
9.5
Military Madness
Reviewed by Marcus Webb & Elena Castillo ·
Hudson Soft's 1989 hex-based turn-based strategy game set on the moon — Military Madness (Nectaris in Japan) is a pure military strategy game with 16 unit types, fuel and ammunition management, and alternating turns across 16 missions. One of the TurboGrafx-16's finest games and the accessible strategic game that introduced Western players to hex-based tactics.
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💡 Military Madness — Key Facts
- → Military Madness was developed by Hudson Soft and published by NEC
- → Released in 1990 on TURBOGRAFX-16
- → Genre: Strategy
- → We rate it 8.8/10 — highly recommended
- → Hudson Soft's 1989 hex-based turn-based strategy game set on the moon — Military Madness (Nectaris in Japan) is a pure military strategy game with 16 unit types, fuel and ammunition management, and alternating turns across 16 missions. One of the TurboGrafx-16's finest games and the accessible strategic game that introduced Western players to hex-based tactics.
Overview
Military Madness asks: what would a wargame look like if it were designed for players who hadn’t played wargames?
The answer: hexagonal grid, 16 unit types with clear counters, fuel and ammo management, factory capture for resources, 16 missions with consistent difficulty scaling. Everything necessary for serious strategy depth, nothing extraneous for accessibility obstacles.
The Hex Grid
Hexagons. Each unit occupies one hex. Movement costs one hex per turn within the unit’s range. Attacking from an adjacent hex initiates combat with the attacker’s stats versus the defender’s terrain bonus.
The hexagonal grid creates attack angles that square grids don’t: six potential adjacent hexes rather than four. Surrounding enemies matters. Terrain types change the math: forests reduce damage taken, plains allow full movement. A unit that seems disadvantaged on open ground becomes defensible in a forest.
The Unit Interactions
Infantry is weak. Tanks destroy infantry efficiently. Anti-tank weapons destroy tanks. Aircraft threaten everything but have specific counters. Heavy artillery has enormous range but can’t move and attack in the same turn.
These interactions aren’t obscure. Within a few missions, the patterns are clear. The skill is applying them: putting anti-tank units where tanks will advance, positioning infantry in forests where they’re defensible, using aircraft mobility to capture distant factories before ground units can reach them.
The 16 Missions
Each mission adds something. Early missions establish unit interactions in small-scale engagements. Mid-game missions introduce factory capture timing as the primary strategic variable. Late missions require managing the full unit roster with limited resources against Axis forces that have the same advantages.
The difficulty curve is honest — it asks more of the player incrementally rather than suddenly requiring a skill the game hasn’t taught yet. This is why Military Madness is the recommended starting point for hex strategy: it’s designed to teach while entertaining, not to test players who already know.
Our Review
8.8
Excellent / 10
🎮
Gameplay
★★★★★
🎨
Graphics
★★★★★
🎵
Audio
★★★★★
🔄
Replay
★★★★★
Gameplay
Military Madness is a hex-based turn-based strategy game set on the lunar surface. Two sides — Union and Axis — control units across 16 missions. 16 unit types including infantry, tanks, aircraft, submarines, and artillery each have specific movement, attack, range, and terrain modifiers. Fuel limits unit movement each turn; ammunition limits attacks. Capturing factories restores resources and produces new units. The campaign pits the Union against Axis across escalating complexity scenarios. Two-player alternating mode allows human vs. human competition. Strategy depth comes from unit interaction: rock-paper-scissors unit counters, terrain advantages, factory capture sequencing.
Graphics
Military Madness' hex grid and unit sprites are clean and readable — the essential requirement for a strategy game where clarity of information matters more than visual ambition. Unit designs are distinct enough to identify quickly.
Audio
Appropriate military-themed music for a game about moon warfare. Sound effects communicate combat results and unit movement clearly.
Replayability
16 campaign missions with increasing complexity, two-player alternating play, and the strategy game's inherent replayability (different approaches, different outcomes) make Military Madness highly repeatable. Mastery play against expert Axis AI provides ongoing challenge.
Historical Significance
Military Madness (Nectaris, 1989 PC Engine, 1990 TurboGrafx-16) was Western players' introduction to hex-based military strategy for many TG16 owners. The original game spawned a series: Nectaris ports to PS1, Game Boy Color, and a reimagined Nectaris for PS3/PC in 2009. It remains the TurboGrafx-16's premier strategy game and one of the most accessible hex-based wargames ever made.
✅ Pros
- + Pure hex-based strategy accessible to newcomers to the genre
- + 16 unit types with meaningful rock-paper-scissors counters
- + 16 campaign missions with consistent difficulty progression
- + Two-player alternating mode for human competition
- + TurboGrafx-16's finest strategy game
❌ Cons
- - No simultaneous two-player — alternating only
- - Simple AI by modern strategy standards
- - Limited narrative context for campaign missions
- - Fuel and ammo management can be tedious for casual players
Also Known As
Nectarisネクタリス
Military Madness FAQ
What are the 16 unit types in Military Madness?
Military Madness features 16 distinct unit types covering ground, aerial, and naval combat categories. Ground units include infantry, recon vehicles, light tanks, medium tanks, heavy tanks, and howitzers. Aerial units include helicopters and fighter aircraft. Naval units include submarines and destroyers (relevant for water-heavy maps). Each unit type has specific stats: movement range, fuel consumption per move, attack power, defense rating, and applicable terrain types. The rock-paper-scissors counter system means some unit types are strong against specific others: tanks defeat infantry efficiently; anti-tank units threaten tanks; aircraft have mobility advantages but specific counters. Learning unit interactions is the primary strategy skill.
How does the factory capture system work?
Military Madness maps contain factories that produce units and restore resources. Capturing an enemy factory requires moving a unit onto it and ending the turn there — the factory becomes yours. Controlled factories restore fuel and ammunition to adjacent units and can produce new units of the type currently stationed there. Factory capture sequencing is a key strategic element: controlling more factories provides more units and more resource restoration per turn. Losing factories to the Axis accelerates the enemy's unit production while reducing yours. Many missions require capturing specific factories to maintain resource parity.
Is Military Madness available on modern platforms?
Military Madness appeared on Wii Virtual Console and is accessible through TurboGrafx-16 related compilations. The PS1 received a Nectaris port. A modernized remake, Nectaris, was released for PS3 (PSN) and PC in 2009, updating the visual presentation while preserving the hex strategy gameplay. The original TurboGrafx-16 version is the most historically authentic. Physical TurboGrafx-16 HuCards are available through retro game stores.
Is Military Madness appropriate for beginners to hex-based strategy?
Military Madness is widely recommended as one of the most accessible entry points to hex-based strategy. The unit counter system is straightforward enough to learn in the first few missions, the resource management (fuel and ammo) adds depth without overwhelming complexity, and the 16-mission campaign scales difficulty gradually. Players familiar only with platform games and action games have successfully learned hex strategy through Military Madness. The alternative 'Advance Wars' comparison is often made — both games are accessible hex strategy titles. Advance Wars (GBA, 2001) is more immediately available on modern platforms and provides a similar accessible entry point.
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