Advance Wars: Some Puzzle Game Elements in it?

Note: If you read anything in this blog be sure to read this section. Advance Wars: Day of Ruin is awesome. So far it is quite possibly my Game of the Year I enjoy it that much. Please bear that in mind as you read on so not to believe that I am bashing the game in any way. Just pointing out an observation

After playing some extensive amounts of Advance Wars recently, I have began to notice a sort of trend. Most of the maps and campaigns seem to have one main way to beat the map (or to beat if effectively). The game will often start you off with pre-deployed units like puzzle pieces and you have to determine which ones go off to where when you start the map.

For example, I just beat campaign mission 23 this morning and I noticed how they start you off with 2 battle ships and how they also start you off with two landers by your port. What units are by your port? Well you get a Anti-tank for the topmost port so you can take out the plasma beam and you get a mech to take over cities/use the rockets up there. And at the bottom most port? You get a tank to defend the infantry you will most likely take to the other island with all the rockets.

I could go on with how the game seems to place your pre-deployed units at the right place, almost telling you "Hey! Be sure to use me on that rocket guarding the ocean." Granted you can beat these missions by playing your own way but most of the time (and my most I mean nearly all the time) it will take you forever and you end up grinding out the mission.

Maybe I am getting more mature in my gaming and Advance Wars has always seemed to be like this. Regardless, for whatever reason I couldn't help thinking of my units today as puzzle pieces to some intricate puzzle that needed the right "pieces" at the right "spots" in order to complete the "puzzle".

And as stated in the bold text above, I don't mind either way. The game still takes a great amount of strategy and despite me noticing this about the game I am still having as much fun as I did before. But I just couldn't help but notice how the game sets you up with the right pieces in the right places so that you can solve the mission.