I've always admired how simulator games can constantly push the boundaries of creativity and immersion, and Empire of the Ants is by far one of the most impressive and unique ones in the entire genre. Few simulators place us in the proverbial shoes of a creature as small as an ant, or as bugs in general, and this game provides a golden opportunity for that rare experience.
Empire of the Ants immerses you in the world of a ruling ant colony, surrounded by the wonders of nature on a scale that you'd normally never see. You can embark on strategic missions to help your colony thrive and stave off invasions from enemy critters, and the story behind it all is every bit as enamoring and fascinating as a top-class nature documentary.
While a world of bugs may not be for everyone, Empire of the Ants presents it in such a way that will make even the wary feel open-minded.
An incredibly detailed world
Based on the novel of the same name by Bernard Werber, Empire of the Ants transports you into the lush depths of a forest and introduces you to the incredible ant kingdom of Bel-o-kan, where you play as one of the thousands of hard-working sister ants. Distinguished by a battle scar on your abdomen and an apparent knack for strategy and warfare, the story has you convene with Queen Belo-Kiu-Kiuni and various NPC ants around the kingdom about objectives to help Bel-o-kan and other surrounding ant kingdoms.
These range from collecting resources, exploring new areas, gathering intel in enemy critter territories, and ultimately leading the charge against invasive foes such as termites. As you embark on these objectives, you traverse through environments that are some of the most impeccably detailed I've ever seen in a simulator. The colors are delightfully vibrant, the textures and details of everything are extraordinarily well done, and the overall aesthetic is a perfect balance of realism through a gentle lens of fantasy.
In keeping with that sense of realism, communicating with other ants in your colony is done via scent and unique noises, which is fascinating to watch. In other words, it's not like the critter characters in A Bug's Life who talk and act far more like humans. As beloved as that movie is, this game didn't need to go in that direction, and thankfully it didn't.
Throughout your travels and missions, you'll come across dozens of other bug species, and through the eyes of an ant, they're quite a spectacle to see. Butterflies of all colors, bees that sound like helicopters as they fly by, gigantic snails, and far more. There are spiders as well, but an Arachnophobia mode is thoughtfully provided in the game for those who'd prefer not to see them.
Along with filling a colorful bestiary, you can also collect things such as memory pheromones, scan strange items discarded by the human world, and discover truly unique bugs such as golden tortoise beetles. This makes the world around you all the more interactive while not participating in missions, and encourages you to explore everywhere that you can.
Strategy gameplay that's polished and easy to master
While the bustling ant kingdom of Bel-o-kan continues to thrive, unforeseen weather has cultivated a new and dangerous threat from the nearby termite kingdoms. Despite long-standing truces between both species, floods have driven them to invade Bel-o-kan and other ant kingdoms such as Ta-yu-kan. As they close in, it's up to you as Bel-o-kan's most fearless ant general to drive them away and reclaim your territory.
This requires you to embark on ambitious strategy missions that place you on a bug-sized battlefield and in charge of allied nests you can empower with various upgrades. You can also use them to create different legions of ants that can either defend your nests or be sent into battle against enemy termite legions. Better yet, you can even make a legion of Super Predator Dor Beetles, which are allies with the ants and can make quick work of almost any legion in their way.
To further bolster your forces, you can make use of your own powers granted by nest upgrades, which can provide increased attack or defense stats, help your legions move quicker across the battlefield, or even heal them. With good timing and decision-making, you can make quick work of the invasive termites and efficiently complete your missions.
The best aspect of this gameplay is how easy it is to pick up. Compared to other strategy games, Empire of the Ants leaves unnecessary complexity behind and keeps the mechanics simple and straightforward. The game starts you off with very basic missions that walk you through every step, and I felt ready to conquer anything after a couple of victories.
Granted, it isn't simple to the point that it gets boring from lack of a challenge. The further you get into the story, the missions in fact get more challenging, and you may very well find yourself retrying certain ones a few times.
It's all about figuring out the best approach, how to handle your resources, which upgrades to employ, and which legions to prioritize. It's a healthy dose of challenge that's plenty gratifying when you pull it off. You don't even have to complete every single mission in an area to progress the story, so there's still plenty of flexibility in how you choose your victories.
The game also features a Multiplayer mode where you participate in similar battle campaigns against other players. Before you dive into that, however, I highly recommend getting comfortable with missions in Story mode so you know how to handle different battle scenarios.
The cherry on top of it all is that the game runs superbly smooth, with virtually no lag or stuttering, no crashes, and few to no bugs (aha) at all that I could find. I even found that to be the case in multiplayer mode, which does a fine job of not over-extending its capabilities and opting for balance with smaller groups.
Final Verdict
Empire of the Ants is a welcome breath of fresh forest air in a genre that can always benefit from more nature-based simulators, and sets a well-earned standard for those looking to achieve a similar vision. The story is an enjoyable 20 or so hours inside a world that is fascinating to explore, and I think Bernard Werber would be proud of what Tower Five has accomplished.
[Disclosure: A free copy of the game was provided to PGG by the publisher for review purposes.]
Be sure to check out all of our reviews on the latest games here at Pro Game Guides, such as Palworld Early Access Review: Monster collection revitalized.
Published: Nov 4, 2024 07:00 am