"Empire of the Ants" played: Crawly real-time strategy
In "Empire of the Ants" by Tower Five, players build their own ant empire. It's original, but not fully developed.
(Image: Microids)
Real-time strategy with a difference: "Empire of the Ants" is the reboot of a game from the year 2000 and is based on the sci-fi novel "The Ants" by Bernard Werber. Instead of troops and tanks, players move industrious ants through a finely detailed forest landscape and prove themselves in a few skill tests along the way.
The players hatch from the cocoon into the chitinous shell of ant 103,683 and set off to work for the revered queen. They explore the environment, collect food and protect the ant empire against enemies such as termites and spiders. Sometimes they also have to perform smaller tasks and hunt fireflies or save other ants from drowning.
"Empire of the Ants" mixes real-time strategy with hopping interludes. Players control 103,681 from a chasing perspective. They build small nests and send not only ants but also robust dung beetles into battle. They use a "chemistry lab" to research "powers" and increase speed and robustness. Ant 103,681 is something of a hero unit in battle, motivating and strengthening the surrounding units. Away from battle, it explores the area and climbs over detailed leaves and tree trunks.
Ant battles
The pace of the game is slow. Similar to "Total War", the individual "troops" move slowly across the battlefield. As each nest can only produce one of these legions, it can take a while for support to arrive. The battle follows the simple rock-paper-scissors principle: soldiers beat workers, who in turn beat archers.
When it finally comes to battle, 103,681 remains mostly passive and only occasionally appears on the battlefield to use its powers. The protagonist ant often looks for an elevated command post to control the armies. She must always keep an eye on her small nests and ensure supplies. One base is never enough – All legions and expansions are spread across several nests. In addition to the solo missions, players can also duel in multiplayer games.
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Cumbersome controls
The controls are designed for a gamepad. Although PC players can also use the keyboard, the keyboard shortcuts are limited to the essentials, such as selecting legions. The expansions are activated via a cumbersome radial menu. Instead of a convenient overview of the playing field, as genre fans are used to, the chase perspective restricts the viewing angle. This results in a lack of overview during larger battles.
The jumping interludes are somewhat annoying. As the ant sometimes crawls upside down from leaf to leaf or explores an empty plastic box, we quickly lost our bearings during our play sessions. When the ant jumps from one leaf to the next, it's often a matter of luck. The search for fireflies is more of an occupational therapy for ant workaholics than a playful challenge.
But what is noticeable at first glance: Tower Five has created a visually impressive ant adventure. The light on the lake glistens almost photorealistically, and the forest landscape is detailed and colorful. There are also a few creepy moments when our ant passes a spider's web and the deadly danger lurks behind it. There's no question that "Empire of the Ants" is one of the most beautiful real-time strategy games of recent years.
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Interim conclusion
"Empire of The Ants" by Tower Five impresses with its original scenario and detailed graphics. This year, fans will be hard pressed to find a more unusual and visually impressive real-time strategy game. The pace of the game is pleasantly slow and makes it easy for beginners.
However, the controls cause problems with the overview and control of the playing field. The jumping sections in the game also seem somewhat out of place, lengthy and annoying. In the end, an ambivalent impression remains: great graphics, original scenario, but controls that take some getting used to.
"Empire of the Ants" has been released for Windows, PS5 and Xbox Series. It costs around €50. USK 12+. We played the PC version for our hands-on.
(mma)
