https://youtu.be/fGQtTR9OLC8

Empire of the ants is a third-person RTS based on a novel of the same name. The game puts you in the role of a commander ant that can traverse the battlefield and order units around in order to win wars for your federation.
Given the more grounded perspective, the gameplay sits somewhere in the middle of the spectrum in terms of RTS complexity, which I found really enjoyable.

You can only control a handful of units at a time. The basic three unit types are warriors, workers and gunners, all of which beat each other in a rock, paper, scissors-like manner. However, given your charming ant pheromones, you can also utilize other species as special units, like beetles that can aggro multiple other units at once, or aphids that heal your nearby troops.

The main way to shift victory into your hands is by capturing nests around the landscape. These can then house upgrades for your army, defences for the nest itself, or even grant you active abilities that you can use to buff your units during battle, or fast travel around the map. Nests have a finite number of chambers that can be used to create these upgrades, and each nest can only create and be the home of one unit. This means that you need to expand your territory quickly, and be thoughtful about how and where you create different upgrades.

The story mode was much more engaging than I expected. There are no signs of humans aside from occasional leftover objects like footballs. You are left to your devices as a meager ant, trying to win a war for your federation. There are short snippets of dialogue in between missions that tell a tale of intrigue and drama. I never would've expected to be invested in peace treaties between ants and termites, but I really was!

This is very much helped by the lovely execution of feeling like a tiny ant in this vast world. Shallow amounts of flooding are clearly detrimental to your tiny bodies, and all of it is accentuated by the gorgeous art direction and graphical fidelity of the game, as well as the wonderful soundtrack and sound effects. All of this really brings the ant fantasy to life.

Interestingly, the singleplayer mode has a number of different types of missions for different play styles, and you don't have to do them all, allowing you to experience the parts of the game you enjoy the most. Aside from the strategic combat encounters, there are also missions that purely have you explore, or traverse the level, which I also found quite enjoyable.

Currently, the multiplayer modes only allow for 1v1 or 3FFA, but I think it'd be really cool to see some sort of team modes as well.

As for my gripes with the game, I found that sometimes I was stuck watching fights go on for a while with not much to do. Perhaps it's maybe because I'm not the best at RTS games and so don't multi-task as much as I could. Although it was always fun to watch my warrior ants yeet ladybugs into orbit, so I can't complain too much.
Additionally, some of the UI can get a bit confusing at times. I love the intuitive and almost diagetic base building UI, but distinguishing between friendly, enemy and allied units is not as clear as it should be in the chaos of combat.

However, overall I really love the charm and attention to detail the game brings. It is really a lovely atmosphere and experience to play, and although the game is maybe more simple than a traditional RTS, I think the way everything is balanced is very thoughtful and results in really rewarding gameplay.

[h2] Video Review [/h2] https://youtu.be/fGQtTR9OLC8 [h2] Written Review [/h2] Empire of the ants is a third-person RTS based on a novel of the same name. The game puts you in the role of a commander ant that can traverse the battlefield and order units around in order to win wars for your federation. Given the more grounded perspective, the gameplay sits somewhere in the middle of the spectrum in terms of RTS complexity, which I found really enjoyable. [h3] Gameplay [/h3] You can only control a handful of units at a time. The basic three unit types are warriors, workers and gunners, all of which beat each other in a rock, paper, scissors-like manner. However, given your charming ant pheromones, you can also utilize other species as special units, like beetles that can aggro multiple other units at once, or aphids that heal your nearby troops. The main way to shift victory into your hands is by capturing nests around the landscape. These can then house upgrades for your army, defences for the nest itself, or even grant you active abilities that you can use to buff your units during battle, or fast travel around the map. Nests have a finite number of chambers that can be used to create these upgrades, and each nest can only create and be the home of one unit. This means that you need to expand your territory quickly, and be thoughtful about how and where you create different upgrades. [h3] Story Mode [/h3] The story mode was much more engaging than I expected. There are no signs of humans aside from occasional leftover objects like footballs. You are left to your devices as a meager ant, trying to win a war for your federation. There are short snippets of dialogue in between missions that tell a tale of intrigue and drama. I never would've expected to be invested in peace treaties between ants and termites, but I really was! This is very much helped by the lovely execution of feeling like a tiny ant in this vast world. Shallow amounts of flooding are clearly detrimental to your tiny bodies, and all of it is accentuated by the gorgeous art direction and graphical fidelity of the game, as well as the wonderful soundtrack and sound effects. All of this really brings the ant fantasy to life. Interestingly, the singleplayer mode has a number of different types of missions for different play styles, and you don't have to do them all, allowing you to experience the parts of the game you enjoy the most. Aside from the strategic combat encounters, there are also missions that purely have you explore, or traverse the level, which I also found quite enjoyable. Currently, the multiplayer modes only allow for 1v1 or 3FFA, but I think it'd be really cool to see some sort of team modes as well. [h3] Conclusion [/h3] As for my gripes with the game, I found that sometimes I was stuck watching fights go on for a while with not much to do. Perhaps it's maybe because I'm not the best at RTS games and so don't multi-task as much as I could. Although it was always fun to watch my warrior ants yeet ladybugs into orbit, so I can't complain too much. Additionally, some of the UI can get a bit confusing at times. I love the intuitive and almost diagetic base building UI, but distinguishing between friendly, enemy and allied units is not as clear as it should be in the chaos of combat. However, overall I really love the charm and attention to detail the game brings. It is really a lovely atmosphere and experience to play, and although the game is maybe more simple than a traditional RTS, I think the way everything is balanced is very thoughtful and results in really rewarding gameplay.