Empire of the Ants

“Empire of the Ants features a lavish rendering of the world from a few millimeters high, but fails at the basics of interesting RTS play.”

“Empire of the Ants is visually beautiful and narratively fascinating but isn’t consistently fun to play.”

“Pretty to look at but painfully dull and frustrating to play, Empire of the Ants's single-player campaign has none of the depth of the multiplayer and packages bad AI with boring missions and a meandering story.”

“It's gorgeous to look at and has some depth to its tiny battles, but a lack of modes and unit variety means Empire of the Ants's multiplayer isn't likely to have a lot of legs.”

“Empire of Ants is a unique strategy game that offers players a fresh perspective on the insect world, the last game I personally played with ants was Sim-Ant. The game’s ability to blend realistic visuals with strategic gameplay creates a compelling and immersive experience.”

“Empire of the Ants is an original experience that combines real-time strategy with nature exploration, immersing players in the life of an ant within a miniature world. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, the game offers impressive, detailed visuals enhanced by an orchestral soundtrack that deepens the immersion. However, while the visuals are superb and unique, the gameplay sometimes feels too simplistic, especially during real-time strategy phases. Nonetheless, it remains a good experience, utterly fascinating for anyone with even a slight interest in nature.”

“Empire of the Ants is a visual masterpiece based on the 1991 sci-fi book by Bernard Werber, but its streamlined RTS gameplay may be too limited for hardcore fans of the genre. The game is approachable for newbies or those who do not want to hassle with elaborate strategic maneuvers, and it offers additional gameplay via the hub, world exploration, and a surprising amount of platforming.”

“Far more than just an Unreal Engine 5 tech demo, Empire of the Ants is a brilliant RTS game. Smart, confident gameplay design keeps things simple while challenging your tactical abilities at a near-perfect pace. It's one of the best surprises of 2024.”

“If you pick up Empire of Ants for any reason, it shouldn't be the obvious one. Of course, it's gorgeous, and perhaps one of the most visually stunning games I've ever played, but there's a simple charm to its gameplay and overall worldbuilding that deserves to be experienced by as wide an audience as possible. Whether leading a charge of warriors into battle or simply standing on an abandoned bottle and watching your colony do its thing, there's something so special about Empire of Ants that makes it an absolute joy to experience.”

“There are few games that commit to their central conceit and framing as much as Empire of the Ants does.”

“From a strategic point of view, the title is based on a simple and well-oiled structure, which unfortunately suffers from a basic redundancy caused by the lack of variety and the lack of depth inherent in the game situations, while the exploratory side is often plagued by problematic collision management that sometimes prevents you from fully enjoying the splendid scenarios.”

“Empire of the Ants bends the boundaries between videogame and science communication. The use of the Ureal Engine 5 is critical to achieve an unbelievable level of photorealism that leads to full immersion into the huge tiny universe of ants. The light gameplay mechanics designed to be accessible to as many people as possible may alienate the hardcore players of strategy games though.”

“Overall, Empire of the Ants is an experience that is perhaps less ambitious in terms of gameplay than others, but very satisfying in terms of making us "feel" like we are an ant . Seeing our sisters carrying food in a row, feeling the tension when a predator approaches... It is very interesting to immerse ourselves in the cycle of life, but without Timon and Pumba.”

“Empire of the Ants offers entertaining real-time strategy in an exciting setting and looks stunning.”

“Many times those of us who have been in this world for several decades complain about the lack of originality and the constant reuse of old resources, well; Empire of the Ants is a truly original work despite the fact that the novel had already had a delivery in 2000 on PC, of ​​very little popularity, but not even close to the level of realism and detail that is shown on this occasion.”

“Beautiful, contemplative and engaging, Empire of the Ants is a unique hybrid that will delight fans of the natural world.”

“Empire of the Ants is a true celebration of our natural world that just happens to be disguised as a real time strategy game.”

“It can't decide if it wants to be an RTS or a platformer, so both areas feel like they're not achieving their full potential. The presentation is gorgeous and it's enjoyable thinking about the smaller creatures in our world differently, but Empire of the Ants tries to be too much at once. The multiplayer is fun for a time, but lacks the depth seasoned strategy players want. A focus on either the story or RTS would have helped a lot.”

“Empire of the Ants is an excellent game. This is one of those games that seemingly come out of nowhere but will likely be a beloved favourite for many gamers for years to come. While a lot of these gameplay aspects have been seen before in other games, the way they’re included here, through the eyes of an ant, can be quite unique. The visuals are outstanding and the music is brilliant. There are some challenges with controls and the camera, especially in confined spaces or when your ant is upside-down. And unfortunately, I didn’t get an opportunity to experience the multiplayer aspects. Fortunately, the single-player experience is overall so well done that I’d consider the multiplayer mode a nice bonus more than anything. If you’re looking for a unique gaming real-time strategy experience, then you really can’t go wrong with Empire of the Ants.”