Empire of the Ants Review
Empire of the Ants offers an intriguing twist to the RTS genre, putting you in control of a world of warring ant colonies, my full review.
Empire of the Ants welcomes you into the microcosmic world of an ant colony where strategy meets survival. As someone who’s always enjoyed seeing unique perspectives in games, I was intrigued by the idea of leading an ant colony through lush, photorealistic environments. Developed by Tower Five, Empire of the Ants loosely draws inspiration from Bernard Werber’s novel and delivers an interesting take on the real-time strategy genre. While its premise is innovative, uneven mechanics and design choices prevent it from realizing its full potential.
"While its premise is innovative, uneven mechanics and design choices prevent it from realizing its full potential."
Even still, the game offers moments of brilliance, with detailed environments and creative interpretation of life from an ant’s perspective. Despite its flaws, Empire of the Ants stands out as a unique perspective in the RTS genre, inviting you to experience a world that feels both alien and familiar. Let’s crawl into the world of ants and see what works and doesn’t for the Empire of the Ants experience.
Empire of the Ants Game Details
Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X|S
Developer: Tower Five
Publisher: Microids
Style: Real-Time Strategy
Available Modes: Single-player Campaign, Multiplayer (Co-op and Competitive)
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone 10+
Empire of the Ants Game Modes
When it comes to how you’ll experience the world of Empire of the Ants, you can choose between a single-player story and a multiplayer mode. Let’s crawl into the single-player mode and discuss that first. The solo campaign drops you into the role of ant #103,683, looking to lead your colony through different missions. Playing through the story will clock in around a dozen hours, but it’s a mixed bag. Missions are uninspired when it comes to objectives, and they are either too easy or too hard due to design choices with each level.
"Missions are uninspired when it comes to objectives, and they are either too easy or too hard due to design choices with each level."
From rescuing fellow ants to defending your nest from predators, the variety of objectives helps to move the plot along. However, some missions were repetitive, often relying on similar resource gathering and defence patterns. There were also extreme spikes in difficulty due to the lack of save points in longer missions. Meaning if you face waves of enemies and lose to a final punishing wave at the end, you need to do it all over again. I really enjoyed the visuals, but the story and mission objectives left much to be desired.
Multiplayer Modes in Empire of the Ants
The multiplayer modes are the highlight of the Empire of the Ants package. Unfortunately, the package is a little sparse. In multiplayer, you can play ranked 1v1 matches and three-player free-for-all battles. Additionally, the game provides a Custom Private Lobby feature, allowing you to practice against friends or AI opponents. In multiplayer showdowns, you’ll command up to seven ant units, focusing on strategic control and resource management. The game features 21 maps, each with unique layouts and challenges, including neutral creatures like spiders and praying mantises that guard resource caches.
"The game features 21 maps, each with unique layouts and challenges, including neutral creatures like spiders and praying mantises that guard resource caches."
There are limitations in “unit variety,” with some enemy ants just displayed as a different colour, and the lack of cooperative modes against AI opponents hurts the experience. Overall, the multiplayer experience focuses on small-scale strategic battles; though the mode selection is limited, it’s still the best part of the game.
Gameplay mechanics fall short
Diving into the gameplay, Empire of the Ants showcases a blend of traditional RTS mechanics and unique features tied to the life of ants. Gathering resources like leaves and water while defending against spiders, beetles, and rival colonies creates an interesting survival experience at first. Unfortunately, it does little to evolve the mechanics as the game wears on. The AI can also be frustratingly inconsistent. Some enemies are relentless, while others seem to stand idly by. This erratic behaviour breaks immersion and makes some missions feel artificially difficult.
Graphics and Performance
I have to admit that my original draw for the Empire of the Ants was its dazzling graphics and PS5 Pro support. Playing on the PS5 Pro, I was blown away by the photorealistic environments powered by Unreal Engine 5. The forest floor is rendered with stunning detail—each blade of grass, dewdrop, and shadow feels alive. The lighting effects, particularly during sunrise and rain, amplify the sense of scale and beauty.
"The lighting effects, particularly during sunrise and rain, amplify the sense of scale and beauty."
The baseline game looks incredible, and on my Pro the game runs at a solid 60 FPS with a native target of 1440p upscaled to 4K. However, the game isn't without its performance issues. While the frame rate is smooth most of the time, intense battles with multiple enemies occasionally caused dips. Although these moments were brief, they disrupted the fluidity of the gameplay.
Audio and Sound Design
The audio design is a mixed bag. On the one hand, the ambient sounds of the forest are incredible—rustling leaves, chirping birds, and the distant buzz of other insects set a vivid atmosphere. On the other hand, the sound effects during battles felt underwhelming. Ant collisions and combat noises lacked the intensity I expected, making large-scale conflicts feel less engaging.
Final Thoughts on Empire of the Ants
Empire of the Ants delivers a refreshing take on the RTS genre with its unique premise and stunning visuals. As someone who enjoys strategy games, I appreciated its ambition, but the inconsistent AI, uninspired single-player mode and minor performance hiccups prevented it from fully capturing my imagination. Still, if you’re a fan of unconventional strategy games and love Unreal Engine 5-powered eye candy, it’s worth exploring this miniature world.
Empire of the Ants Pros
+Unique and engaging premise
+Photorealistic environments powered by Unreal Engine 5
+Enhanced performance on PS5 Pro
Empire of the Ants Cons
-Inconsistent AI behaviour
-Underwhelming single-player mode
-Minor frame rate drops during intense scenes
-Repetitive character animations
Overall Assessment of Empire of the Ants
Gameplay: 6/10
Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 6/10
Replayability: 7/10
Overall Rating: 28/40 = 70%
Microids provided a copy of the game to conduct this review.
About the Author - Matthew "Dapper Tux" Rondina
Matthew has been involved in all things gaming since the 8-bit era. He is a video game and tech industry veteran who has been passionate about technology and gaming for over 20 years. In addition to being the Managing Editor of dappertux.com, he has bylines with Best Buy, Cineplex Entertainment, Mobile Syrup and Walmart. Follow Matthew’s gaming + tech adventures on multiple social platforms with the handle @dapper_tux via X, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and join in on the fun!
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