Ancient Space

 PC
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Gaming Nexus
    Dec 4, 2014
    74
    A standard space-based RTS. Short, but also cheap, worth picking up if you are a fan of the genre or are just itching for some old-school RTS action.
  2. Hooked Gamers
    Oct 3, 2014
    73
    Let’s be clear here: Ancient Space is definitely not a new Homeworld, nor should it have to be. It has found its own niche, applying the excellent balance and approachable tactics of the traditional RTS, and taking it into space with panache.
  3. SpazioGames
    Nov 24, 2014
    70
    The sudden increase in the level of difficulty, the amount not so huge of units and upgrades, the lack of multiplayer and the failure to exploit the 3D universe in which the game is set are not convincing at all. Nevertheless, the game is still a good space RTS.
  5. IGN
    Oct 2, 2014
    66
    The excessive micromanagement and often vexing pace of combat tarnish the tactical depth created by cool officer abilities and unit variety.
  6. CD-Action
    Jan 9, 2015
    65
    I was not unhappy playing Ancient Space, but I don’t feel like playing it again, because at some point during the 15-hours-long campaign, the gameplay got boring. [13/2014, p.68]
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  7. GamingTrend
    Oct 24, 2014
    65
    If you’re a fan of space strategy games, you might enjoy Ancient Space, otherwise, it’s not worth the frustration.
  8. PC Games
    Oct 6, 2014
    63
    Neither bad nor great, Ancient Space offers mostly solid, sufficient space strategy on a small scale. Gameplay gets a little monotonous after a while and the story is never interesting enough to keep us hooked. On the plus side, mission design is pleasantly varied and the visuals are fine, too.
  9. GameStar
    Oct 6, 2014
    62
    Simply lacks power and depth.
  10. Hardcore Gamer
    Nov 10, 2014
    60
    Ancient Space doesn’t live up to its marketing and could’ve benefited from some additional time and testing; it is, however, playable and cheap.
  11. DarkZero
    Oct 19, 2014
    60
    Some fans will find things to like about Ancient Space, but its gameplay isn’t as infinite as the depths of space that surrounds us.
  12. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Oct 25, 2014
    59
    The last hope of Ancient Space is the storyline which is called exciting by its creators. In fact it is rather beaten and absurd. There is scientific expedition sent to certain zone that is absorbing human colonies. Some sensors are not working and therefore scriptwriters assume that some pirates should take the blame. So player confronts these abstract leaderless robbers for a major part of the plot. Can somebody explain why scientists should fight pirates? [Nov 2014, p.101]
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  13. Riot Pixels
    Dec 3, 2014
    58
    The gameplay mechanics of Ancient Space would have been a good fit for multiplayer, but there are no online modes at all, and the single-player campaign is hardly worth your time.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 56 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 56
  3. Negative: 12 out of 56
  1. MayhemMike83
    Sep 24, 2014
    7
    Don't get your hopes up, it is not a new Homeworld!

    What you will get is a space themed RTS with unit building, light resource management    Don't get your hopes up, it is not a new Homeworld!

    What you will get is a space themed RTS with unit building, light resource management (think CoH) and the ability to upgrade your mothership only between missions.

    The Campaign is a two edged sword, very difficult with seemingly impossible situations but also very rewarding if you manage to work your way through.

    The biggest disappointment for me was the lack of a skirmish mode. Well there is a menu button which is called "Skirmish" but behind that are just 3 maps with missions attached to it, like a horde mode for example.

    Pros:
    +nice graphics
    +nice sound
    +difficult campaign
    +small but interesting map design

    Cons:
    -no skirmish mode
    -not very innovative/deep mechanics
    -pathfinding is a bit edgy    … Full Review »
  2. Plusz
    Sep 23, 2014
    10
    Nice & challenging strategy game, you must play it :). Interesting story, very very good looking (amazing space scenery & ships), niceNice & challenging strategy game, you must play it :). Interesting story, very very good looking (amazing space scenery & ships), nice gameplay & game mechanics. What could I say? Just watch it and see it for yourself.… Full Review »
  3. Daemon_XE
    Sep 28, 2014
    7
    This game puzzles me to great lengths. After following the game for a while, finally playing it is resoundingly disappointing. There are someThis game puzzles me to great lengths. After following the game for a while, finally playing it is resoundingly disappointing. There are some excellent ideas here, and the genre itself is woefully neglected, so this entry has a lot going for it in that sense. It's just that it doesn't really play well.
    Visually, the game is absolutely stunning. The environments are amazingly well crafted, and the ship designs are in a fine balance of lending off known tropes along with genuine creativity. The music too, is quite nice. The tracks don't really do much by themselves, but sometimes do invoke feelings of say, the new Battlestar Galactica series, which is awesome.
    Alas, between the beautiful designs and nebula's, it's hard to see what's going on. I had a lot of trouble navigating the camera, which works in unpredictable ways. But that's only part of the problem. Despite faction colouring, I kept trying to control allied or enemy ships, thinking they were mine. I also lost many a ship for the opposite reason. It seems like a simple thing, and perhaps a more adept gamer than I won't have this problem, but it was very jarring to me. That, and everything ever clips.
    Talking about jarring, the Unity 3D engine seem to have a lot of trouble with this game. Which the visual effects are excellent, framerate drops were very frequent, even when keeping the 30fps refresh cap. I don't think the devs themselves are really to blame on this, and it never gets to be a proper slide-show, but it's not what I expected with my gaming pc. (i-7 860 & GTX 570 and the standard settings).
    The universe the game takes place in can be very intriguing though, and the story is functional but nonetheless enjoyable. The voice-acting is also superb, though it's hampered by a mediocre script.

    There is enough depth here for core gamers to enjoy. The resource system is simple and somewhat inelegant, but the units are well balanced and often just pretty bloody awesome. The bigger battles really do have this epic feel to them, and the campaign really pays off. My hopes are mostly for a few revisionary updates to streamline the UI and pace the progress of the missions a bit better. The promise is here, but the game design is just a bit too wonky at times to really make game excel.

    + Beautiful.
    + Captures the epic space battle really well at times.
    + Decent story.

    - Clunky controls.
    - UI.
    - Bad pacing.    … Full Review »
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