Empire of the Ants

With Empire of the Ants, Microids has its first major game, capable of holding its own against the big productions of 2024. The sentence may seem surreal to some, given the inglorious past of the french company (even if it has some very decent and very enjoyable titles in its catalog, let's not forget), but the effort is very real. By betting on the developers of Tower Five, the French publisher has hit the nail on the head, because not only has the studio proven that it has mastered the use of Unreal Engine 5 to perfection, making their title one of the most beautiful games of this year, but they have also found the perfect formula for adapting the RTS to consoles, with controller controls.

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.

A tiny hero takes part of a big adventure. This is a different game, one for those who want to try something simple, but different.

What this small team have pulled off is credit to the meticulous hard work and true passion they have poured into this project. A beautifully realised recreation of the real world that puts you right into the Empire Of The Ants.

We're 110% behind Tower Five's proposition with Empire of the Ants, which offers an original, exotic voyage off the beaten track, delivering a charismatic production. It's a big yes.

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

The game delivers a unique and visually stunning experience that immerses you fully in the world of an ant. While there are areas for improvement, such as the repetitive soundtrack and limited unit options in multiplayer, the game's impressive visuals, realistic sound effects, and varied story missions make it a memorable entry in the RTS genre.

The Ants is much more than just a feast for the eyes. Tower Five studio has succeeded in bringing this kind of game to console. It offers players a new way to approach real-time strategy thanks to accessible and easy-to-use gameplay. However, we regret the brutal comparison with the book in terms of narration since the title lacks memorable moments and leaves the player little involved, at least for the story. Otherwise, it has never been so enjoyable to play as an ant and it would be stupid not to give it a chance when it is released.

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

Empire of the Ants offers entertaining real-time strategy in an exciting setting and looks stunningly good.

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

Empire of the Ants isn't your typical RTS-game. Instead it's a wonderful looking experience, that drags you into the life of insects. Despite the great presentation, the game itself suffers from lackluster controls and camera-issues.

Empire of the Ants is the work of a small studio that was inspired by the famous novel by Bernard Werber to give a touch of originality to a complex genre like RTS: although the narrative suffers from the "reduced" ways of expressing its protagonists, the excellent visuals manage to give great complexity to a game world that can be appreciated for the care taken in modeling every detail. 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 is a simple but enjoyable RTS with a unique setting that pushes the way you dig in the game.

Empire of the Ants is a luscious looking game but, as much as it pains us to admit it, it's not always all that much fun to play.