[Play report] 'Empire of the Ants”, a grand survival strategy from an ant's perspective [gamescom]

“Empire of the Ants” (PC/PS5/Xbox Series It is exhibited at the Microids booth. I played the game while having Microids' Victor Chiorean explain the game's contents, so I would like to tell you about the contents.

The first thing that surprised me when I played this game was the perspective.The player progresses through the game from Ant's point of view
. It's a refreshing experience to play from a perspective close to the ground, rather than the bird's-eye view that is common in conventional simulation games. You can truly become an ant. The basic operation is simple. There's not much to remember: press the Y button to jump and press the B button to sprint (this time I played the PC version with an Xbox controller). However, the ability to freely move around in a vast forest with this simple operation is a major attraction.



The graphics of this work are worth mentioning. The development team reportedly photo-scanned a forest in France and recreated it in the game. The resulting visual beauty cannot be described in just one word: ``beautiful.''
I feel that an extraordinary amount of attention has been paid to the depiction of the microscopic world at the ground level, which is often overlooked in normal games. Each blade of grass, the texture of the soil, and even the shadows of small stones are expressed in great detail, allowing players to immerse themselves in the world of the forest as seen from an ant's perspective.

The brilliance of grass leaves wet with morning dew, the delicate movement of flower petals swaying in the wind, and the moist texture of humus. These depictions are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also have a direct impact on gameplay. For example, the ground becomes slippery after rain, which affects the speed at which ants move.

Completely different ant experience with 3 types of missions

This game has three mission types depending on difficulty. Easy: Learn basic movement and jumping operations

Medium: Includes military operations, enemy battles, escort missions, etc.
Hard: Complete experience using all game mechanics

In the first Easy mission that I experienced, I was given the objective of catching three fireflies. This seemingly simple task turns out to be unexpectedly difficult when approached from an ant's perspective. If you get too close to a firefly, it will run away, so you need to make good use of the terrain and jump at the right time to catch it. Mr. Chiorean introduced the game as easy, but it may not have meant that it was easy to clear, but rather that there was little to remember and it was easy to get started.

Furthermore, the world expressed in this work is by no means static. The weather and time of day have a major impact on the ants' behavior, resulting in changes to the gameplay. For example, ants move slower in cold environments and faster in hot environments. During rainy weather, the ground becomes slippery and movement is difficult. Visibility is limited at night, making it difficult to detect enemies. It's not just a change in appearance, it has a direct impact on the actual gameplay. These environmental changes occur in a somewhat predictable manner rather than randomly. In other words, once players understand the cycles of nature, they can strategize accordingly. For example, strategies from a long-term perspective are required, such as increasing food stockpiles in anticipation of the arrival of the rainy season and strengthening nest defenses in anticipation of the summer heat. In the Medium mission, a more strategic element is added where you control an army of ants to fight the enemy. The operation method of selecting troops with the LB and RB buttons, aiming with LT, and issuing orders with RT is intuitive yet gives a sense of deep strategy. Easy Mission was a pure action game, but Medium suddenly became more strategic. The core of this game's combat system lies in the existence of different types of ants and the following compatibility relationships. Warrior Ant: Has strong armor, but is weak against long-range attacks Acid-spitting ants: Can attack from a distance, but lacks mobility Worker ants: Highly mobile and good at collecting resources, but not good at direct combat There is a compatibility relationship between these units, similar to rock, paper, scissors. With this mechanism, it is not a simple game of numbers, but the choice of appropriate tactics determines victory or defeat. Additionally, the unique element of the pheromone system is expanding the range of strategies. Players can use pheromones with various effects to strengthen their troops. There are pheromones that increase attack power and pheromones that increase movement speed, and by using these at the right time, you can completely change the tide of battle. By the way, each pheromone has a cooldown time, so you can't use it repeatedly. In the hard mission, a vast strategic map with fog of war (partially hidden map) is developed. Players start at the bottom and enemies at the top, competing for resources and bases on the map. The victory condition is to destroy the enemy queen's nest. If your queen's nest is destroyed, you are defeated. This setting creates the need to strategize while balancing attack and defense, adding depth to the game. What is noteworthy is the "alive" feel of the map. Resources are finite and will be depleted over time. Additionally, there are neutral creatures (mites and centipedes), and your relationship with them will also affect your strategy. These factors require the construction of a strategy that takes into account the balance of the ecosystem, rather than just a "game of position." Furthermore, the macro time axis of seasonal changes also has a significant impact on strategy. New resources emerge in the spring, and the need for stockpiling increases in the fall. Planning from a long-term perspective like this probably adds to the depth of the game. The core of the Hard missions is the nest-based upgrade system. The nest has multiple slots in which you can purchase and equip various upgrades. Upgrades can be performed in a wide variety of areas, including: Economy: Increase resource collection efficiency and unlock new gathering methods Military: Producing new types of ants, enhancing the abilities of existing ants, etc. Science: Research new technologies and improve the capabilities of the entire colony Diplomacy: Improve your relationships with other insects, form alliances and trade These upgrades don't just improve the numbers, they change the play style itself. For example, if you select the "nocturnal" upgrade, you will be more active at night, making it possible to use a strategy that reverses the day/night cycle. Additionally, upgrades have compatibility and interactions. The effects of one upgrade can be amplified or offset by another. Understanding this complex interrelationship and finding the optimal combination will be a major strategic element from the middle to the end of the game. In hard missions, resource management such as food and wood is the key to strategy. These resources are needed for everything from buying upgrades to maintaining your army to expanding your nest. The player develops the economy by securing foraging points scattered on the map and transporting resources from there to the nest. However, these foraging points are often guarded by neutral enemies, and combat is unavoidable in order to secure them. The fun of resource management lies in its "trade-offs." Increasing the number of worker ants makes resource collection more efficient, but military power becomes weaker Investing in military power can expand territory, but economic development will be delayed Science and technology research is advantageous in the long term, but consumes large amounts of resources in the short term Adjusting this balance is where players can show off their skills. Additionally, the fact that the value of resources fluctuates due to changes in season and weather will likely increase strategic value. The appeal of this work is not just that it depicts the battle of ants. Another advantage is that the ecosystem of the entire forest has been precisely recreated. For example, players encounter various insects and small animals. Pill bugs, centipedes, ladybugs, etc. each have their own behavioral patterns and play a role in the ecosystem. The way you interact with these creatures also seems to have a big impact on the game's strategy. Furthermore, the process of plant growth and decay, and the reproduction of fungi are also depicted in detail. These elements aren't just background information; they directly impact gameplay. Rotting plants produce mushroom spores, which serve as a new food source for ants and sometimes become dangerous pathogens. This work is unique in that it perfectly combines immersive action from a micro perspective with strategic thinking from a macro perspective. Run around the forest as an ant, collect resources, and fight against enemies. Then, in the next moment, as the commander of the entire colony, he thinks about organizing troops, managing the economy, and expanding territory. It was a fresh and exciting experience to go back and forth between these two perspectives with a perfect balance. Manipulate individual ants to scout dangerous areas and formulate an overall strategy based on the information obtained. Alternatively, strategic goals determined from a macro perspective are realized through the actions of individual ants. I felt that these different scales of decision-making gave the game a deep sense of strategy and immersion. Also, I feel that the sound design of this work is as much attention to detail as the visual elements. The sounds of the microscopic world are delicately expressed, such as the footsteps of ants, the rustling of leaves, and the sound of falling water drops. These are not just background sounds, but provide information directly related to gameplay. For example, there are many situations in which humans rely on sounds to judge the situation, such as the footsteps of an approaching enemy or the chirping of insects that indicate nearby food sources. Additionally, the music changes dynamically depending on the environment and game situation. Calm music plays during peaceful exploration, and switches to tense music during combat. Furthermore, changes in seasons and weather are reflected in the music, increasing the sense of immersion. This work is a fairly unique title that depicts the world of ants with unprecedented precision. Photorealistic graphics, a detailed game system, and above all, the unique perspective of ant's perspective make this game unique. When you hear that you can play as an ant, you get a strong feeling that it's something out of place, but this is a serious game that combines the strategic depth of a simulation game with the sense of realism of an action game at a high level. The fact that the graphics are too realistic can be a drawback, but if you don't feel disgusted by insects, I highly recommend you give it a try. Victor Chiorean from Microids

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