Empire of the Ants Review: when the really small becomes exceptional
, by Enzo
Adapting Bernard Werber's Empire of the Ants into a video game seemed like something of a pipe dream. The novel, packed with intricate details and thought-provoking ideas, explores the fascinating inner workings of an ant colony and the world surrounding it. With more than 35 million copies sold and translations into 35 languages, turning such an ambitious literary work into a compelling gaming experience was never going to be an easy task.
Yet the result manages to exceed expectations with a truly distinctive approach, offering something that feels unlike almost anything else on the market. This is far more than a visual experiment or a simple curiosity based on a popular novel. It also delivers an accessible, immersive and surprisingly engaging strategy adventure. Microids may have something rather special on its hands here, with a game that stands out from the publisher's usual catalogue.
1,001 legs for 1,001 details
From the very first minutes, Empire of the Ants makes a strong impression with its outstanding art direction and impressive visuals, powered by Unreal Engine 5. The forest becomes a vast, sprawling world where every blade of grass looks like a towering structure and every puddle feels like an enormous ocean. This dramatic shift in scale is at the heart of the experience, and it works remarkably well. Watching a ladybug emerge like a giant colossus or taking part in a battle between rival colonies genuinely makes you feel like you're living inside a thriving ecosystem.
Another major strength is the game's sound design. The rustling of leaves, vibrations travelling through the ground and the amplified sounds of this microscopic world all come together to create an incredibly immersive atmosphere. The soundtrack complements the experience perfectly, shifting between quieter moments of exploration and contemplation and sequences filled with tension and urgency.
The variety of creatures deserves a special mention, too. Contrary to what you might expect, Empire of the Ants isn't just about ants. Far from it. Termites, aphids, beetles, wasps, hornets, snails and plenty of other insects all make an appearance throughout the adventure. That's without even mentioning the various creatures roaming the environments and surrounding areas of each map, making the world feel even more alive and believable.
Ant 103,683 reporting for duty!
In Empire of the Ants, we take control of Ant 103,683, a soldier who has earned the respect of her fellow colony members through her courage and intelligence. Our mission is to protect the colony and expand its territory, facing all kinds of threats along the way.
The story draws inspiration from Bernard Werber's novels without attempting to recreate them scene by scene. Instead, it blends survival, diplomacy, territorial expansion and conflict into a single adventure. We'll travel to numerous locations to explore new areas, establish alliances and drive rival insect populations out of their territory. It's an approach that's surprisingly easy to get invested in. The game also features an extensive but well-paced tutorial that gradually introduces its many mechanics as we progress.
While the writing doesn't quite reach the depth of the original novels, it does a good job of preserving one of their most fascinating ideas: the collective intelligence that defines ant society. Part of the story is also told through memory pheromones scattered throughout the world, allowing us to uncover fragments of the past as we explore. The game may not follow the novels exactly, but it certainly retains their DNA. There's also an almost mystical quality to the narrative, where nature becomes an immense world of constantly shifting forces.
The main campaign is divided into five major chapters, offering a fairly linear adventure that remains enjoyable throughout. The focus is firmly on telling a story and exploring richly detailed environments rather than building a character who gradually evolves through an elaborate progression system. If you're looking for a deep RPG packed with extensive skill trees, character statistics and countless upgrades, this probably isn't the game for you.
Rock, paper, scissors..?
The colony's basic units are divided into three main categories: Warriors, Gunners and Workers. Each one has an advantage over one type of unit but is vulnerable to another, creating a classic rock-paper-scissors system that forms the foundation of the game's strategy. It's a simple mechanic, but one you'll need to keep in mind throughout the adventure. In fact, you might even find yourself keeping a little cheat sheet next to your screen to remember every unit's strengths and weaknesses. Still, don't assume the entire combat system revolves around this trio, as there's plenty more going on beneath the surface.
As a real-time strategy game, Empire of the Ants needs more than a simple combat system to deliver meaningful tactical depth, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. Allied units, predators, nest upgrades, special abilities, troop selection and the ability to command multiple groups from a distance are just some of the tools at your disposal.
All these mechanics are thoughtfully designed and fit naturally into the overall experience. RTS games have traditionally been associated with PC gaming, largely because of the precision and convenience offered by a mouse and keyboard. However, developer Tower Five has managed to bring the genre to consoles with an excellent controller implementation. We'll come back to this shortly, as it's one of the game's most interesting features.
Throughout the adventure, you'll encounter a wide variety of missions. Some focus primarily on storytelling and exploration, while others throw you straight into real-time battles. The environments are always carefully designed around the objectives at hand. More relaxed missions encourage exploration and traversal, while combat encounters generally take place in wider, more open areas with plenty of visibility. At least until the weather decides to make things more complicated.
Level design is another major highlight. Every branch, flower, rock, fallen leaf and stream of water feels carefully placed. Nothing seems to have been left to chance.
Quite the technical achievement
It's difficult not to appreciate the technical quality of Empire of the Ants. Visually, the game is genuinely impressive. The lighting looks spectacular, insect models are beautifully detailed, and the textures help bring the entire environment to life. From fallen fruit and rocky surfaces to the reflections shimmering across the water, there's very little to complain about.
Microids hasn't always enjoyed the best reputation when it comes to technical polish. The French publisher has released games across a wide range of genres, some of which have felt somewhat rushed or fallen short of modern standards. Tower Five's production, however, is a very different story. This is an exceptionally polished and ambitious project with a clear creative vision, and one that also stands out for its technical stability and lack of major bugs.
It's also worth taking a closer look at how the game handles controller support. As mentioned earlier, real-time strategy games are traditionally associated with PC gaming, where a mouse makes selecting units and issuing commands much easier. Tower Five, however, has come up with a remarkably simple yet clever solution for bringing the genre to consoles: you become the mouse.
Rather than controlling the battlefield from an overhead perspective and clicking around the screen to issue commands, the ant we control effectively becomes the cursor. For example, if we want to upgrade our nest, we'll need to physically make our way there with our little protagonist before interacting with it. The available actions are represented by symbols that appear directly on the ground.
It's a clever idea that has been implemented beautifully into the gameplay. More importantly, it ensures that players are never simply sitting back and watching battles unfold from a distance. Instead, we're actively involved in the action, becoming part of the battlefield rather than just issuing orders from the sidelines.
Post-launch content
While Empire of the Ants was already great at launch, offering plenty of content and a polished technical experience, Tower Five wasn't quite finished yet. The studio has since released a major update packed with new additions that further expand the game's possibilities. Called Swarm Together, the update focuses on replayability, strategic depth and, most importantly, cooperative gameplay. Given the amount of new content, it's almost substantial enough to be considered an expansion.
One of the main additions is Horde Mode, which can be played either solo or cooperatively. The objective is simple: survive endless waves of enemies that constantly change as the challenge progresses. Players can also revisit six story missions through a new scoring system, encouraging them to refine their strategies and optimize their performance to climb the leaderboards.
Co-op players also have plenty to look forward to. The update introduces a brand-new mode where two players can team up against two AI-controlled opponents on a map specifically designed for battles of this scale. Considering that the game already featured PvP options, it's clear that Tower Five is committed to expanding the multiplayer experience in every possible direction.
The gameplay itself has also received some meaningful additions. One of the highlights is a brand-new unit called the Paussus, which can infiltrate enemy nests and steal their resources without being detected. Used effectively, this ability has the potential to completely turn the tide of a match. Another new ability, called Pheromone Storm, creates a cloud that blocks vision and information within a specific area of the map. It's an ideal tool for setting up surprise attacks and catching opponents off guard.
A few problems short of perfection
Despite all its strengths, Empire of the Ants isn't without its flaws. The interface can occasionally feel a little confusing, although it's something you'll gradually get used to. Difficulty is another area where the experience feels somewhat inconsistent. Certain missions can be particularly challenging, while most others remain relatively accessible. Some are genuinely engaging, whereas others don't quite hit the same mark.
We also would have appreciated a little more freedom in the storytelling, perhaps with a deeper narrative or a few unexpected plot twists. That said, storytelling isn't really the main focus of the experience, so this isn't necessarily a major issue.
If we had to point out one weakness in an otherwise excellent art direction, it would be the lack of movement throughout the environments. Despite looking absolutely beautiful, the natural world can feel a little too static. We'd have liked to see more wind effects and movement across the vegetation to make the forest feel even more alive.
Finally, our ant's movement can occasionally be a little unpredictable. This is particularly noticeable when walking upside down or quickly changing direction. It can be amusing at first, and you'll eventually get used to handling these situations, but it can still become frustrating when it happens in the middle of an intense encounter.
Tested on PC. See our rating policy here.
8.5/10
Empire of the Ants isn’t a revolutionary RTS, and it’s certainly not a big project. It lacks the depth and budget of the genre’s behemoths. However, it’s a deeply vibrant game with a unique identity, coupled with unexpected ambition. One of its biggest surprises is its refusal to fit into any specific category. It borrows from strategy games, of course, but also from adventure, management, and sometimes even action games. Its great art direction, fascinating world, sense of immersion, multiple game modes, and this hybrid approach make it as interesting as it is accessible, creating an experience you won’t easily forget.
- + Original and very well-executed concept
- + Easy to pick up despite its depth
- + Visually stunning
- + Very well-suited to the console/controller
- + Interesting level design
- + Plenty of game modes
- + Good replay value
- - Both the campaign and story lack appeal
- - Difficulty is somewhat inconsistent at times
- - Controls can be finicky at times